Dancing with the Stars is on the verge of returning in the 2025 TV schedule, but only six of the celebrities have been confirmed by ABC at the time of writing. Even the final lineup of pro dancers isn't certain at this point, with news breaking just a couple days ago that an Eras Tour dancer has joined the pro cast. Still, fans on social media seem to think they've figured out at least one unannounced celebrity, and I hope they're right because I'm ready to root for him. Is Dylan Efron going to be dancing for the mirrorball trophy this fall?
Well, Dylan Efron is not one of the first batch of celebrities announced for Season 34. Wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin (son of Steve Irwin and brother of Season 21 champion Bindi Irwin), The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast member Jen Affleck, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast member Whitney Leavitt, dancer Alex Baldwin's real-life wife Hilaria Baldwin, and social media personality Alix Earle were all confirmed early, but the show's Instagram account dropped some clues for eagle-eyed fans. Take a look:
Admittedly, you have to know a lot of silhouettes to pick up usable clues from the photos, but many fans in the comment section agree on the identity of the first person, seemingly with dark curly hair, wearing a vest, and having his face obscured by a mirrorball. The consensus is that the male celebrity is The Traitors' Dylan Efron, with Daniella Karagach as his pro partner. He could certainly do worse, if that's the case! She helped partner Iman Shumpert win Season 30 of DWTS, and then had another NBA partner with Dwight Howard in Season 33.
But Dylan Efron is the one that I'm excited about for Dancing with the Stars Season 34, if the commenters are correct that he's in the photoset. Efron is fresh off of a successful run on The Traitors, despite arguably being one of the lesser known celebrity participants beyond having famous older brother (and shirtless golf partner) Zac.
Not only was he successful on the show, but he apparently came out of it with a lasting bromance with Survivor legend Boston Rob Mariano. I'd say that Efron still isn't a household name in reality TV, though, and that's precisely why I want him cast for DWTS. Call me petty, but I want a season with a reality frontrunner who very specifically is not from Bachelor Nation. (You can find The Traitors streaming with a Peacock subscription.)
Three of the last six Dancing with the Stars champions came to the series from either The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. While I'm not rooting against anybody from Bachelor Nation on principle (despite what I said about Peter Weber on Destination X), it's always felt to me like an unfair advantage when a star from a hit ABC reality romance show then moves over to a hit ABC reality dance show. Anybody who regularly watches ABC live would have seen commercials for the most recent seasons of Bachelor Nation, so they'd likely already know at least a little something about any participants who would appear on DWTS.
I feel like a winning reality star from outside of Bachelor Nation would just be really refreshing this season. Interestingly, both Peacock's The Traitors and Fox's Special Forces: World's Toughest Test have also been filled with Bachelor Nation alums, on top of Peter Weber on NBC's Destination X. Sign me up for a veteran of The Traitors to coming onto DWTS after the Peacock's series eventful last season! Of course, Dylan Efron hasn't even been confirmed as part of the cast of Season 34 with Daniella Karagach, so I shouldn't get too far ahead of myself.
Dancing with the Stars Season 34 premieres on ABC on Tuesday, September 16 at 8 p.m. ET, and will also be available streaming with a Disney+ subscription.
