DANCING WITH THE STARS HIT BY AN UNEXPECTED SETBACK JUST HOURS BEFORE DISNEY NIGHT — AS ONE BELOVED PRO REVEALS SHE WON’T BE TAKING PART AFTER FALLING ILL! Disney Night is usually one of the most magical evenings of the DWTS season, with dazzling costumes, beloved songs and performances fans look forward to all year. But this time, the excitement has been overshadowed by an unexpected absence from the ballroom. The professional dancer has revealed that illness will keep her away from the special episode, leaving viewers wondering how the show will handle her absence. Her update comes at a particularly unfortunate moment, just as the competition prepares for one of its biggest themed nights.

Dancing With the Stars will be down a pro for Disney Night, but she promises she’s doing her best to return in full force.

Adele Zaikman, one of season 35’s two new pros alongside Hailey Bills, announced that she has made the decision to sit Monday’s new episode out after falling under the weather.

“I’m sadly feeling unwell and won’t be performing in the opening number on Dancing With the Stars tomorrow,” Zaikman shared on her Instagram Stories on Monday. “I’m so sad to miss a show day, but I’ll be taking this time to take care of myself. Sending so much love to everyone on that ballroom floor. I’ll be cheering you on from home.”

Zaikman’s absence will be felt, but it won’t prove as much of a drastic interruption as, say, the one-week benching of Val Chmerkovskiy two weeks back. Zaikman and her celebrity partner, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Conner Leavitt, were eliminated on the first night of season 35’s jam-packed two-night premiere. Chmerkovskiy and his celebrity partner, The Rookie’s Jenna Dewan, are meanwhile still in active competition.

The entire cast, plus the members of the DWTS troupe, appear in each episode’s opening spectacle. They’re also frequently tapped to fill in as backup dancers for their castmates’ routines, as Zaikman was last week, when Chmerkovskiy and Dewan danced a haunting Argentine tango to “Uninvited” by Damned Anthem and Kendra Dantes.

Zaikman was cast on the show in a quite unusual way. Where, normally, pro dancers are sought out by the show’s talent scouts, ever on the hunt for rising stars in the world of dance, Zaikman’s audition process was broadcast for the whole world to see.

The Israeli-Ukrainian dancer competed on the spinoff series Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro over the summer. In the neck-and-neck finale, she was crowned its winner, guaranteeing her a spot as a pro on the main series.

Dancing With the Stars will air its next episode on Monday, Nov. 2, to make way for ABC’s coverage of the 2026 midterm elections on Tuesday. New episodes of season 35 will resume their usual airtime on Tuesdays next week, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+.