“Dancing with the Stars” is back for week 2 with “Viral Hits Night,” and the show has already released the song list for the September 22 episode. Fourteen remaining contestants and their pro partners have picked routines for the two-hour broadcast, which airs Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+ and streams the next day on Hulu.
That timing is why viewers are searching now for when is Dancing with the Stars on. This is not just a themed dance night buried later in the season; it is the next live episode, and the details are already public. Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa will open with a Tango to Teddy Swims’ “The Door,” while Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy will dance a Jive to Katseye’s “Animal.”
The lineup stretches across familiar pop hits and songs that have traveled online in different ways. Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik will dance a Foxtrot to Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For,” Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson will perform a Paso Doble to Rihanna’s “Where Have You Been,” and Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong will dance a Tango to Tinashe’s “No Broke Boys.”
Some of the pairings fit the “viral hits” label cleanly. Others sound more like personal favorites that happen to come with a wide audience. Julia said she chose her song because she simply likes it, while Jenna said she is “personally obsessed” with “Animal” and added that her daughter Everly is too. She also said they “broke down doors” to get to the Katseye concert last year, which makes the pick feel more like a family favorite than a social-media phenomenon.
That mix runs through the rest of the set list. Ezra French and Daniella Karagach will dance a Cha Cha to Flo Rida’s “Low,” Jackson Olson and Emma Slater will perform a Foxtrot to Gracie Abrams’ “That’s So True,” and Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold will tango to Sombr’s “12 by 12.” Jackson tied his pick to Gracie Abrams’ rise during the Eras Tour, while Connor said the song is one that takes over once it hits the ballroom.
Other couples leaned into songs with a different kind of familiarity. Giada De Laurentis and Alan Bernsten will Salsa to Becky G’s “Bella Ciao,” Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas will Cha Cha to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September,” Amber Glen and Pasha Pashkov will Tango to Harrison’s “All the Things She Said,” Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart will Cha Cha to DNCE’s “Cake By the Ocean,” Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson will dance a Viennese Waltz to the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris,” and Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess will Salsa to The Kid Laroi’s “Girls.”
The show has not spelled out a public formula for what qualifies as a viral hit, which leaves the night balancing online fame, pop familiarity and plain old taste. Tatyana called her choice “the Oscar-winning song from Barbie,” and Guillermo said Rihanna makes him feel more confident, while also praising her for being friendly. In other words, the title promises social-media heat, but the selections also show how loosely that idea can be interpreted when the music gets to the ballroom.
For viewers, the answer to when is Dancing with the Stars on is simple: Tuesday, September 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. The harder question is whether “Viral Hits Night” ends up feeling like a true internet-themed episode or just a strong playlist with a very good marketing label.
