2026 Team USA Winter Olympians Who Should Compete on ‘DWTS’ Season 35
What To Know
- Several standout Team USA athletes from the 2026 Winter Olympics are strong candidates to compete in Dancing With the Stars Season 35.
- DWTS has a history of featuring Winter Olympians, many of whom have won the competition.
- DWTS will return later this year with its first-ever fan convention and a new spinoff competition series.
After taking home Olympic medals, several Team USA athletes could — and should — set their sights on taking home the Dancing With the Stars Mirrorball trophy.
Several Winter Olympics athletes have competed on the ABC series over the years, including Johnny Weir, Jamie Anderson, Tonya Harding, Mirai Nagasu, Chris Mazdzer, Nancy Kerrigan, Charlie White, and Evan Lysacek. Many have even won the Mirrorball trophy, including Adam Rippon (Season 26), Meryl Davis (Season 18), Kristi Yamaguchi (Season 6), and Apolo Anton Ohno (Season 4).
ABC has yet to confirm the show’s Season 35 renewal, but Season 34 saw the long-running series break voting and viewership records. The show’s first-ever DWTS Con will take place this summer, and a new spinoff competition series, Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro, is expected to air later this year,
The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics have introduced viewers to several standout Team USA athletes from a variety of different sports, from figure skaters to bobsledders to snowboarders and more. Given DWTS‘ history with Winter Olympians, it’s likely a few familiar faces will be among the show’s Season 35 cast.
Scroll down to see some Team USA Winter Olympics stars we’d like to see hit the DWTS ballroom floor.
Madison Chock & Evan Bates
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At the 2026 Winter Olympics, the couple scored a gold medal in the figure skating team event and a silver in the ice dancing competition. Like Davis and White before them, it would be fun to see Chock and Bates compete against one another on DWTS.
Ilia Malinin
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The “Quad God” may have placed eighth in the men’s figure skating competition, but he is still walking away from this year’s Games with a gold medal from the team event. The DWTS ballroom could be the perfect venue for Malinin to take home a top prize ahead of the next Winter Olympics. Not to mention, he already got a ballroom dancing lesson from pro Rylee Arnold in Italy.
Danny O’Shea
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Another member of Team USA’s gold medal-winning team, the pairs skater also learned some dance moves from Arnold while in Milan for the Games. He even let Arnold try out some of his and his skating partner Ellie Kam’s lifts. His technical skills would certainly lend themselves to ballroom dancing.
Alysa Liu
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The only thing more perfect than taking home two Olympic figure skating gold medals would be for Liu to follow-up her success with a DWTS Season 35 win. After all, figure skaters have always been some of the strongest competitors on DWTS over the years.
Amber Glenn
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After a disappointing women’s short program performance, Glenn made a triumphant comeback during the women’s free skate event, ending the Games in fifth place and with a gold medal from the team event. DWTS could be the perfect platform for Glenn to continue her comeback era.
Maxim Naumov
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Though the figure skater didn’t earn a medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics, he moved fans by honoring his late parents — who died in the January 2025 Washington, D.C., plane crash over the Potomac River — through his skating. Many fans would love to see Naumov continue to honor his parents’ legacy in the DWTS ballroom.
Chloe Kim
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Kim entered the Games looking to achieve a three-peat in the women’s snowboard halfpipe event, but she ultimately ended the event with a silver medal. Like many of her fellow Team USA athletes, Kim could end up finding victory on DWTS.
Jordan Stolz
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The speed skater has so far won two gold medals and one silver at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Perhaps a DWTS mirrorball trophy could be added to his collection of awards.
Erin Jackson
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Like O’Shea and Malinin, the speed skater also got a ballroom dance lesson from Arnold during her downtime at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Arnold’s lessons could be a hint at which stars will join the show, meaning DWTS could see Jackson in the ballroom for Season 35.
Mikaela Shiffrin
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While an injury ended Lindsey Vonn‘s 2026 Winter Olympics journey early because of injury, Shiffrin found herself winning gold in the women’s slalom event. The skiier would make for a fun DWTS contestant, especially after she hilariously dropped an f-bomb live on-air on NBC’s Today.
Elana Meyers Taylor
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The veteran Olympian scored her first-ever gold medal in the women’s monobob during this year’s Games. Like other athletes, Taylor could follow-up her golden moment with another on the DWTS dance floor.
Hilary Knight & Brittany Bowe
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The Team U.S. women’s hockey team captain and the speed skater surprised fans by getting engaged at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Several couples — romantic and professional — have competed against each other on DWTS, and Knight and Bowe could become the latest to do so.
Haley Winn
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While Winn helped Team USA’s women’s hockey team win gold, her brothers also went viral for sporting over-the-top, patriotic outfits at her Olympic matches. Hockey fans would be excited to see Winn on DWTS, along with what looks her brothers would sport in the ballroom.
Aidan Oldenburg
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In addition to dominating on the curling rink, Oldenburg has gone viral for his strong resemblance to Olympic gymnast (and DWTS Season 33 finalist) Stephen Nedoroscik. It would be kismet if Oldenburg were paired with Nedoroscik’s former partner, Arnold, in Season 35 of DWTS.
Cory Thiesse
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Another curling standout, Thiesse scored a silver in the mixed doubles event with Korey Dropkin. Thiesse could continue to put curling on the map by becoming the first professional curler to compete on DWTS.
Jake Pates
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Not only could DWTS be a fun career move for the Olympic snowboarder, but it could be a chance for Pates to impress Kendall Jenner, who he admitted is his celebrity crush in a February interview with Access Hollywood.
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