When Does 'Dancing With The Stars' Coming Back For Season 26?

Jordan Fisher and Lindsay Arnold haven't even been clutching their freshly won Mirrorball trophies for 24 hours yet, but the countdown is already on to finding out when fans will get to watch a new crop of celebrities compete for the Season 26 "Dancing With the Stars" title. However, in an unexpected twist, the wait may be longer than expected this time around.

Following the announcement that Team Fish Upon A Star were the winners, Tom Bergeron signed off the ABC show's finale broadcast by announcing that the series would once again return in the Spring as it often has, though it would be a different show—not the traditional 26th season.

"We'll see you in the spring for a special four-week all athletes addition of 'Dancing With the Stars,'" Bergeron said.

He had previously hinted on Twitter that the show would not be making a traditional return, something that had been expected with the announcement earlier this year that ABC had approved a spin-off show, "Dancing With the Stars Junior." However, Bergeron said that the Spring airing would not in fact be that spin-off, nor would it be the show's 26th season, promising he'd reveal the details during the finale.

In addition, Bergeron tweeted that the official 26th Season would not air until Fall 2018, a big change for the show, which usually airs two full seasons a year.

A reason for the change has not yet been given, though it could have something to do with ABC bringing a reboot of "American Idol" to their network in the Spring as well. If the focus is on getting the reboot to have some success, it could be temporarily taking "Dancing With the Stars'" place in the lineup, reducing the long-running show to the one season a year format.

In addition, the focus on athletes in the mini-season that comes this Spring, as opposed to the originally planned "Dancing With the Stars Junior," could be planned as a follow-up to the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Several Olympic athletes have competed on the show over the years, especially after competing during the games. After the 2014 games in Sochi, Russia, gold medalist ice skaters Meryl Davis and Charlie White competed on Season 18 of the show, with Meryl going on to win that season's Mirrorball. Similarly, after the U.S. Women's gymnastics team won Gold during the 2016 summer games in Rio, Laurie Hernandez competed on the show and won, with Simone Biles following her in Season 24, though she placed fourth.

Ryan Lochte, who made headlines for lying about being robbed at gunpoint during the Rio games, also competed on Season 23 of the show, though he was voted off during Week 6 of the competition.