LOS ANGELES — To the casual viewer, Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) is a glitzy, high-energy two-hour live television event defined by flashing lights, glittering costumes, and sharp critiques from a panel of judges. However, what unfolds on the ABC soundstages on Tuesday nights is merely the final, polished product of an intensely grueling, seven-day athletic and creative crucible.
As the hit reality competition series marches through its landmark 35th season, veteran professional dancer Witney Carson—who boasts 16 seasons on the program and a coveted Mirrorball trophy from Season 34 alongside partner Robert Irwin—has pulled back the velvet curtain. In a detailed, behind-the-scenes walkthrough of a typical production week, Carson illuminates the relentless physical toll, labyrinthine bureaucracy, and microscopic precision required to survive as a professional partner on one of television’s most demanding stages.
Main Facts: The Anatomy of a DWTS Season
Entering its 35th season, Dancing with the Stars remains a staple of reality television, blending celebrity culture with competitive ballroom technique. The infrastructure supporting the show is immense:
The Cast: Season 35 features 16 amateur celebrity partners paired with professional dancers. Carson is currently competing alongside Jimmy Kimmel Live! sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez.
The Stakes: While high-profile pairings like Robert Irwin bring natural athletic prowess and dance aptitude, veteran pros are frequently paired with absolute novices. Carson notes that adapting teaching styles to wildly varying physical skill sets is an ongoing masterclass in patience and pedagogy.
The Extra Challenge: Carson’s participation in Season 35 comes while she is pregnant with her third child, adding an extra layer of physical discipline to an already punishing schedule.
The Time Commitment: Rehearsal hours are strictly regulated by production agreements early in the season—starting at three hours per day—before expanding exponentially as the competition enters the quarterfinals and beyond.
Chronology: A Pro’s Week, Day by Day
For a Dancing with the Stars professional, time is a tightly rationed commodity. The production cycle operates on a relentless loop where a Tuesday night performance instantly triggers the next cycle of creation.
Pre-Season and Early Pairings: The Unknown
The journey begins roughly two weeks before the season premiere. Pros are introduced to their celebrity partners to gauge baseline rhythm, flexibility, and coordination. However, couples are routinely kept in the dark regarding their Week 1 dance styles until the fourth or fifth day of rehearsals, making advance choreography nearly impossible.
Furthermore, music selection is a bureaucratic hurdle. Carson explains that while an incredible collaborative music team assists the couples, legal clearance issues frequently block primary song choices.
"A lot of people don’t know this, but you have to go through hoops and all sorts of things to get certain music legally cleared," Carson shares. "A lot of the time, our first choices don’t get cleared. We have to go to our second or third choice."
External promotional duties also infringe upon rehearsal time. Cast reveals require multi-day trips to New York City for appearances on Good Morning America, and pre-taped holiday specials are squeezed into the early windows of production.
Wednesday: The Brutal Reset
In the ecosystem of DWTS, the new week officially begins on Wednesday—barely hours after the adrenaline of the previous night’s live broadcast has worn off.
"Wednesdays, I always say, are bad days," Carson laughs. "You’re coming off the adrenaline, you’re extremely tired, the celebrity’s extremely tired. They’re having to learn a completely new dance which, most of the time, is a whole different language. Forget everything that you did the last few weeks."
Despite the physical exhaustion, pros aim to nail down the core framework of the new routine’s choreography by Wednesday evening to maximize the remaining days.
Thursday: Pacing to the Track
With the foundational steps mapped out, Thursday is dedicated to refinement. Pros work extensively to match the choreography to the music, allowing the celebrity to internalize tempo, phrasing, and musical cues well before hitting the live ballroom floor.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: Fittings, Pro Rehearsals, and Endless Repetitions
As the weekend approaches, the schedule fractures into multiple simultaneous commitments:
Pro Rehearsals: Cast members meet for group numbers, opening routines, and special performances (often scheduled between 7:00 AM and 11:00 AM on select days).
Costume Integration: Fridays and Saturdays involve fittings for upcoming opening numbers and ongoing design sessions for the following Tuesday’s bespoke outfits, featuring thousands of hand-applied rhinestones.
Marathon Rehearsals: Sunday is dedicated entirely to locking down the couples’ routines through sheer repetition.
Monday: Camera Blocking and the Final Polish
Mondays relocate the company to the Los Angeles ballroom in the Fairfax District for camera blocking. This vital day maps out spatial awareness, lighting cues, and the precise paths camera operators will take during the live show.
From the iconic top-of-show walkdown stairs to frantic mid-dance transitions, every movement is ironed out. Couples typically run through their routines three to four times consecutively. The exhausting day concludes with final evening rehearsals and the show’s mandatory, ritualistic spray tans.
Tuesday: Show Day – The Longest Day of the Week
Tuesday is a marathon that tests the limits of human endurance. Female pros and celebrities arrive at the studio around 6:30 AM for extensive hair and makeup sessions.
The morning features live band rehearsals. While couples practice all week to a pre-recorded digital track, Tuesday morning marks their first integration with the live studio orchestra.
"Sometimes you have to dance at 7 a.m., and that’s the first time you hear the live band," Carson explains. "You can’t really hear musical cues that you’ve heard in rehearsal all week, and those are really important. So [Tuesday morning] is your chance to talk with the band and make sure all of those musical cues are lined up."
Following band rehearsals, participants squeeze in lunch, a full dress rehearsal at 2:00 PM, and a brief resting window before the live broadcast kicks off at 5:00 PM.
Even after the cameras stop rolling, the day is far from over. Post-show press obligations require performers to maintain high energy for interviews before they can finally head home to decompress.
Supporting Data: The Logistics of Glamour and Music
The operational scale of Dancing with the Stars rivals major Hollywood feature films. Behind every three-minute routine lies an intricate web of departments:
The Costume Department: Overseen by veteran designers like Steven Lee and Daniela Gschwendtner, wardrobe creation requires continuous weekly fittings, bespoke tailoring, and structural reinforcement to ensure outfits can withstand high-impact Latin and Ballroom choreography.
Legal and Music Clearance: The music department operates under strict licensing windows, routinely processing scores of copyright clearances to secure television broadcast rights for contemporary and classic tracks.
Broadcast Engineering: Monday camera blocking coordinates dozens of camera operators, jib operators, and automated cranes to capture fast-paced choreography without spatial collisions.
Official Responses and Creative Philosophy
Despite the physical strain, navigating pregnancy, and managing partners with varying technical proficiencies, Carson maintains an uncompromising philosophy toward her art.
Reflecting on her mindset for Season 35, Carson emphasizes that her dedication remains unchanged regardless of her partner’s natural dancing capability:
"Each season, I’m learning something new about how to teach and how to bring out the best in [my partners]," Carson shares. "I don’t know how to not do my absolute best. … There’s going to be no difference [in work ethic] from last season to this season. It’ll just look a lot different, but for me, the approach is the same, in terms of how much dedication and heart I’m putting into it."
Implications: The Evolution of Reality Competition Workloads
Carson’s behind-the-scenes revelations shed light on the evolving demands placed on reality television professionals. As audiences increasingly expect cinematic production values, intricate theme weeks, and flawless live execution, the physical and mental overhead demanded of professional dancers has skyrocketed.
For veterans like Carson, the profession requires elite athletic conditioning disguised as entertainment. As Season 35 continues to unfold on ABC and Disney+, viewers watching the effortless spins and lifts on Tuesday nights are witnessing the culmination of an industrial-scale creative output—driven entirely by caffeine, custom rhinestones, and relentless, round-the-clock dedication.
