‘Dancing with the Stars’ Pro Emma Slater Pulls Out Stops By Performing with Savannah Bananas Ahead of Tuesday’s Premiere

Emma Slater isn’t leaving anything to chance before the season 35 premiere of Dancing with the Stars.

Partnered with Savannah Bananas second baseman Jackson Olson for the season that begins Tuesday on ABC, the popular pro doubled down on her pre-season publicity tour by performing with his exhibition baseball team.

Slater and Olson joined the Bananas at Grayson Stadium in Georgia to dance to “Rewrite the Stars” from The Greatest Showman soundtrack. The stakes are high going into the new season; there’s a double elimination planned for the first week.

Hulu’s Get Real podcast host Amanda Hirsch revealed during the Sept. 10 episode that one male and one female will be sent home following the two-night premiere on Sept. 15 and 16.

“This is the first time since 2018 that one male celebrity and one female celebrity will be sent home after the two-night premiere,” Hirsch said during the episode. “That hasn’t happened in many years.”

Most of the celebrities from the 35th season have been stepping up their social media game before the premiere. But it’s old hat for Olson; besides playing infield for the Savannah Bananas, he is a prolific content creator known for his macro baseball insights and tales about family, relationships and food.

Other celebs competing for the mirror ball this season include The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Tatyana Ali; Bachelor alum Tyler Cameron; former boy band member Taylor Hanson; actress Julia Stiles; actress Jenna Dewan; cooking star Giada De Laurentiis; Paralympian Ezra Frech; Olympian Amber Glenn; comedian and podcaster Connor Wood; Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Whitney Leavitt’s husband, Connor Leavitt; Love Thy Nader star Sarah Jane Nader; Grey’s Anatomy star Harry Shum Jr. ; Guillermo Rodriguez from Jimmy Kimmel Live; Traitors star Maura Higgins; and Summer House‘s Ciara Miller.