What is a star? Over the last 20 years of our national obsession with Dancing With the Stars, we’ve learned to expand the definition, accepting that stars come in all shapes, sizes, ages and backgrounds. Whether they’re reinventing their image, revving up for a comeback, introducing themselves to a different generation or new audience, or just busting a move for the fun and challenge of it, the willing participants in this glittery showcase remind us that all stars are, in fact, only human.

Whether athlete or actor, influencer or reality-TV personality, musician or model, they become inspirations as we watch these transient beings from the stratosphere of celebrity brought down to earth in the rehearsal hall. They put on their dance shoes one at a time, just like the rest of us, and it’s impossible not to empathize and cheer as they painstakingly learn the steps in the alien art forms of ballroom and Latin dance, preparing to twirl, rumba or quickstep their way through a world of sequined fantasy.

The Hollywood studio MGM used to boast that it housed “more stars than there are in heaven.” That’s nothing compared to the nearly 400 contestants, as young as the latest Disney discovery and as seasoned as then-82-year-old Oscar and Emmy winner Cloris Leachman, who’ve taken to the dance floor over the first 33 seasons to show what they can do. For pop-culture junkies, Dancing can feel like The Love Boat on land, welcoming back treasured icons from our past, including three cast members of The Brady Bunch to date: the late Florence Henderson, Maureen McCormick, and Barry Williams.

Everyone’s a star on this soundstage, even if you’ve never heard of them before. Part of the joy of Dancing With the Stars is discovering talents from outside your comfort zone. You didn’t need to be an IndyCar fan to root for Hélio Castroneves, the charming Brazilian racing champion who won the fifth season and returned in Season 15 as an All-Star. Few viewers were likely familiar with Katherine Jenkins, the elegant Welsh mezzo-soprano who made it all the way to the finals in Season 14.

For each of these stars, Dancing is a journey, and that’s especially true for those inspiring contestants with additional challenges, such as impaired hearing (Marlee Matlin, Nyle DiMarco) and vision (Danelle Umstead), chronic illness (Selma Blair) and prosthetic limbs (Noah Galloway, Amy Purdy, Heather Mills). If they can do it, we marvel, maybe anyone can.

And let’s not forget the professional dancers, each and every one a star. Dance critic Brian Siebert, writing for Slate during Stars‘ third season in 2006, praised the troupe for their multitasking duties as “teacher, coach and choreographer, as well as performer and competitor. While the best celebrity amateurs certainly work hard…their seasoned partners are the key factor.” Their choreography, he wrote, is “the main strategic device — emphasizing the amateurs’ strengths, hiding the flaws, placating the judges while playing to the viewers at home.”

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They’re also fabulous to watch, and in the best TV tradition of creating stars, many of the pros have become household names, including the sibling duo of Derek and Julianne Hough, whose dazzling routines catapulted them into a stardom that often eclipsed their partners’. Both graduated to the judges’ panel, with Julianne now a cohost. And fans of TV dance who were equally devoted to the Fox competition So You Think You Can Dance delighted when the breakout contestants on that show later became Dancing pros, including Witney Carson (who won Season 19 alongside current host Alfonso Ribeiro), Allison Holker, and Lindsay Arnold.

Last but certainly not least in the Dancing firmament of stars are the judges, for years led by the late Len Goodman, a distinguished and beloved ambassador of classic ballroom dance for whom the show’s coveted Mirrorball trophy is now named. Flanked by the show’s remaining original judges, the heart-on-her-sleeve Carrie Ann Inaba and the flamboyant and frisky Bruno Tonioli, these arbiters of dance win us over (despite the occasional boos) because their role is also to be cheerleader, urging even the most unrhythmic contestant to keep trying and growing, applauding any glimpse of improvement.

Never forget that at its essence, Dancing With the Stars is feel-good TV at its most satisfying. It’s also edifying. You will come away more educated in the art of ballroom dancing by the end of the season, whether you’re competing in the ballroom or simply watching from your couch. Under the spray tan and flashy costumes, these stars and their devoted professionals are working their tails off to entertain us, and darned if they don’t succeed with fancy feet and flying colors.

Long may the Mirrorball gleam.

Dancing With the Stars, Season 34 Premiere, Tuesday, September 16, 8/7c, ABC

For a more extended celebration of two decades of Dancing With the Stars, from exclusive interviews to retrospectives and must-see photos, pick up a copy of TV Guide Magazine’s Dancing With the Stars 20th Anniversary special issue, available for purchase online at DWTS.TVGM2025.com and on newsstands now.