Another cast member has been revealed ahead of Dancing With the Stars season 34.
Influencer Alix Earle is officially joining the competition when it returns to ABC this fall. The big announcement was made during the Thursday, May 22, broadcast of Good Morning America.
“This is so surreal,” Earle, 24, said on Thursday as she walked onto the GMA set. “I mean, I’ve always been a fan of Dancing With the Stars. I used to watch it when I was so young with my grandma … I was so in love with dance. When this opportunity came to me, it was like, ‘What can I do next? Where can I take this?’ I mean, I’m ready to challenge myself, I think it’s gonna be a lot of fun. It was a very obvious answer to say yes.”
Earle also noted that she has a background in competitive dance. “I would like to say I have some rhythm,” she joked. “I’m excited to get back in there and get training.”
Known for her “get ready with me” videos, Earle hinted that she was ready to go “above and beyond every week” for her fans. When it comes to her ideal partner, however, Earle doesn’t have a name in mind.
“I would be grateful to be with anyone,” she said. “I think they’re all so talented. I’m looking for a partner who’s gonna be a good time, a good friend and really push me to be my best.”
The reveal comes one month after Robert Irwin was confirmed to be hitting the DWTS ballroom. His sister, Bindi Irwin, a mirrorball champion herself, celebrated the casting news in April with a sweet Instagram tribute.
“DANCING WITH THE STARS SEASON 34 – LET’S GOOOO!” she wrote at the time. “Robert, you are going to absolutely shine in the ballroom. I wish I could express the magnitude of how proud I am of you and everything you have achieved.”
She continued, “[I] can’t wait to cheer you on each week as you inspire so many with your strength, kindness and determination. Here’s to an extraordinary journey ahead.”
Bindi, 26, won season 21 of the ballroom dance competition with her pro partner, Derek Hough, in 2015. Robert, 21, exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month that he’ll be utilizing his sister’s expertise.
“I’m just going to get real for a second, I’m so nervous,” he said of making his DWTS debut. “I’m really nervous. … I just don’t know what to expect.”
Robert told Us that he’s “grateful” to have watched Bindi go through the experience before him. “Not only did she do Dancing With the Stars, I mean, she won Dancing With the Stars and just was such an incredible shining light. I remember watching [her] on that show just thinking, ‘This is the coolest thing ever,'” he added, joking that Bindi has her “work cut out” for her when it comes to sharing advice.
Despite her brother’s nerves, Bindi is already predicting he’ll win over the fan base. “He has nothing to be worried about,” she told Us in the same interview. “All we have to be worried about is him breaking the internet every week.”
When DWTS returns, so will cohosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough. Additional casting has yet to be revealed, but Us isn’t alone in wanting to uncover all the secrets.
“I want to know everything. It’s very much my personality,” former DWTS pro Lindsay Arnold exclusively told Us last month. “I don’t really love to be surprised. I like to know things.”
DWTS has been through plenty of changes since it premiered in 2005, but its popularity hasn’t wavered. Season 33 broke viewing records, drawing in the biggest audience for its finale in three years. Bachelor Nation’s Joey Graziadei and pro Jenna Johnson were crowned the winners, with Olympian Ilona Maher and her partner, Alan Bersten, finishing in second place.
Dancing With the Stars returns to ABC this fall.
