SEASON PREMIERE

ABC'S HIT SHOW "DANCING WITH THE STARS" RETURNS WITH A SPECIAL TWO-NIGHT PREMIERE ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

TUESDAY'S RESULTS SHOW FEATURES A DUET PERFORMANCE FROM MUSIC LEGEND SMOKEY ROBINSON AND ALOE BLACC

Allison Holker, Keo Motsepe and Artem Chigvintsev Perform a New Pro Number

"Episode 1901" -- "Dancing with the Stars" is back with an all-new celebrity cast and fresh show format. The competition begins with the two-hour season premiere, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 (8:00-10:01 p.m., ET). The premiere episode will kick off with a spectacular live opening number featuring the entire cast and judges. Each couple will then perform a Cha Cha, Foxtrot or Jive, vying for America's vote for the first time.

"Episode 1901A" -- "Dancing with the Stars: The Results" two-night premiere continues on TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) where one couple will be eliminated by combining the judges' scores from Monday night's performance with the public votes. The Tuesday night show will feature music legend SMOKEY ROBINSON performing a duet of "My Girl" with ALOE BLACC off of Robinson's new album, "Smokey and Friends." The show will also feature a special dance number performed by the three new pros: Allison Holker, Keo Motsepe and Artem Chigvintsev.

This year is unprecedented in terms of the level of interactivity. ABC.com will be offering five live streams from key positions at the show venue, allowing fans to choose views of the Red Room, judges, sky box, a wide angle of the dance floor and a hosted feed that will highlight relevant social media conversations. Throughout the season, fans will also have opportunities to participate in the outcome of the show, using social media to weigh in on everything from songs, dance styles, and even partners.

Two-time Mirrorball champion and actress Julianne Hough joins Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba at the judges' desk. Hosted by Emmy(R) Award-winning host Tom Bergeron ("America's Funniest Home Videos") and Erin Andrews (sports host & "Dancing with the Stars" Season 10 finalist), "Dancing with the Stars" is the hit series in which celebrities perform choreographed dance routines vying for a chance to win the coveted Mirrorball Trophy.

The celebrities and their partners for Season 19 of "Dancing with the Stars" are:

Jonathan Bennett & Allison Holker
Tommy Chong & Peta Murgatroyd
Randy Couture & Karina Smirnoff
Betsey Johnson & Tony Dovolani
Lolo Jones & Keo Motsepe
Bethany Mota & Derek Hough
Janel Parrish & Valentin Chmerkovskiy
Alfonso Ribeiro & Witney Carson
Sadie Robertson & Mark Ballas
Antonio Sabato JR. & Cheryl Burke
Tavis Smiley & Sharna Burgess
Lea Thompson & Artem Chigvintsev
Michael Waltrip & Emma Slater

For the first two weeks viewers may cast their votes for their favorite couples via phone on Monday nights during and up to 60 minutes after the end of the "Dancing with the Stars" broadcast in each time zone. Online voting at www.ABC.com and on Facebook at https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ is open for 15 hours, beginning from the start of the episode on the East Coast at 8:00 p.m., ET/5:00 p.m., PT and closing at 11:00 a.m., ET/8:00 a.m., PT the next day. From week three until the finale, viewers may cast their votes for their favorite couples via phone on Monday nights during and up to 60 minutes after the end of the "Dancing with the Stars" broadcast in each time zone. Online voting at www.ABC.com and on Facebook at https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ is open for 24 hours, beginning from the start of each episode on the East Coast at 8:00 p.m., ET/5:00 p.m., PT and closing at 8:00 p.m., ET/5:00 p.m., PT on Tuesday evenings.

"Dancing with the Stars" is produced by BBC Worldwide Productions. Rob Wade, Ashley Edens-Shaffer and Joe Sungkur are executive producers. Alex Rudzinski directs. "Dancing with the Stars" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound. This program carries a TV-PG, L parental guideline.

About BBC Worldwide Productions

BBC Worldwide Productions is a key business under BBC Worldwide North America, the U.S. division of the main commercial arm and wholly-owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), BBC Worldwide. Led by Jane Tranter, BBC Worldwide Productions is based in Los Angeles and develops and produces scripted and non-scripted projects for U.S. cable and broadcast networks, as well as digital platforms. The production company is responsible for various titles including the upcoming "Criminal Justice" (HBO) and "Intruders" (BBC AMERICA) as well as "Getting On" (HBO), "Top Gear" (HISTORY), "What Not to Wear" (TLC) and the cultural phenomenon, "Dancing with the Stars" (ABC).