Jackson Olson Joins DWTS Season 35, Savannah Bananas Schedule Changes
Jackson Olson’s savannah bananas schedule now includes Dancing With the Stars season 35 after the 28-year-old Savannah Bananas player was announced on Tuesday, May 12. The casting drops him into a fall lineup that will air on ABC, Disney+, and Hulu, giving the show another internet-native name to sell beyond the usual dance floor crowd.
Disney Upfront Adds Olson
Jackson Olson was introduced during Disney’s Upfront presentation on Tuesday, May 12, joining the celebrity cast for season 35. The official DWTS Instagram page set the tone with, “This banana is hitting the ballroom! ??” and then told viewers, “Catch @jacksonolson_ on the new season of #DWTS, this fall on ABC, Disney+, and Hulu.”
The announcement matters because Olson is not arriving as a blank slate. He is already known as a Savannah Bananas player and a viral internet sensation, which gives the season a built-in digital audience before a single routine airs. Love Island’s Maura Higgins and Summer House star Ciara Miller had already been named to the cast, so Olson enters a lineup that is being assembled with recognizable reality and internet names rather than legacy TV-only faces.
Maggie Sajak’s Instagram Praise
Maggie Sajak, 31, posted two messages to her Instagram Story on Tuesday, May 12: “SO PROUD @jacksonolson_ !!!” and “Beyond proud of you @jacksonolson_...the dance floor better get ready.” The posts arrived after Olson and Sajak had already hard-launched their romance on Instagram with a photo of the couple at Disneyland.
Olson said on May 1 that he and Sajak were living on opposite sides of the country, but still had “an awesome relationship.” He added, “It’s just about planning and making sure you’re setting aside time to see each other and make really cool experiences happen because a start of a relationship never happens again. You only get one chance at a start of a relationship.”
Olson Says He Manifested It
Olson addressed the casting on Wednesday, May 13, saying he had “manifested” the opportunity. “When I was a kid, I never thought any of this was possible, even like, playing for the Bananas or anything like that,” he said, adding, “I was a shy kid that never danced, never put myself out there, never entertained and found a passion for it.”
He said he had posted TikToks last year joking about joining the show and even pranked his coach, then started believing it could happen after seeing comments on those posts. “But when I posted it, I'm like, ‘Maybe there is a possibility,’” he said. “I saw some comments. I'm like, ‘OK, maybe this is possible.’”
For viewers, the practical takeaway is simple: Olson’s next mainstream turn is tied to a fall broadcast run, not the Savannah Bananas calendar. That gives him two audiences to watch — the dance show’s live-and-streaming crowd and the online following that already knows him as a performer before ballroom training even starts.
