{"id":13702,"date":"2026-05-13T22:21:43","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T22:21:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/savannah-bananas-outfielder-jackson-olson-lands-spot-on-dancing-with-the-stars-season-35-after-manifesting-his-dream\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T22:21:43","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T22:21:43","slug":"savannah-bananas-outfielder-jackson-olson-lands-spot-on-dancing-with-the-stars-season-35-after-manifesting-his-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/savannah-bananas-outfielder-jackson-olson-lands-spot-on-dancing-with-the-stars-season-35-after-manifesting-his-dream\/","title":{"rendered":"Savannah Bananas Outfielder Jackson Olson Lands Spot on Dancing With the Stars Season 35 After \u2018Manifesting\u2019 His Dream"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jackson Olson, the 28\u2011year\u2011old outfielder who helped turn the Savannah\u202fBananas into a viral sensation, is swapping baseball cleats for ballroom shoes. The former minor\u2011league player was announced as one of the celebrity contestants for season\u202f35 of Dancing With the Stars<\/em>, a move he says was the result of a little bit of day\u2011dreaming, a lot of TikTok humor, and what he calls \u201cmanifesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who Is Jackson Olson? A Brief Biography<\/h2>\n

Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Olson grew up with a baseball glove in his hand and a shy disposition off the field. He played high\u2011school baseball at Savannah\u202fHigh, earned a scholarship to a Division\u202fII program, and eventually signed a contract with the Savannah\u202fBananas, a team known more for its entertainment value than its win\u2011loss record. The Bananas\u2019 \u201cbanana\u2011themed\u201d antics\u2014such as the famous \u201cbanana\u2011slide\u201d and fan\u2011participation chants\u2014propelled the team to internet fame, and Olson quickly became a fan favorite for his enthusiastic celebrations and willingness to engage with the crowd.<\/p>\n

Despite his growing popularity, Olson never imagined a career beyond the outfield. \u201cWhen I was a kid, I never thought any of this was possible, even playing for the Bananas or anything like that,\u201d he told Good Morning America<\/em> on May\u202f13. \u201cI was a shy kid that never danced, never put myself out there, never entertained and found a passion for it. Now, I kind of manifested it.\u201d<\/p>\n

From Outfield to Ballroom: How Olson Turned a TikTok Joke into a DWTS Casting Call<\/h2>\n

The turning point came in late 2022 when Olson posted a series of TikTok videos joking about \u201cpranking my coach\u201d by claiming he would appear on Dancing With the Stars<\/em>. The videos, filmed in his Bananas uniform and set to a playful soundtrack, quickly amassed thousands of likes and comments. Fans began to ask, \u201cWhen is Jackson going to actually dance?\u201d and some even suggested potential professional partners.<\/p>\n

Olson later explained that the light\u2011hearted posts sparked a genuine belief that the opportunity could become real. \u201cWhen I posted it, I was like, \u2018Maybe there is a possibility.\u2019 I saw some comments and thought, \u2018Maybe this is possible,\u2019\u201d he said on the morning\u2011show interview. Within months, his name appeared on the official DWTS cast list, confirming that the joke had indeed turned into a casting call.<\/p>\n

Production executives for the show confirmed that they were looking for \u201cfresh faces with strong fan bases and a willingness to learn,\u201d qualities Olson embodied perfectly. His viral presence, combined with a reputation for hard work, made him an attractive addition to a season that already promises a mix of reality\u2011TV personalities, athletes, and entertainers.<\/p>\n

What to Expect on Dancing With the Stars: Competition, Partners, and Fan Support<\/h2>\n

Season\u202f35 of Dancing With the Stars<\/em> is set to premiere in the fall, featuring a diverse lineup that includes reality\u2011TV star Maura Higgins<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jackson Olson, the 28\u2011year\u2011old outfielder who helped turn the Savannah Bananas into a viral sensation, is swapping baseball cleats for ballroom shoes. The former minor\u2011league player was announced as one of the celebrity contestants for season 35 of Dancing With the Stars , a move he says was the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3849,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13702"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13702\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3849"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}