Watch: Sasha Farber Breaks Silence on DWTS Season 35 Absence
Sasha Farber is back in the ballroom.
After the Dancing With the Stars performer was excluded from the season 35 main cast of pros and celebrities, Farber made a return to his stomping grounds during the Sept. 15 premiere by covering the series for ABC on social media, alongside The Bachelorette‘s Kaitlyn Bristowe, as well as shifting to a new role on stage.
“@sashafarber1 and @kaitlynbristowe are hanging out backstage,” ABC’s official DWTS account announced on Instagram Sept. 14, “and they’re taking you with them!”
And host Alfonso Ribeiro explained that Farber, who has tangoed on 12 different seasons of the competition, and Bristowe, who won season 29 with partner Artem Chigvintsev, will cover all the behind-the-scenes tea in their role as TikTok correspondents. The Russia native had previously covered episodes on social media during season 34, alongside many other familiar faces from the show that year including Gleb Savchenko, Brandon Armstrong and Emma Slater.
As Ribeiro said during the Sept. 15 premiere episode, the pair will give fans an inside look at “all of the backstage you don’t see on air.”
In addition to his duties as a DWTS insider, the 42-year-old also returned as a member of the dance troupe in part one of the premiere, appearing in the opening number set to Robyn‘s “Dancing on My Own.â In fact, Farber was captured rehearsing with pro Daniella Karagach ahead of time by the show’s official Instagram in a video captioned, “warming up!!”
ABC
And the role is a familiar one. Farber served as a troupe member on several seasons of the show, starting with his arrival in 2012 for season 14. But outside of displaying his award-winning dance moves alongside the larger cast, Farber has served as a pro guiding stars like Simone Biles, Fifth Harmony‘s Ally Brooke and Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi.
Indeed, Farber’s showstopping numbers on DWTS over the yearsâlike coming in third place alongside figure skater Tonya Harding for the Athletes season in 2018âhave made him a fan favorite. As such, fans were disappointed to learn he wouldn’t be coming back as a pro for the 35th iteration when the cast was initially announced.Â
When addressing fans’ questions about why he was not in contention for the Mirrorball Trophy, Farber wrote in a since-deleted comment, according to Us Weekly, “Not my choice.”
Keep reading for a look at which celebrity-dancer teams were chosen for this year’s dance-off.Â
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
 â
