Coordinated production logistics for a themed season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars pairing celebrity athletes with professional dancers.
Dancing with the Stars: Athletes is Season 26 of ABC’s celebrity dance competition, pairing current and former professional athletes with professional dancers to compete for the mirrorball trophy. As Assistant Production Coordinator, I managed production logistics, scheduling, and day to day coordination for cast, crew, and production assistants throughout the season.
Behind the Scenes
Where were you?
Los Angeles, California
What’s the moment things went sideways?
Athletes competing at their own level meant rehearsal time was constantly getting squeezed around their existing training and competition schedules. We had to stay flexible and rework the rehearsal calendar on short notice more than once to make sure everyone still got the stage time they needed before we filmed.
A crew or cast story that still gets told
This spin off was such a fun way to end the summer and get us excited to go straight into Season 27 of Dancing with the Stars. A season with just athletes brought a different energy, they were used to nonstop training and going until it was perfect. Watching them pushed the crew to work harder too, and honestly, the whole season moved so fast it is still a blur of long days and adrenaline. We could all feel that we wanted to match their energy and keep that momentum going.
What would a viewer never guess?
Pairing former and current athletes with professional dancers came with its own set of considerations the original show didn’t have, from old injuries to training routines that couldn’t be dropped mid season. It took more coordination with the athletes and their teams to plan around all of that while keeping everyone on schedule.
What were you actually running day to day?
Same chain of command as the original show. I followed the goals and expectations set by my Executive in Charge and Production Managers to keep communication tight and make sure we hit our deadlines.
What are you proudest of on this one?
This one came right on the heels of Juniors, so keeping the momentum going while adjusting to a completely different cast dynamic was its own challenge. I was proud of how quickly the team adapted from working with kids and their families to working with elite athletes and their training schedules, without missing a beat.