‘Dancing with the Stars’ team at Casting season 34, to choose benefits

The milestone 20th year of “Dancing with the Stars” will be one to watch. From top dancers (including the return of Pro Mark Ballas), experienced and long-awaited celebrities and exciting surprises, the team brings their A-game like never before. Last season the show broke several voting records (more than 32 million votes for the final) and saw the highest reviews in three years.

“I feel the pressure to try to keep it up. I think it is a great story for every broadcast show for 20 years from the start, to still grow in important areas,” says Showrunner Conrad Green Variety. “In recent years I think we have found a whole new younger audience that has gone with the show again and have the feeling that it is now their show. And the truth is that it is always everyone.”

But “DWTS”, produced by BBC Studios, has changed enormously in the last 20 years, just like the viewing patterns.

“There is a difference now, there is so much energy and buzz around the show … My daughter and friends literally look at the show because they have to keep track,” says executive producer and head of Casting Deena Katz. “It has changed in a different way into must-see TV.”

Katz, who has worked on the show since its foundation, says that younger viewers are also reviewing the old seasons, just as they do with “Gossip Girl” or “The Oc”: “It’s not just this season, it’s this excitement of other seasons. It is being taken about a whole new life.”

The cast of season 34 includes a good number of celebrities – from former children’s stars such as Danielle Fishel and Corey Feldman, to “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” influence Whitney Leavitt and Jen Affleck. Throw athletes, musicians and TV personalities, Green says that this group has a “really enthusiasm” among them – which is the whole point.

“There is nothing like people who are really enthusiastic about doing the show for whatever reason,” he says. “It is really positive energy. Quite a few of our people have had some experience rather, so I think the dance level will be really high, which will be interesting to view progress. Our audience likes to see both great dances and great progression.”

Katz admits that every season is “so worried” when it comes to casting: “I always say it’s like I’m the best dinner where there are 14 guests, and you may not all know, but it’s all logical.”

For years she asks Fishel to be in the show, but time was never good. Now she couldn’t be happier. There are some people – Bill Clinton, to be specific – who she will continue to ask every season.

“I don’t assume it personally if you say no. If you say you’re never going to do it, I might listen to you, maybe not. I am also joking with some:” I’m going to stalk you. “And I think I told Danielle:” You will ever have to say yes, because I don’t go away, “says Katz.” There are people on that list that I will just keep asking, because I think they are really right for this show. “

Of course it is also about finding the right combinations between professional dancers and the celebrities. All year round, some professionals katz suggestions and sometimes celebrities will ask for specific professionals. Although she is considering all comments, she tells everyone the same: trust her.

“When I was with Dylan Efron, I immediately knew during lunch that he should be with Daniella Karagach. I immediately think about it while I lock up the celebrities, and sometimes I bring changes. It’s a nice show, but it’s stressful,” she says. “We are not the kind of show that tries to make couples that will become antagonistic, because we think it is a good television. We try to do really good couples, try to do things that the audience has never seen before.”

Katz, who also treats Casting for “The Masked Singer” and “The Traitors”, constantly thinks about who is best for each – because each has very different qualifications.

” Masked Singer ‘is fantastic and the silliest game you will play – for singers or actors, people who cannot sing, it’s great. It is also a different time frame. ” Dancing ‘is a long obligation and it is about sharing your emotional journey. For something else. ”

After seeing how much Efron exploded as a favorite with a fan about ‘The Traitors’, she knew she wanted him for ‘dancing’. Of course some also wanted to see Boston Rob Mariano, the “survivor” aluin who became fast friends with Efron in the ballroom.

“I am the biggest ‘surviving’ fan, so he is on my little manifest dream board,” she says. “I wouldn’t have done it this season, because I didn’t think I would have done two” traitors “. Dylan, I locked up a long time ago.

As much as the cast, fans of “DWTS” are invested in the pros. This season, some fans were Van Streek that Emma Slater was linked to one of the less experienced dancers, Andy Richter for the second season in a row. (Last year she was collaborated with Reginald Veljohnson.)

“People get angry. I have to keep it honest too. I can’t give one person the winner every time – that’s not fair for the pros, that’s not fair to the public. The professionals are spectacular and I want each of them to shoot,” says Katz. ‘Sometimes it seems that there are a few seasons that someone didn’t get anyone [great]But if I took out my blackboard and you would show who everyone got, it is really even. I don’t audition anyone, so I don’t know [how a celebrity will do]. I can do my guesses, but I was also wrong half the time. Nobody thought Tommy Chong would make the semi -final. Don’t know!”

Although season 34 has no controversial participants (more about that later), some viewers on social media have been vocal about being sad about the absence of Sasha Farber. The Pro participated in 12 seasons, including the last eight in a row.

“For the most part it is about trying to get the right dancer or the right celebrity, to work out combinations and try to be surprising in how we link people,” says Green. “Both our dancers and the stars are big reasons for people to keep coming and watching, but our dancers are our recurring cast as it were, so we mix and match … People come and go, sometimes people leave to have children, sometimes people leave to do other things too, so it’s a constant process of refreshing and regenerating that cast.”

Ballas is a big returner this season and will probably earn a lot of voices dancing with Leavitt.

“He is a great choreographer and great artist. He always brings so much with it,” says Green. “I think he will probably be one of the favorites. But this is a super difficult season to call, to be honest, with the quality of the dancers and the celebrities we have, I have no idea.”

In the past, the show has had a political or specific controversial figure in the couple – ie. Sean Spicer or Anna Delvey. This year that will send free.

“In general, we have tried not to lean too hard in politics. Politics is always present and a pretty painful subject for many people in different ways, in recent years,” Green explains. “I don’t feel that we are a show that wants to work on division. We are a show that wants to work on uniting people and celebrating the things that we can all enjoy together as Americans.”

Katz adds that while she felt that she had to cast Delvey – “How could I not?” – This year it was important to stay completely away from politics.

“I think we are so divided now, and there is so much tension. The show is for everyone. We don’t preach here,” she says. “This just has to be a space that you can just enjoy here. I don’t need to be divided. I have the feeling that we really have to be here. There will be people you might like or not, but not political.”

In season 30, the show barriers broke with the first female female collaboration with Jenna Johnson and Jojo Siwa. And in the future they were able to cast a male male duo.

“It absolutely worked with Jojo and Jenna,” says Katz. “I will never do anything like to do it. I have to have the right couple that I think would be great. And if I absolutely find that couple.”

Regarding this season, viewers around 20 years old can expect many parties with a large episode full of “memorable elements”, says Green Variety.

“We have not seen some things we will do in the episode in the last 20 years, in terms of both competition and in terms of people who come, so it will be a real celebration,” he says. Katz teases: “You will see so many earlier celebrities, and we are going to do things with winners from the past and earlier benefits. We will definitely honor that we have been in for 20 years and are still going strong.”

“Dancing with the Stars” is broadcast live on ABC and Disney+ on Tuesday at 8 pm et and Streams the next day at Hulu.