ABC has tapped Maggie Sajak’s boyfriend as the latest DWTS cast member – and the ballroom just got a lot more bananas.
Savannah Bananas fan favorite Jackson Olson has officially joined season 35 of Dancing With the Stars after the viral baseball star was unveiled during ABC’s Upfront presentation in New York City on Tuesday, May 12.
Jackson, 28, becomes the third celebrity contestant announced for the upcoming season.
The athlete will be joining Love Island and The Traitors sensation Maura Higgins and Summer House breakout Ciara Miller in the new cast lineup.
And while he’s already known for his dance moves as he dazzles crowds in sold-out baseball stadiums across the country, Jackson is now trading his glove for glitter and sequins.
The social media sensation has exploded in popularity as one of the standout stars of the wildly successful Savannah Bananas, the exhibition baseball team that’s become famous for turning America’s pastime into a full-on party.
Rather than play the baseball game straight through nine innings like most teams typically do, the Savannah Bananas focus more on entertainment than sport.
Throughout the game, the team, including the umpire and coaches, perform for the crowd all while trying to carry on the game.
From choreographed dugout dances to backflips, lip-sync performances, and on-field antics that regularly rack up millions of views online, Jackson has become one of the team’s breakout personalities-— and arguably its biggest heartthrob.
He’s become known for his dances dedicated to Taylor Swift in particular, but he has showed off a variety of moves for many artists.
Fans have especially gravitated toward his smooth dance moves, comedic timing, and camera-ready charisma, making him a natural fit for the DWTS ballroom.
Before becoming a Savannah Bananas sensation, Jackson played college baseball at the University of Hartford and later built a massive following online.
His fame reached a whole new level this year after he began dating Maggie Sajak, the daughter of longtime Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak.
The couple went public with their relationship in April and quickly became fan favorites online, with followers swooning over their playful social media videos and public appearances together.
Maggie, who works as the social correspondent for Wheel of Fortune, has frequently supported Jackson’s baseball career online.
Fans have already started to predict that retired host Pat, 79, may soon be cheering from the Dancing With the Stars audience.
Jackson’s casting signals another major crossover moment for the Savannah Bananas brand, which has ballooned from a quirky baseball experiment into a national entertainment phenomenon that tours across the country.
The team regularly sells out NFL and MLB stadiums across the U.S., while clips of its players dancing mid-game and interacting with fans have turned the Bananas into one of the most viral sports franchises in America.
Now, Jackson is taking that energy straight to the ballroom – and if his on-field dance routines are any indication, Mirrorball Trophy contenders may already have reason to sweat.
