‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 35 Should Be an All-Star Season And I Have the Perfect Lineup

Hey now, you’re an all-star, get your game on…

It’s been 13 years since Dancing With the Stars brought back former contestants, both winners and fan-favorites, to give the ballroom another go, and I think it’s well past time for another season that brings out the best of the best. It’s honestly unreal that we haven’t had at least two more all-star seasons since the first version, but I digress.

Think about it, for every one winner, there are a dozen or so celebs whose journey was cut short or who fell just shy of holding the Mirrorball Trophy in their hands. In some cases, fans could argue that these runner-ups and non-winners deserved to hold that sparkly piece of hardware more than the actual victor of their season — not naming names, but when you see who is on the list, you’ll know who we’re talking about.

That’s why I’m humbly reaching out to ask ABC for another all-star season, this time that focuses on non-winners only. I know, I know, it’s not exactly right to call it an “all-star season” if the biggest contestants from the seasons aren’t involved, I hear you! To that I say that it’s my list and I don’t want to see a bunch of greedy greedersons who want a second Mirrorball Trophy. Go polish the one you already have!

With that disclaimer out of the way, here are the 12 couples I’m dying to see enter their redemption era and take on the challenge of going after the Mirrorball Trophy for a second time…

Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas – Season 34 (6th Place)

In a season of all-stars, maybe just maybe we can escape the endlessly annoying conversations about Whitney’s dance experience. News flash: now they have all danced before and made it far enough to be considered seasoned. Whether or not you agree that Whitney should have won, I think most fans would admit that she and Mark are a match made in creative heaven and they can dance their asses off. For God’s sake, the people were so hungry for their freestyle they had to do a sitdown on Call Her Daddy just to make it happen.

Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong – Season 33 (3rd Place)

I can’t remember the last time a contestant faced so many silly critiques and had to clear such a high bar from the judges. Who can forget Chandler’s brokenhearted “tell me what to do” to the judges after she once again had points knocked off from a near-perfect dance? She also faced similar criticism to Whitney, so it would be nice to see her get to come back and not have that weird bias hanging over her head.

Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten – Season 33 (2nd Place)

Even if they were never the best dancers, we, as the fans, can count on Ilona and Alan to make us laugh. Would they make it to the top four as they did in Season 33? Perhaps not. But would we die laughing at their packages and then be moved to tears during the dances they do stick around for? You bet. Given that Ilona, in many ways, is also responsible for the renaissance of the show, especially on social media, it only seems fair and right that she get a redo.

Jason Mraz and Daniella Karagach – Season 32 (2nd Place)

After taking second place in Season 32, I would simply die to see Jason and Daniella return. I still think about their freestyle from time to time and remember how reasonably matched they were. Although considering that two of Dani’s other partners have been giants compared to her own stature, the bar is pretty low for them looking right together. Joking… mostly. I do still think they managed to conjure up a sense of magic that would be so fun to watch again.

Shangela and Gleb Svencho – Season 31 (4th Place)

After Hilaria Baldwin in Season 34, I think we can all agree that Gleb needs to have fun again. I think that Shangela is the partner who can bring out that side of him best. Watching Gleb and Shangela dance is still one of the most fun experiences from DWTS in recent history and while I don’t think they would win, I’m never going to be mad about more Shangela on my television.

Nev Schulman and Jenna Johnson – Season 29 (2nd Place)

Since dancing with Nev in Season 29, Jenna has become a Mirrorball Trophy winner and that makes her all the more ready to give Nev a second chance at the title. These two danced together with so much love and fun that it would be difficult to find a fan who wouldn’t want to watch them take another go at things.

Milo Manheim and Witney Carson – Season 27 (2nd Place)

If you ask any Dancing With the Stars fan about who in recent history was robbed of the Mirrorball the most, I truly believe nine out of ten will say Milo Manheim. Watching Milo lose to Bobby Bones is still a moment that makes my eye twitch and while I’m so glad that Witney got her second win this year with Robert Irwin, we all know it should have come with Milo. Anyway, time for her to lock in and go for a third trophy with Milo.

Normani and Val Chmerkovskiy – Season 24 (3rd Place)

After that appearance during Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa’s freestyle this season, you just know Normani would come back for another shot at winning it all. Especially after her Fifth Harmony bandmember, Lauren Jauregui, was eliminated so early in the season — Normani will come in and avenge herself and Lauren, I believe it.

James Hinchcliffe and Emma Slater – Season 23 (2nd Place)

James originally danced with Sharna Burgess, but I’m giving the Canadian racecar driver to Emma Slater for this all-star season. Why? Because Emma (god love her) keeps getting older partners and deserves someone who came close to the Mirrorball and still has a lot to give.

Nastia Liukin and Ezra Sosa – Season 20 (4th Place)

If Season 34 taught us one thing, it’s that Jordan works well with a gymnast. Given that Nastia’s original partner, Derek Hough, is now a judge, I think it’s only fair that she be partnered with someone who can bring a level of youth and fun to their partnership and that is Ezra. The downside here is that there’s still a height difference — eight inches between them, to be exact — but considering there was a full foot between Ezra and Jordan, we’re improving!

Corbin Bleu and Britt Stewart – Season 17 (2nd Place)

Corbin and Britt would be a lethal pairing and you simply cannot convince me otherwise. While he was originally with Karina Smirnoff, I do think that these two would move together seamlessly. He’s pretty far out from his season but considering his recent run on Broadway and his other projects — he’s also only 36 — I think he still has an incredible potential DWTS season in him. And, let’s be honest, it’s time for Britt to finally get someone with a real shot at winning. Disclaimer: I thought about doing Daniel Durant, but I’m letting Britt and Daniel stay in their honeymoon phase.

Justina Machado and Pasha Pashkov – Season 29 (4th Place)

Justina’s original partner, Sasha Farber, has been on behind-the-scenes duty in recent years so I would love to see her paired up with someone else who can channel her fierce energy into incredible dances. To me, that is Pasha Pashkov. Knowing that he is big on collaboration thanks to everything his Season 34 partner, Danielle Fishel, said about her experience on the show, I think these two would make for a great pairing and it would give him a fair shot at winning his first Mirrorball Trophy after coming so close with Ariana Madix in Season 32.

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