The Banana Ball second baseman is ready to step up to the plate and show off his dance skills.

Play ball(room)? Savannah Bananas player Jackson Olson joins Dancing With the Stars season 35

The Banana Ball second baseman is ready to step up to the plate and show off his dance skills.

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and NME.

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May 12, 2026 4:48 p.m. ET

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Jackson Olson at the 2024 ESPY Awards. Credit:

Kevin Mazur/Getty

- Savanah Bananas player Jackson Olson is stepping up to the plate to compete on *Dancing With the Stars*.

- The second baseman joins a growing list of contestants that also includes *The Traitors*' Maura Higgins and *Summer House*'s Ciara Miller.

- The Georgia-based Banana Ball team is known for its hilarious stunts and dance routines, which often go viral on social media.

Here's a curveball! A member of the Savannah Bananas will soon be trading the ballpark for the ballroom on *Dancing With the Stars*.

At Disney's 2026 Upfront on Tuesday, the company announced that second baseman Jackson Olson is stepping up to the plate to compete on the upcoming 35th season of the beloved reality dance program.

In case you’re not a fan (Fanana?), the Savannah Bananas are an exhibition baseball team that focuses on entertaining attendees rather than abiding by the traditional MLB rulebook.

Jackson Olson on the field with the Savannah Bananas.

Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty

Akin to the Harlem Globetrotters, only for baseball, they're known for their hilarious high jinks, which often involve breaking out into elaborate — and often viral — dance routines mid-inning.

“We are not your typical baseball team. We take chances,” the team’s website states. “We bend the rules. We challenge the way things are ‘supposed’ to be. We are Fans First and We Entertain Always.”

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In addition to dancing it out on the infield, Olson is also a popular influencer on social media, where he shares takes on baseball, food, and relationships. He joins an already star-studded list of contestants for season 35 that includes *Summer House*’s Ciara Miller and *The Traitors *and *Love Island* alum Maura Higgins.

Curious to know who’s dancing their way into the ballroom next? The full list of contestants and professional dancers will be revealed exclusively on* Good Morning America* on Sept. 2.

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The series is not the only Savannah Bananas crossover that Disney has in store, either. The ESPN App and Disney+ have also announced an exclusive Savannah Bananas game package that will see 25 games stream live on the platforms, with select matchups also airing across ESPN networks and ABC.

And Banana Ball itself will take over Walt Disney World from May 29th to the 30th, with the Party Animals playing against the Loco Beach Coconuts at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

*Dancing With the Stars* will air this fall on ABC and Disney+ and will be available to stream next day on Hulu.

- Dancing with the Stars Fandom

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Source: “EW Dancing”