Dancing with the Stars arrives on ABC for Season 34 in the 2025 TV schedule on September 16, and The Traitors vet (and High School Musical's Zac Efron's younger brother) Dylan Efron is among the celebrities vying for the Len Goodman mirrorball trophy this fall. Ahead of his first outing on the dance floor, Efron opened up about his mom's dream for her son on the show... although Dylan isn't the son she originally envisioned!
Dylan Efron is paired with former DWTS champion Daniella Karagach as his pro partner for Season 34, and he weighed in on his family coming to watch him strut his stuff in front of the judges, telling People:
My mom, her dream was Zac doing the show 20 years ago, so I’m really excited for my mom to be there. But I’d also like my dad, my little brother, little sister – it’s gonna make me tear up to see them in the stands.
Honestly, Dylan Efron's mom starting to dream of one of her sons going on DWTS two decades ago makes sense! Zac Efron had worked on a number of TV shows early in his career, but hit it big in the first High School Musical film in 2006, followed by High School Musical 2 in 2007 and High School Musical 3: Senior Year on the big screen in 2008.
It's also not unprecedented for DWTS to cast celebrities who already have some dance experience, including Dirty Dancing's Jennifer Grey in Season 11, Olympic ice dance gold medalist Meryl Davis in Season 18, and Dance Moms' JoJo Siwa in Season 30, to name a few. The HSM star could have made sense as a contestant.
Alas, Zac and Dylan's mom didn't get her wish twenty years ago, even when her eldest son returned to dance-filled movie musicals with Hairspray and The Greatest Showman. Apparently, all she needed to do was wait for Zac's younger brother to be ready for Dancing with the Stars.
While it remains to be seen if Dylan Efron can adapt to dancing in front of an audience as well as Zac did, he has a strong partner in Daniella Karagach. She helped very tall NBA star Iman Shumpert win Season 30, and came in second with Jason Mraz for Season 32. Bachelor Nation alum Joey Graziadei, who won Season 33 with pro partner Jenna Johnson, predicted that Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach could win it all in Season 34.
Of course, dance skills are only part of the battle in Dancing with the Stars, as being the most talented celebrity doesn't necessarily mean winning the mirrorball trophy. Once audience votes are tallied, the fates of the duos lie with who fans from home liked the most. Getting a 10 from a judge doesn't mean much if a celebrity isn't popular with viewers!
Dylan Efron is competing against:
- The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' Jen Affleck with partner Jan Ravnik
- Author and wellness influencer Hilaria Baldwin and partner Gleb Savchenko
- Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles with partner Ezra Sosa
- NBA All-Star Baron Davis with partner Britt Stewart
- Social media personality Alix Earle with partner Val Chmerkovskiy,
- Actor and musician Corey Feldman with partner Jenna Johnson
- Boys Meets World alum star Danielle Fishel with partner Pasha Pashkov
- Actress Elaine Hendrix with partner Alan Bersten
- Pentatonix Grammy winner Scott Hoying with partner Rylee Arnold
- Wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin with partner Witney Carson
- Fifth Harmony's Lauren Jauregui with partner Brandon Armstrong
- The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' Whitney Leavitt with partner Mark Ballas
- Comedian Andy Richter with partner Emma Slater.
Tune in to ABC or stream with a Disney+ subscription on Tuesday, September 16 at 8 p.m. ET for the Season 34 premiere of Dancing with the Stars, and see for yourself if Dylan Efron does indeed tear up with the support of his family. New episodes will also be available streaming next day with a Hulu subscription.
