Dancing with the Stars: First Look at Season 25 Opening Number

PEOPLE is celebrating the Sept. 18 premiere of Dancing with the Stars' 25th season with 25 days of exclusive interviews, fun retrospectives, and new details about what fans can expect from the milestone season.

Patrick Gomez

Published on September 17, 2017 09:00 AM

01 of 14

The Gang's All Here

dancing-with-the-stars-f — ABC/Adam Rose

Season 25 of Dancing with the Stars will start off with an epic opening number — and PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the routine.

02 of 14

Alan Bersten & Debbie Gibson

dancing-with-the-stars-j — Adam Rose/ABC

In his first season as a pro dancer on the ABC reality competition, Bersten is partnered with '80s icon Debbie Gibson.

03 of 14

Cheryl Burke & Terrell Owens

dancing-with-the-stars-m — Adam Rose/ABC

Burke and Owens were the last couple to join the season 25 cast, which means they had less rehearsal time than the other pairs. "But Terrell is a hard worker. I have faith we'll be up to speed by Monday night," Burke tells PEOPLE.

04 of 14

Gleb Savchenko & Sasha Pieterse

dancing-with-the-stars-k — Adam Rose/ABC

Savchenko has described his partner, who is a former Pretty Little Liars star, as "very easy-going and so fun."

05 of 14

Derek Fisher & Sharna Burgess

dancing-with-the-stars-n — Adam Rose/ABC

The NBA star and pro dancer get their head in the game.

06 of 14

Artem Chigvinstev & Nikki Bella

dancing-with-the-stars-o — Adam Rose/ABC

Chigvinstev has newly bleached-blonde hair and a new, WWE wrestler partner.

07 of 14

Reality Royalty

dancing-with-the-stars-c — Adam Rose/ABC

Emma Slater is partnered with Property Brothers star Drew Scott while Keo Motsepe is dancing with Shark Tank's Barbara Corcoran.

08 of 14

Jordan Fisher & Lindsay Arnold

dancing-with-the-stars-g — Adam Rose/ABC

Grease Live standout and former Hamilton star Jordan Fisher is paired with Lindsay Arnold.

09 of 14

Val Chmerkovskiy & Victoria Arlen

dancing-with-the-stars-l — Adam Rose/ABC

Paralympic summer and ESPN personality Victoria Arlen was 11 whens he got sick and was later diagnosed with “two equally rare conditions: Transverse Myelitis and Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis, autoimmune disorders that caused swelling in my brain and spinal cord,” Arlen, 22, wrote in a May 2016 ESPN essay. She spent “10 years in a wheelchair paralyzed from the waist down.” But six years later, at the age of 17, Arlen made the USA Paralympic swim team and competed at the London Games in 2012 when she brought home three silver medals and a gold in the 100-meter freestyle. “Then, on Nov. 11, 2015,” she “took a small step” and “five months later, on March 3, 2016, I let go of the crutches and put one foot in front of the other. I haven’t stopped since,” she wrote.

10 of 14

Good to Be Goodman

dancing-with-the-stars-e — Adam Rose/ABC

Len Goodman (pictured) returns as head judge and will sit alongside Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba. Julianne Hough will not return as a full-time judge but a rep for DWTS says the show is looking forward to guest judges throughout season 25.

11 of 14

Frankie Muniz

dancing-with-the-stars-a — Adam Rose/ABC

The former child Malcom in the Middle is partnered with Witney Carson.

12 of 14

Wedded Bliss

dancing-with-the-stars-b — Adam Rose/ABC

Nick and Vanessa Lachey are partnered with Peta Murgatroyd and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, respectively. "It's great because we all have young kids at home," Murgatroyd tells PEOPLE of her and her husband being partnered with another married couple. "So we work really hard in rehearsal so we can all get out on time and home to our babies."

13 of 14