Love Island USA: Kenzie Reacts to Dancing With the Stars Casting Rumor

Jul 14, 2026 - 04:15

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Love Island USA: Kenzie Reacts to Dancing With the Stars Casting Rumor

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The clam slam queen may be heading to the ballroom.

Following her exit on Love Island USA, contestant Kenzie Annis reacted to fans hoping she'll next put her dance background on display by joining season 35 of Dancing With the Stars this fall. And those fans include DWTS pro Ezra Sosa, who commented on her July 13 TikTok, "the mirrorball is CALLING your name."

Needless to say, Kenzie is more than ready to twerk her way into the DWTS finale. She wrote back in response, "SHUT THE FRONT DOOR."

After all, the 24-year-old—who won Love Island USA's karaoke contest with partner Dylan Wrona—is always up for showing off her moves, especially her iconic splits.

"I can't say I've ever done a split that I've regretted," Kenzie quipped on Love Island USA's Aftersun episode July 11. "[The splits] have probably always been my staple."

So much so that they've become part of her daily routine in Georgia.

"In the morning, the first thing I do is read my Bible and talk to God. I pray and then I'll stretch my hip flexors because it's really good for women," Kenzie shared. "It helps with your stress. That's why it's really easy for me to just slap down in the middle and just keep bouncing."

Should Kenzie—who recently graduated from Kennesaw State with her nursing degree—join the cast of DWTS, she wouldn't be the only competitor from the villa. Aftersun co-host Ciara Miller and Love Island UK alum Maura Higgins are already set to compete on season 35, along with Savannah Bananas baseball player Jackson Olson and Jimmy Kimmel Live! comedian Guillermo Rodriguez.

Kim Nunneley/Peacock via Getty Images

And while there are only a couple months to go until the premiere, Maura confessed that she's "not prepping" at all for the ABC series.

"Because people say you're better being a blank canvas," she told E! News in April. "So, if I try and go into dancing, maybe I'm gonna pick up stuff that they have to unteach me, like bad habits. I think I'm better off being a blank canvas so they can work on that."

Jackson, meanwhile, has already turned to season 34 winner Robert Irwin for advice.

“He was like, ‘Dude, Robert, what do I do?’ And I'm like, ‘Mate, you're an athlete, you got that mindset,’” Robert told E! News earlier this month. “I was just like, ‘The most important thing is just let go and give yourself to the process.’”

The wildlife expert added, “If you can do that, if you can completely lean in, it'll change your life.”

For more behind-the-scenes tea about DWTS, read on.

ABC/Paula Lobo

How Much Do the Celebrities Get Paid to Be on Dancing With the Stars?

Citing multiple sources, Variety reported in 2019 that Dancing With the Stars contestants make $125,000 for the rehearsal period and first two weeks of the show. If they progress beyond that point, the outlet continued, they earn more money each week. At the time, sources told the publication stars could earn a maximum of $295,000.

However, Bobby Bones said he made more than this when he won season 27 with Sharna Burgess in 2018.

"That show pays OK," the radio personality said on a Sept. 2025 episode of Jason Tartick's podcast Trading Secrets. "Like, first episode, no money. Second episode, $10,000. I think it's like, $10,000, $10,000, $20,000, $20,000. It ends up being $50,000 an episode if you last."

Also receiving a base salary of around $110,000, Bones continued, "I ended up making close to $400,000 from that show."

ABC has not publicly confirmed any of these figures.

Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images

What Do the Pros Get Paid on Dancing With the Stars?

Similarly, little has been shared publicly about how much the pros get paid. But as with the contestants, it seems like the longer they're on the show, the more money they can make.

But even if a pro is eliminated in the first round, they're not leaving the ballroom empty-handed.

"You're guaranteed until a certain amount of weeks," Jenna Johnson said on a June 2025 episode of Kelly Stafford and Hank Winchester's podcast The Morning After. "I think there's different contracts though. I can't speak for everybody."

Disney/Eric McCandless

Do Pros Get Paid More If They Win Dancing With the Stars?

Apparently not.

While Johnson—who won season 26 with Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon, as well as season 33 with The Bachelor's Joey Graziadei—says the pros don't get a larger paycheck if they take home what is now called the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, she noted there's still an incentive to make it to the finale (besides bragging rights, of course).

"If you make it all the way to the end, you're getting paid the whole season, which is amazing, and you get a bonus on top of that for making it to the finale," she explained on The Morning After. "If you win, it's not like you win a $1 million and split it with your partner. You're just getting a cute trophy together."

Instagram / Dancing With the Stars

Do the Troupe Members Get Paid as Much as the Pros on Dancing With the Stars?

That doesn't appear to be the case.

On a 2022 episode of Trading Secrets, Lindsay Arnold recalled how her salary was cut "more than in half" when she was demoted from pro to troupe member.

Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images

How Are Pros and Celebrities Paired Together on Dancing With the Stars?

The pros get little input when it comes to being matched with a celebrity.

"You get no say," Lindsay said on a May 2025 episode of Maggie Sellers' Hot Smart Rich podcast. "It's very much just, 'Here's your partner. Make it work.'"

In fact, Jenna said the pairing is often a secret until the last minute.

"They really want to keep it a secret until you meet them live," Jenna said on The Morning After. "They want that genuine reaction. So I think people always think we know who we have and we're keeping it a secret. Absolutely not. They do not tell us. They really don't even want us to know the cast. It gets leaked a lot, but they want it very hush-hush until you walk in and meet your partner."

As for what the Dancing With the Stars team looks for when making these matches?

"It's based on height, build and personality and compatibility," former showrunner Rob Wade told E! News in 2015. "We don't pair people who aren't going to get on. It's too intense. It's not like The Bachelor or something, we couldn't do that. That would just be miserable experience for the celebrity, for us and the viewer. You don't want to see two people who don't like each other and, quite frankly, we have made that mistake pairing people up who didn't get on so well."

Disney/Eric McCandless

How Often Do the Pros and Celebrities Practice on Dancing With the Stars?

Put simply, a lot.

"Every day we have four-hour rehearsals," Rylee Arnold, who was partnered with Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik on season 33, shared on a September 2024 episode of the Lightweights Podcast With Joe Vulpis. "It’s either 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. or 5:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m."

But the work doesn't stop once the rehearsal wraps. Rylee noted she might then meet with producers or the creative team, work on choreography or study dance videos.

"Literally my whole life is devoted to it," she continued, "but it's my passion and it's what I love. So, it makes me so happy."

Indeed, it's a no-days-off kind of gig.

"We have our show day on Tuesday and then it's Wednesday to Sunday, straight rehearsals," Rylee added. "And then Monday we have camera blocking and then Tuesday's show day again."

Instagram / Emma Slater

Do the Pros Get to Pick the Songs Each Week for Their Dance With Their Celebrity Partner?

"Mostly yes," Emma Slater and Britt Stewart revealed in a September 2025 Instagram video, "though it's a collaboration with producers."

Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty Images

What's the Process Like for Making the Costumes for Dancing With the Stars?

If you thought the quickstep was fast, just wait until you hear about the pace of the costume department.

"We meet with the set and lighting designers, dancers and talent and create a story [for each pair]," costume designer Daniela Gschwendtner told TV Insider back in 2017. "Then we sketch out ideas. We have five days, max, to make all the outfits. That’s half a day per costume, not including all the rhinestones. The fitting and trimming we do later. We have about 20 people in our department and then we have a separate tailor shop. It’s a big enterprise."

In fact, costume designer Steven Norman Lee said pairs usually try on their costumes for the first time just hours before showtime. And while the department "might use a pair of pants again for the boys," he continued, everything is generally made custom each week.

As Gschwendtner added, "We do reuse things for group numbers or promo shoots, but not for the competition. We don’t reuse things unless there’s a specific reason to do so. We try to keep everybody fresh and new in something different every week, so it stays interesting."