“Dancing With the Stars” unveiled its next celebrity cast on “Good Morning America” on Sept. 2. The ballroom dancing reality show, where professional dancers are paired with celebrities to compete for the Mirrorball trophy, has returned for its 35th season with its largest cast yet.

Big names such as Julia Stiles and Tyler Cameron were put next to names you have to Google, such as Conner Leavitt and Sara Jane Nader, leading fans to wonder how a show named “Dancing With the Stars” can cast people who are not “stars.”

DWTS has had many big names compete in the past, including Kim Kardashian, Zendaya and Michael Phelps. That’s what makes the show so entertaining: watching celebrities step out of their usual talent and learn to ballroom dance. It’s reality TV gold.

There is a certain algorithm DWTS has followed when casting celebrities in past seasons. The show typically casts from categories like athletes, actors, Olympians, musicians and reality TV personalities, choosing people of different ages and levels of relevance to appeal to different age groups and widen its viewership.

Five out of the 16 stars this season — Tyler Cameron, Maura Higgins, Conner Leavitt, Ciara Miller and Sarah Jane Nader — are reality TV stars, making it the largest category of the season.

With nearly a third of the cast coming from reality TV, the variety starts to disappear. Could DWTS’s casting algorithm be changing?

That’s not to say there aren’t some exciting casting choices this season. Julia Stiles, an actress best known for “10 Things I Hate About You,” is partnered with Ezra Sosa. This duo is going to be one to watch, and hopefully they throw it back and dance to “Hypnotize” by The Notorious B.I.G.

Another pairing is “Glee” and “Grey’s Anatomy” actor Harry Shum Jr. with Jenna Johnson. These two will hopefully bring some of that “Glee” powerhouse energy we saw from Heather Morris and Amber Riley.

Comedian Connor Wood is paired with Rylee Arnold. This duo is a Gen Z dream and will definitely pull in younger viewers, with both having large social media followings.

One of the most famous stars of this season is actress Jenna Dewan, who has nearly 10 million followers on Instagram — more than anyone else in the cast. But her casting also flags another big controversy when it comes to DWTS: casting celebrities with dance experience. 

Jenna Dewan started her career as a professional backup dancer, even performing with Janet Jackson, and is best known for her performance in “Step Up,” a movie centered around dancing.

Charli D’Amelio, a TikTok dancer, and JoJo Siwa, star of “Dance Moms,” both received backlash for the unfair advantage their previous dance experience gives them on the show.

Perhaps DWTS intentionally casts at least one celebrity with significant dance experience, not only to stir up drama, but to ensure there is at least one star who can deliver on the dance floor. 

But the biggest problem with this season’s cast might not be the number of reality TV stars or the professional backup dancer attending dance lessons. It might just be who DWTS is deeming a “star.”

Conner Leavitt, husband of former DWTS contestant Whitney Leavitt and a supporting cast member on “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” alongside Sarah Jane Nader, sister to former contestant Brooks Nader and star of “Love Thy Nader,” have both been cast on DWTS.

The two are arguably the most unrecognizable names in the entire cast and are both related to former DWTS contestants. Their casting can’t help but feel promotional rather than star-studded when “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” and “Love Thy Nader” are all available through Hulu, along with DWTS.

While the “Dancing With the Stars” cast announcement has been met with mixed reviews, there is no doubt this season will be full of viral moments, the occasional controversy and, hopefully, many samba rolls.