The cast of Dancing With the Stars: Juniors was announced during the two-night season 27 premiere of Dancing With the Stars on Tuesday, September 25. This spinoff show features twelve child celebrities and children of celebrities dancing with child pros, along with their adult pro mentors from the regular DWTS show. The show premieres Sunday, October 7 on ABC.
DWTS Interact will be blogging about DWTS: Juniors this season alongside DWTS 27. So, here are Paul Bentley’s pre-season thoughts on the Juniors teams!
MasterChef Junior Winner Addison Osta Smith and Lev Khmelev,
Mentored by Keo Motsepe
Mentored by Keo Motsepe
Paul Bentley’s Thoughts: Addison has already faced the pressures of the competition in MasterChef Junior, so hopefully she will be able to handle the pressures of Dancing With the Stars: Juniors! I like how open she is to the new experience, which I think she will end up loving because Lev gives off a similar energy to her. Keo is just an overall fun guy, and I know that he is going to give his all to make sure these kids do their best!
#TeamKeo
Spelling Bee Champion Akash Vukoti and Kamri Peterson,
Mentored by Witney Carson
Paul Bentley’s Thoughts: Akash is such a big personality for such a young kid! He is so articulate and bright-- he’s like a little adult! Akash and Kamri might be the youngest couple this season, but they are very mature for their age, and are in it to win it! Witney appears to be “the fun sister” of this team, joking around with them all the time, but also making sure these two are learning and giving the best that they can give.
#TeamWitney
Here Comes Honey Boo Boo Star Alana Thompson and Tristan Ianiero,
Mentored by Artem Chigvintsev
Paul Bentley’s Thoughts: I may or may not have seen every episode of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo… that show was just so bizarre! Saying that Alana is a unique, outgoing personality is an understatement, so I think she is really going to have to focus to truly get her technique down. Tristan has a very energetic person to work with, but I think he’ll be able to take that energy and transfer it into their dancing, especially with Artem’s help. Artem might be a bit strict, but he is also a caring individual, which is always nice to see in a mentor.
#TeamArtem
Stuck in the Middle Actress Ariana Greenblatt and Artyon Celestine,
Mentored by Brandon Armstrong
Paul Bentley’s Thoughts: These kids are such little characters! Ariana and Artyon are not shy in the slightest, and not to mention that they are very talented in what they do! Ariana’s acting skills and Artyon’s dancing skills are going to rub off on each other, which is the perfect combination to have what it takes to make it to the final! We’re still getting to know Brandon as a pro on regular Dancing With the Stars, but I have been impressed with what he has choreographed thus far, so I expect to see some great content from him DWTS: Juniors!
#TeamBrandon
General Hospital Actor Hudson West and Kameron Couch,
Mentored by Hayley Erbert
Paul Bentley’s Thoughts: The fact that Hudson is an Emmy-nominated actor at ten years old is impressive. If he is able to accomplish that, he is sure as well able to make it far on DWTS: Juniors! Kameron is a level head on her shoulders, which is exactly what a newbie dancer needs as a partner on this show! Now, we haven’t seen too much of Hayley as a dancer outside of the troupe on DWTS, but this is her chance to go big and prove herself worthy of a pro spot on the regular show!
#TeamHayley
Raven’s Home Actor Jason Maybaum and Elliana Walmsley,
Mentored by Emma Slater
Paul Bentley’s Thoughts: This might just be the most explosive and in-your-face couple on the show, and I am all for it! Jason is funny and adorable, with more personality than most adults I know! Jason and Elliana seem to be on board with all the energy, so there is no disproportion with any of these personalities! I have always loved Emma as a person and a dancer, and with the genius choreography she has created for all sorts of partners, she is without a doubt the best teacher for these two!
#TeamEmma
Actress and Singer Mackenzie Ziegler and Sage Rosen,
Mentored by Gleb Savchenko
Paul Bentley’s Thoughts: Mackenzie seems like just a regular kid, and I like that. She also seems honest and a bit timid, but there’s nothing wrong with that! I haven’t really gotten the chance to get to know Sage yet, but he I have confidence in his dancing ability, especially because he is one of the older pros this season. I look forward to seeing what Gleb is going to give them for their routines because usually Gleb’s dances are a bit serious, but for this show, he’s probably going to have to make things a little more lighthearted.
#TeamGleb
Black-ish Actor Miles Brown and Rylee Arnold,
Mentored by Lindsay Arnold
Paul Bentley’s Thoughts: Miles seems like a little jokester, doesn’t he?! XD This team has so much fun with each other with their similar humor and personalities. I have a lot of confidence in Rylee as a pro, especially with her sister Lindsay giving a helping hand. Lindsay is one of my favorite pros on Dancing With the Stars for so many different reasons, and having her as this pair’s mentor is going to be a huge asset for them!
#TeamLindsay
Fashion Designer and Stevie Wonder’s Son Mandla Morris and Brightyn Brems,
Mentored by Cheryl Burke
Paul Bentley’s Thoughts: I didn’t realize Stevie Wonder had a son as young as Mandla, so it’s cool that we have that we a relative of a musical icon on this show! Mandla is a bit lowkey, but he is also charismatic and charming. Brightyn seems genuinely appreciative of being able to showcase her dancing talents on the show, and with all of the dance experience Cheryl has to offer, I can’t wait to see that talent brought out of Brightyn as a pro!
#TeamCheryl
Professional Skateboarder Sky Brown and JT Church,
Mentored by Alan Bersten
Paul Bentley’s Thoughts: This little girl is a professional skateboarder?! That is so cool! Sky and JT are already an adorable pair to watch, and I have no doubts that they are going to liven that dance floor up during the premiere! I think Alan is really good with kids, so he’s going to make sure these two get the best out of this experience, while still being competitive enough to try to win that star trophy at the end!
#TeamAlan
Model and Scottie Pippen’s Daughter Sophia Pippen and Jake Monreal,
Mentored by Sasha Farber
Paul Bentley’s Thoughts: Right off the bat, I love how confident and outgoing Sophia is. She must take after her NBA star father! Jake seems just a tiny bit more shy compared to her, but I think once he gets more comfortable with Sophia, he will come out of his shell a little more. Sasha is always good with creating creative choreography and making sure everyone is having fun, so I think this team is going to just have a blast overall!
#TeamSasha
Bristol Palin’s Son Tripp Johnston Palin and Hailey Bills,
Mentored by Jenna Johnson
Paul Bentley’s Thoughts: Never having performed on camera before is going to be quite a hurdle for Tripp to get over, but despite being a little quiet, he is very put-together kid,and that’s going to help him with his composure on the dance floor. And if Hailey dances anything like her aunt Jenna, Tripp is going to be able to break out as a star a bit more! Jenna has always created amazing dances, so this show is probably going to prove that even more.
#TeamJenna
Dancing With the Stars: Juniors Premiere Information
The Juniors show will air Sunday nights at 8/7c on ABC. The premiere episode will be two hours, but the rest of the season will consist of one-hour episodes. The judges for this spinoff show are choreographer Mandy Moore, DWTS pro Val Chmerkovskiy, and DWTS: Athletes winner Adam Rippon. The hosts of the show are DWTS season 25 winner Jordan Fisher and season 25 finalist Frankie Muniz.
According to the DWTS: Juniors press release, here are the dances the child couples will perform for week one:
- Addison Osta Smith and Lev Khmelev (mentored by Keo Motsepe) will dance a Cha-Cha-Cha to Burnin’ Up by Jessie J featuring 2 Chainz
- Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson and Tristan Ianiero (mentored by Artem Chigvintsev) will dance Salsa to Conga by Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine
- Akash Vukoti and Kamri Peterson (mentored by Witney Carson) will dance a Foxtrot to L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole
- Ariana Greenblatt and Artyon Celestine (mentored by Brandon Armstrong) will dance a Cha-Cha-Cha to Cut to the Feeling by Carly Rae Jepsen
- Hudson West and Kameron Couch (mentored by Hayley Erbert) will dance a Cha-Cha-Cha to There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back by Shawn Mendes
- Jason Maybaum and Elliana Walmsley (mentored by Emma Slater) will dance a Cha-Cha-Cha to Bills by Lunchmoney Lewis
- Mackenzie Ziegler and Sage Rosen (mentored by Gleb Savchenko) will dance a Foxtrot to New York, New York by Ray Quinn featuring Ultra Love
- Mandla Morris and Brightyn Brems (mentored by Cheryl Burke) will dance a Jive to Land of 1000 Dances by Wilson Pickett
- Miles Brown and Rylee Arnold (mentored by Lindsay Arnold) will dance Salsa to Who Let the Dogs Out by Baha Men
- Sky Brown and JT Church (mentored by Alan Bersten) will dance Salsa to Light It Up by Major Lazer featuring Nyla & Fuse ODG
- Sophia Pippen and Jake Monreal (mentored by Sasha Farber) will dance a Jive to Do You Love Me by The Contours
- Tripp Johnston Palin and Hailey Bills (mentored by Jenna Johnson) will dance a Foxtrot to Mama Said by The Shirelles
The child pros part of the DWTS: Juniors troupe this season are Sebastian Jozuka, Reese Hatala, Cody Bingham, and Makeila Lawrence.
So what do you think of the cast of Dancing With the Stars: Juniors? Which team do you want to win? Which dances are you looking forward to during the premiere?
Check out more from the DWTS Interact blog for dance overviews from season 27 of Dancing With the Stars!
#DWTSJuniors
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