Dancing With the Stars Season 35 is entering another important stage, and two Connecticut-connected celebrities remain in the race for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.
Actress and dancer Jenna Dewan, who has Hartford roots, and Savannah Bananas player Jackson Olson of New Milford are among the 13 celebrity contestants still competing as the ballroom competition moves forward.
Both have already made an impression during the early weeks of the season. But according to the latest betting-market data cited by Action Network, their chances are currently very different.
The figures below reflect a Sept. 28, 2026 market snapshot and should not be interpreted as a guarantee of how the season will end.
Jenna Dewan remains one of the leading contenders
Dewan entered Season 35 with plenty of dance experience, having built much of her entertainment career around dance and acting.
Paired with longtime professional Val Chmerkovskiy, she has remained near the top of the early competition.
Action Network’s Sept. 28 update placed Dewan at +567 American odds, corresponding to an implied 15% chance in the market. That put her behind Paralympic track and field star Ezra Frech at that particular snapshot.
Dewan’s early performances have also helped keep her in the conversation. In Week 2, she was among the night’s top performers, joining Frech and Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn near the top of the leaderboard.
For Dewan and Chmerkovskiy, the challenge now is maintaining that momentum as the dances become more demanding and the competition gets smaller.
Jackson Olson is still in the race
Jackson Olson has taken a very different route to the ballroom.
The Savannah Bananas player is competing with professional dancer Emma Slater, bringing his baseball and entertainment background to a competition where technical dance ability is only part of the equation.
In the latest Action Network market update supplied for this story, Olson was listed at 24:1 odds, equivalent to an implied 4% chance of winning.
That placed Olson in a group of contestants outside the leading contenders but still very much alive in the competition.
Earlier market data had Olson considerably higher. Action Network’s Sept. 9 preseason snapshot listed him at +800, or an implied 11% chance, before the competition had fully developed.
That change illustrates how quickly entertainment betting markets can move once viewers see actual performances.
Ezra Frech leads the latest market
The contestant sitting at the top of the latest market snapshot is Ezra Frech, the Paralympic track and field athlete partnered with Daniella Karagach.
Action Network’s Sept. 28 update gave the pair +170 odds, translating to an implied 37% chance in the market.
Frech’s position represents a notable shift from the preseason market. Before the season began, Action Network had Harry Shum Jr. as its leading contender, with Frech listed at +800 and an implied 11% chance.
That is a reminder that preseason expectations can change quickly once judges’ scores, performances and audience voting enter the picture.
Current Season 35 winner-market snapshot
Here is the ranking from the supplied Action Network market update:
| Celebrity | Professional Partner | Implied Market Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Ezra Frech | Daniella Karagach | 37% |
| Jenna Dewan | Val Chmerkovskiy | 15% |
| Maura Higgins | Mark Ballas | 14% |
| Amber Glenn | Pasha Pashkov | 13% |
| Harry Shum Jr. | Jenna Johnson | 11% |
| Connor Wood | Rylee Arnold | 4% |
| Jackson Olson | Emma Slater | 4% |
| Guillermo Rodriguez | Witney Carson | 3% |
| Julia Stiles | Ezra Sosa | 2% |
| Tyler Cameron | Sharna Burgess | 2% |
| Ciara Miller | Brandon Armstrong | 1% |
| Tatyana Ali | Jan Ravnik | 1% |
| Taylor Hanson | Britt Stewart | 1% |
These percentages are implied probabilities from the betting market, not official ABC predictions or statistical guarantees.
Connecticut has two contestants to watch
The presence of both Dewan and Olson gives Connecticut fans two very different stories to follow.
Dewan has a professional entertainment and dance background and is currently positioned near the front of the market.
Olson, meanwhile, represents a more unconventional DWTS journey. His experience with the Savannah Bananas has given him a built-in sports and entertainment audience, while his partnership with Slater gives him the opportunity to continue developing his ballroom technique.
With 13 couples remaining, there is still considerable time for the market to change.
What happened to the other contenders?
The Season 35 field includes a mixture of Olympic and Paralympic athletes, actors, musicians, television personalities and internet stars.
The season began with 16 celebrities, and several eliminations have already reshaped the field. ABC’s official Season 35 information lists the remaining cast, including Frech, Dewan, Olson, Shum Jr., Higgins, Glenn, Stiles, Ali, Hanson, Cameron, Miller, Wood and Rodriguez.
The early results have also demonstrated how unpredictable the competition can be. Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten were eliminated following Week 2, despite the season beginning with a large and varied celebrity lineup.
What’s next for Jenna Dewan and Jackson Olson?
Week 3 brought Yacht Rock Night, with the remaining couples performing routines inspired by classic soft-rock songs.
Dewan and Chmerkovskiy were scheduled to perform a samba to Toto’s “Africa,” while Olson and Slater were set to perform a paso doble to “Easy Lover” by Philip Bailey and Phil Collins.
Those performances could influence future market prices, but the eventual result will depend on the show’s judging and audience voting rather than betting-market numbers.
When and where to watch Dancing With the Stars
New episodes of Dancing With the Stars Season 35 air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and stream on Disney+. ABC’s official listing confirms the show’s Tuesday schedule and Season 35 availability.
For Connecticut viewers, the storyline is especially easy to follow this season: two contestants with state connections remain in the competition, but they are approaching the Mirrorball race from very different positions.
Dewan is currently one of the market’s leading names, while Olson remains an outside contender. As the number of couples shrinks, their performances, scores and viewer support will determine whether either Connecticut representative can make a deep run.
