‘Dancing with the Stars’ Announces Second Ever All-Female Pairing
Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills are pairing up for season 35.
Dancing with the Stars has just announced its second ever all-female duo for the upcoming season.
The popular reality competition show has overwhelmingly featured male-female couples since it premiered in 2005. It wasn’t until the 30th season that Jenna Johnson and JoJo Siwa made history as the first female pair to compete. Now, another duo is joining the short list.
Bisexual reality star Sarah Jane Nader will be competing on season 35 of Dancing with the Stars alongside professional dancer Hailey Bills, who joined the show last season.
“I was actually in the middle of my tour for Dancing with the Stars in April and [executive producer] Deena Katz just pulled me aside and asked me if I’d be willing to dance with a female, and I was like, ‘Double whammy,'” Bills told People. “And of course, obviously I’m down to dance with a female.”
Nader appeared equally excited, calling the pairing “such an honor” and admitting that when she and Bills learned they would be partnered up, “we probably hit a new frequency in the dance studio, screaming. We were just beyond thrilled.”
Fans, on the other hand, have had mixed opinions. Some consider the same-sex pair up “unfair” to Bills, as it will be her first season as a DWTS pro. Others, are of course, being straight up weird about it.
“I was so looking forward to Hailey as a pro but not with a woman partner,” one person wrote on Nader and Bills’ joint Instagram post. “Kind of ruined it for me.”
But plenty of people are beyond thrilled to see another female duo compete this season.
“i am unwell,” wrote Julianne Hough, who currently acts as a co-host of the show.
“So iconic,” Olympic figure skater and fellow season 35 competitor Amber Glenn commented.
This season will feature a pretty incredible lineup of celebrity competitors beyond Nader and Glenn, including Julia Stiles, Jenna Dewan, Tatyana Ali, Taylor Hanson, and Harry Shum Jr. The season premieres on ABC on Tuesday, September 15.
