Carrie Ann Inaba likes to find out who is competing on Dancing With the Stars the same way the fans do, with an air of mystery leading up to the official announcement.
“I never know, I find out via social media,” the DWTS judge, 58, exclusively told Us while promoting her partnership with Novartis to spread awareness of Sjögren’s disease. “Of course, I used to be like, ‘Can’t you tell me?’ And then I was like, you know what? It doesn’t matter.”
Carrie Ann joked that fellow judge Derek Hough “always seems to know who’s coming” but she “never” does — and she prefers it that way.
“I think the less I know about the person, the better it is for me as a judge,” she said. “Because I really just want to judge what’s happening in front of us. It would be difficult if I was friends with everybody.”
Carrie Ann added that she has “kept” to herself so she can be a fair judge to all the participants.
“I keep myself very distanced from everybody on the field, so that I can really have the same consistent voice with everybody,” she explained. “I always want to make sure the playing field is level for everybody, no matter what level they’re coming in at. And you know, we get people from all different backgrounds.”
Currently, Love Island’s Maura Higgins, Summer House star Ciara Miller, Savannah Bananas player Jackson Olson and Jimmy Kimmel’s sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez have been confirmed as newcomers to the cast. (Us reported that actress Jenna Dewan, Bachelor Nation’s Tyler Cameron, Whitney Leavitt‘s husband Conner Leavitt and Brooks Nader’s sister Sarah Jane Nader will also compete for the mirrorball, but they have yet to be officially announced.)
Carrie Ann teased that she thinks Guillermo, 55, will be the one who is going to steal “the hearts of everybody.” Carrie Ann also thinks that Maura, 35, will perform well in the ballroom.
“There’s something about her. I don’t know what it is about her. I think she’s going to be really, she’s got this timing to her. She’s almost like a comedian with her timing,” she told Us. “I think that’s going to be good. Plus, I feel like maybe she was hanging out with Mark [Ballas] in The Traitors. So I wonder if Mark taught her a few moves.”
More contestants will be revealed during the official DWTS season 35 cast announcement on GMA on September 2. In the meantime, Carrie Ann revealed who she would like to see in the ballroom one day.
“I always say Craig Ferguson, but I thought about this last night. I would love to see Bowen Yang,” she said. “He’s got that musical theater background. He’s so musical and he dances, and he’d be fun.”
Carrie Ann also shared that she also thinks Glee alum Harry Shum Jr. would be a great addition to the show.
While serving as a judge on the competition show, Carrie Ann has been battling Sjögren’s disease. She teamed up with Novartis for the Sjöut for Sjögren‘s campaign to help spread awareness for the condition.
“I think a lot of people who deal with something like Sjögren’s disease and are battling chronic illness go through these moments where you wonder if you can keep going, if you can keep your job,” she said. “That’s why it’s so important to have conversations like this about it.”
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