DWTS secretly signs beloved celebrity chef and 90s boybander to Season 35

THE DWTS ballroom will be getting a double dose of nostalgia this season, with a beloved TV chef and a ’90s pop icon set to cha-cha their way onto Season 35.

The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal that two fan-favorite stars have quietly signed on for Season 35 of the ABC dance competition after years of producers longing to seal the deal.

Beloved celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis and Hanson frontman Taylor Hanson are both joining the upcoming season, according to a source familiar with the casting.

“Giada is on. The show has been trying to get her on since basically the first season,” the source told The U.S. Sun.

“They practically begged her for decades and the stars must have aligned this year because for whatever reason, she finally said yes.

“The producers are beaming, she was their top get for a long time.”

For the DWTS team, getting the Emmy-winning chef into the ballroom is a particularly big victory.

The Rome-born cook, 55, became a household name after breaking onto Food Network in the early 2000s with Everyday Italian and turned her polished, but approachable, style of Italian cooking into a massive television empire.

She went on to host several successful Food Network shows, including Giada at Home and Giada’s Weekend Getaways, while serving as a judge and mentor on Food Network Star and was tapped as a contributor on NBC’s Today Show.

She is also a New York Times bestselling cookbook author and restaurateur, with restaurants including GIADA and Pronto by Giada in Las Vegas.

Now, after years of being courted by Dancing With the Stars producers, Giada is set to swap the kitchen for the ballroom.

And she won’t be the only familiar new face bringing some nostalgia to the cast.

Hanson singer Taylor Hanson, 43, has also signed on, according to the source – who also claimed the deal is part of a broader relationship between the legendary band and Disney.

“The Hanson brothers landed an overall deal with Disney this year so they’ll be part of different Disney parks and TV performances and DWTS is just a part of the deal,” the source said.

“Expect to see a lot more of them this next year.”

His siblings, Isaac and Zac Hanson, were seemingly considered for the ballroom – but Taylor ultimately emerged as the preferred choice.

“The other brothers were discussed but Taylor was the show’s number one since he has the most popularity in the family with the show’s key demographic, which are mom’s,” the source said.

The musician shot to global fame alongside brothers Isaac and Zac when the Tulsa, Oklahoma trio exploded onto the pop scene with their 1997 smash hit MMMBop.

The hit, which is still hummed by younger generations today, went No. 1 in 27 countries.

Taylor was just 14 when the song became a worldwide phenomenon, with Hanson’s debut album Middle of Nowhere going multi-platinum and earning the brothers three Grammy nominations.

They played their own instruments and wrote their own music despite being teens, and Hanson has continued releasing albums and touring long after the initial teen-pop frenzy faded.

The group eventually went independent, launching its own 3CG Records label and building a career that has now spanned more than three decades.

Giada and Taylor will join a Season 35 lineup that has already begun taking shape.

So far, four contestants have been officially announced: Summer House star Ciara Miller, The Traitors and Love Island alum Maura Higgins, Savannah Bananas player and social media sensation Jackson Olson, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! personality Guillermo Rodriguez.

The rest of the cast is expected to be unveiled on September 2 during Good Morning America, with Season 35 set to return on Tuesday, September 15th on ABC and Disney+.