DWTS Plans to Make History by ‘Pushing the Envelope’ with a Groundbreaking Male-Male Dance Pairing trucc

'Dancing With the Stars' EP Ryan O'Dowd addressed the question of whether the show will ever have a male-male pairing.

In a new interview, Dancing With the Stars executive producer Ryan O’Dowd, who is the BBC Studios’ President of Unscripted TV, spoke with Deadline about the current state of the show, including whether it will ever have a male-male pairing like it had in season 30 when pop star JoJo Siwa danced with pro partner Jenna Johnson.

Deadline asked about the performance last season from pros Derek Hough and Mark Ballas. The two danced an Argentine tango together because the origins of the tango are actually that it was originally meant for two male dancers.

O'Dowd said that he loves when the show does "things that have never been done before," like when rugby player Ilona Maher was the first female celebrity to lift her pro partner, who was Alan Bersten. O'Dowd also loved the Hough-Ballas routine and said that the show is "constantly looking at the ways by which [they] can push the envelope."

"As to your question, I would say we are constantly looking at the ways by which we can push the envelope and produce a show that reflects and represents society as a whole. So I wouldn’t rule it out. It’s something that we’re continuing to discuss," said O'Dowd when asked directly about two males competing together.

O'Dowd also said that even in its 34th season, the show is trying to reinvent itself, saying, "[W]e try to consistently reinvent and garner new viewers. We’re always trying to push the envelope. And so there’s work to be done."

Now, the show did have Darius Jeremy Pierce, aka Shangela, dance in season 31 with a male partner, Gleb Savchenko. However, Shangela is a renowned drag queen and performed as her drag persona throughout the show, with Savchenko actually donning full drag himself for their finale performance.

So technically, the show has not had two men who outwardly present as male dance together as competitors yet.

Dancing With the Stars returns for its 34th season in the fall of 2025 on ABC and Hulu. If the usual pattern holds, it will premiere on Tuesday, September 23.