Jackson Olson took the Banana Ball act into a new lane at Grayson Stadium, performing with Emma Slater and the rest of the Savannah Bananas to Rewrite The Stars from The Greatest Showman. The number blended choreography, baseball showmanship and the kind of stage polish the Bananas have made part of their brand.
That matters now because Olson is not just playing to a ballpark crowd. He is training for Dancing With The Stars, and he said on the Zach Sang Show that he has been working about five hours each day with Slater. The performance gave fans a live look at how far that preparation has already gone, with Slater beside him and the Banana Ball team helping turn the routine into a full show.
Olson has leaned into performance before, but this stretch is different. He said learning to dance has been one of the hardest things he has tried, even though he is used to elaborate routines and comedy inside the Bananas’ games. The difference is pressure. In a September 2 interview with Us Weekly, he said he had never been judged by anyone before, and the idea of actual scores is what makes him nervous.
The Bananas are built for that kind of spotlight. Their fast take on baseball has carried them into bigger venues, including an NFL stadium debut that drew 65,000 fans in Tampa, Florida, and an April 26 game at Clemson University’s Memorial Stadium before 81,000 fans. Some of their games are also airing on, and the team has announced plans to play in 40 cities during the 2025 season, including three NFL stadiums and 17 MLB ballparks. That scale helps explain why a dance number at Grayson Stadium can feel bigger than a novelty act.
The remaining question is not whether Olson can perform. He already can. It is how much of this polished Banana Ball persona can survive once judges start assigning numbers instead of cheers. For now, he and Slater have already shown the answer can travel from a ballpark stage to the television dance floor without losing its edge.
