New episodes of Dancing With the Stars season 35 air every Tuesday on ABC and Disney+.

Ballroom-dancing icon Shirley Ballas will serve as the guest judge for Horror Movie Night on October 27.

Read more about Shirley Ballas and her multiple connections to DWTS.

We’re more than halfway through Dancing With the Stars season 35—and a dancing icon will drop by the ballroom for Horror Movie Night!

Ahead of the October 27 episode airing on ABC and Disney+, fans were ecstatic to learn that ballroom-dancing legend Shirley Ballas would guest judge alongside Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli. The show’s Instagram celebrated the big news with a splashy announcement.

“What a treat! 🍬✨,” the caption read on October 23. “Don't miss the legendary @shirleyballas as the guest judge for #HorrorMovieNight on #DWTS!”

So, who is Shirley Ballas and why is it such a big deal for her to guest judge? Well, it turns out she has ties to DWTS in more ways than one.

Shirley is a former ballroom dancing champion

Hailing from Wallasey, England, Shirley began her dance career at age seven. According to ABC, Shirley won every major world title by age 21. She is also a 10-time United States Latin American champion.

But Shirley’s real claim to fame is being a three-time British Open to the World Latin (colloquially known as Blackpool) champion. She made history as the first person to win Blackpool with two different partners—once with her first husband, Sammy Stopford, in 1983, and twice with her second husband, Corky Ballas, in 1995 and 1996. Throughout her career, Shirley made it to Blackpool 17 times.

Shirley is the head judge on Strictly Come Dancing

In May 2017, Shirley was chosen to replace Len Goodman as head judge on Strictly Come Dancing, the U.K.-based reality show that inspired Dancing With the Stars. She made her debut in the role in September of that year.

“I’m Shirley Ballas, and I am the new head judge for Strictly Come Dancing,” she said in the opening video from her first episode, later posted on YouTube. “I couldn’t be more honored to be asked to do this job.”

Shirley is related to Dancing With the Stars pro, Mark Ballas

If Shirley’s last name sounds familiar, that’s because she is the mom of longtime Dancing With the Stars pro, Mark Ballas.

Shirley and her ex-husband, Corky, welcomed Mark on May 24, 1986, and he remains Shirley’s only child. Shirley and Corky raised Mark in both Houston, Texas, and London.

According to TV Insider, he won championships at The British Open to the World, The US Open to the World, and The International Open to the World. Mark also won the Junior Latin American Dance Championship and the gold medal at the Junior Olympics alongside his former partner, Julianne Hough.

Mark has competed on Dancing With the Stars since 2007, winning three times during his tenure. He’s paired with Maura Higgins for season 35.

Shirley judged Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro alongside Mark

In July 2026, Shirley and Mark appeared as judges in the inaugural season of Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro.

The duo welcomed multiple DWTS pros to judge alongside them throughout the season, and they later helped choose Adele Zaikman as the pro to compete on Dancing With the Stars season 35. They also got to dance together during the run.

“DWTS, you made my dream come true 🤩🤩🤩,” she wrote on TikTok on September 8.