Pop culture fans are going to love Dancing with the Stars's weekly theme lineup this season, which 2024 winner Joey Graziadei announced in full Thursday on the first-ever episode of the Dancing With The Stars Official Podcast. Among this season's schedule are three new exciting themes: Wicked Night, TikTok Night and Prince Night, along with several returning fan-favorite themes.
"Are you guys ready to hear the themes for this season, exclusively right here, right now?" Joey, also a former star on The Bachelor, addressed fans on Thursday's podcast episode, which also featured DWTS co-hosts Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro. "Guys, I need a drumroll, please. This is a big deal."
DWTS returned with a bang earlier this week in a season premiere that set a new show record for most fan votes. Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Whitney Leavitt, wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin and Alec Baldwin's wife Hilaria Baldwin led the leaderboard on night one, while actor Corey Feldman and comedian Andy Richter rounded out the lowest scores.
Here's the full list of weekly themes, along with the hosts' thoughts on what to expect each week.
- Week 2: One Hit Wonders Night: Previously announced at the end of Tuesday night's episode, next week will feature songs that you loved by artists you never heard from again.
- Week 3: TikTok Night: "We’ve got a lot of TikTokers this year," Joey said, referencing TikTok star Alix Earle, as well as Whitney and her Mormon Wives costar Jen Affleck, who each boast millions of followers. All contestants and dance pros have made greater pushes in the last couple of years to garner buzz for the show on the social media app. "Makes sense," Julianne added. "I feel like we need this."
- Week 4: Disney: "A classic, one of my favorites," Joey said. "And we actually, this season, are going to be celebrating Disneyland’s 70th year. So it’s going to be a special one. I’m still thinking about my Tarzan costume. I miss it, guys."
- Week 5: Dedication Night: Another staple in the DWTS world, this theme invites contestants to dedicate their performances to someone or something meaningful to them. Last year's dedications included family members, teammates, coaches and even Taylor Swift. "Another one of my favorites," Joey said. "I think there are going to be some beautiful dances that night."
- Week 6: Wicked Night: Ahead of the highly-anticipated theatrical release of Wicked: For Good, DWTS stars will dance through life on the small screen. "It might break the internet," Joey said. Julianne vowed to "hold space" for the evening.
- Week 7: Halloween Night: Also an annual tradition on the show, Joey warned that "it’s gonna get spooky up in here."
- Week 8: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Night: The show has previously done similar iterations to celebrate rock and roll anthems, including last year's Hair Metal Night.
- Week 9: DWTS's 20th birthday party: Stars' dances will be part of the celebration of the 20th year DWTS has been on air.
- Week 10 - Prince Night (Semi-Finals): Another new theme this year, dancers will honor the legendary musician. "That is my night," Alfonso said, teasing some fun costumes he plans to debut.
- Week 11: Finale: The final episode of this season, for which the air date has not yet been announced, will run for three hours as the remaining dancers battle it out for a chance to take home the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.
The official DWTS podcast drops every Thursday to recap that week's live episode, featuring interviews with hosts, judges, behind-the-scenes crew and former contestants. You can watch on Hulu and Disney+.