The workout clothes you see on TV — what they are and where to get them

Competition Shows Next Week (Sept. 14–20, 2026): DWTS Opens Two Nights, The Challenge Drops Wednesday, Physical 100 Italy Adds Two Friday

2026-09-12 · Competition Shows · Updated Sept. 11, 11:55 p.m. ET · Activewear On Air staff
Competition Shows Next Week (Sept. 14–20, 2026): DWTS Opens Two Nights, The Challenge Drops Wednesday, Physical 100 Italy Adds Two Friday
Next week at a glance — Sept. 14–20 is the week the fall wave finally breaks. Dancing with the Stars opens across two nights, The Challenge drops episode 8, and Netflix pushes out the next batch of its Italian Physical 100. Monday, Friday and the weekend are bare.

Quick answerFour nights between Monday, Sept. 14 and Sunday, Sept. 20 carry something we cover: DWTS season 35 premieres Tuesday the 15th and Wednesday the 16th at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, The Challenge S42E8 lands Wednesday on Paramount+, and Physical 100: Italy adds episodes 4 and 5 on Friday at 3 a.m. ET. Monday is empty because American Ninja Warrior wrapped on Aug. 31, and nothing from our roster airs Saturday or Sunday. Below is the grid, what wardrobe to watch in each, and three buyable versions of the look the rehearsal packages will be full of.

What is on next week, and what should you watch the wardrobe for?

All times Eastern. We built this from TVmaze episode listings and checked every premiere against the network's or streamer's own announcement.

DayTime (ET)WhereWhatWardrobe worth watching
Mon, Sept. 14Nothing from our roster. The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards take the night at 8 p.m. on NBCGowns and tuxedos, which is not our beat — our sister site has the Emmys red carpet timing
Tue, Sept. 158:00 p.m.ABC, Disney+Dancing with the Stars S35E1, “Premiere: Night One” — the male celebrities dance, one goes homeRehearsal-package footage: joggers, compression tops, dance sneakers
Tue, Sept. 158:00 p.m.NBCAmerica's Got Talent S21E20, live semifinalsAcrobatic and dance acts only — the rest is stage costume
Wed, Sept. 163:00 a.m.Paramount+The Challenge S42E8 — title not yet postedCompetition kit: compression shorts, high-support bras, gloves
Wed, Sept. 168:00 p.m.ABC, Disney+Dancing with the Stars S35E2, “Premiere: Night Two” — the female celebrities debutThe week's biggest activewear night: leggings, flares, crop tops, wrap skirts over bike shorts
Wed, Sept. 1610:00 p.m.ABCDWTS After Party, a one-hour companion specialOff-stage clothes — usually the most ordinary athleisure of the night
Thu, Sept. 1710:00 p.m.NBCThe Voice 30th Season Celebration specialRetrospective footage, little training wear
Fri, Sept. 183:00 a.m.NetflixPhysical 100: Italy, episodes 4 and 5Pure activewear, the whole run time — issued kit on 100 athletes
Sat–Sun, Sept. 19–20Nothing from our roster

For the wider reality picture across the same seven days, including the shows we do not cover, our sister site keeps a full grid: Reality TV Next Week, Sept. 14–20. The food-competition side lives at Cooking Shows Next Week.

Why do the two DWTS premiere nights split men and women?

ABC has confirmed the format, and it changes what you will see. Night One puts the male celebrities on the floor, each dancing to a number-one song from the year they were born. Night Two does the same with the women. One couple is eliminated each night.

That split matters here for a boring practical reason: the rehearsal packages that air between dances are cut from the week's practice footage, and Wednesday's will be the ones full of leggings. If you are watching for clothes rather than scores, Wednesday is the night to record.

👈 Season 35 runs 11 couples, including figure skater Amber Glenn, chef Giada De Laurentiis and actor Julia Stiles. Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough host; Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli judge.
Official clip from Dancing With The Stars on YouTube: Meet the Season 35 Cast | Dancing with the Stars (2026-09-02)

What does a ballroom rehearsal kit actually consist of?

Rehearsal rooms are not gyms, and the clothes reflect that. Three differences show up on camera again and again.

Footwear splits the room. Pros wear practice heels or dance sneakers; celebrities in week one are usually still in trainers, and you can watch that change over the season as their feet adapt.

One caution before the prices. Wardrobe credits are not published for these rehearsal packages, and a garment that looks like a label you recognize is frequently a plain sample. Nothing below says a cast member wore a specific product. These are close matches in cut, chosen so you can buy the style.

Card listing the competition shows airing Sept. 14 to 20, 2026 by day and time
Four nights carry something next week. Monday and the weekend are empty.

Which shows are still dark, and when do they come back?

Half the reason next week looks thin is that the second half of September is where everything lands. Dates confirmed against network listings on Friday, Sept. 11.

ShowReturnsTime (ET)Where
The Voice, season 30 (Blind Auditions)Mon, Sept. 218:00 p.m.NBC
Survivor, season 51Wed, Sept. 238:00 p.m. (two hours)CBS, Paramount+
Hell's Kitchen, season 25Thu, Sept. 248:00 p.m.FOX
Special Forces: World's Toughest Test, season 5Thu, Sept. 249:00 p.m.FOX
The Amazing Race, season 39Wed, Sept. 309:30 p.m.CBS
American Ninja Warrior, season 19Not announcedNBC

Two of those are worth planning around. Survivor issues everyone the same kit for weeks, so the interesting question becomes how fabric behaves in salt water — we went through that in what Survivor contestants wear in season 51. Special Forces sits closest to real field training, which makes its layers technical rather than decorative. The kitchen side of Sept. 24 belongs to our sister site's Hell's Kitchen season 25 guide.

What does the rehearsal-room look cost at three price levels?

Prices checked on each brand's own site on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, at about 11:50 p.m. ET. Colors and stock move daily, so read these as the price at that moment.

TierBlack high-rise leggingPriceWhy it earns the slot
BudgetBubblelime High Waist Yoga Legging with side pockets, 25–28″ inseam, XS–XL$29.98Four inseam lengths, which is the part that matters when you want a line rather than a bunched ankle. Side pockets hold a phone. Thinner hand-feel than the two below.
MidPOPFLEX Crisscross Hourglass Legging with Pockets, Black Contrast$70.00Contoured waistband and pockets deep enough to run in. The flared version is $75.00 and is the closer match for a dance week.
PremiumGirlfriend Collective Compressive High-Rise Legging, Black$108.00Genuinely compressive rather than merely thick, and a size run that goes well past standard. Verified at $108.00 across every size on the day.

Bubblelime also lists a bootleg flare crop at $32.98, which is the shape you will actually see on the rehearsal floor more than a straight legging. If you want the piece-by-piece version of the competition equivalent, that lives in the competition-show training kit.

Figure skater Amber Glenn competing at 2022 Skate America
Amber Glenn, one of the season 35 celebrities, skating at 2022 Skate America. Photo: FloweringDagwood / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Is a flare worth paying for during a dance week?

For dancing, yes, more than you would expect. A flare hides the ankle break that makes an untrained foot look wrong in a mirror, which is exactly why studios are full of them. For lifting or running, no — the extra fabric catches on everything.

So the honest split is by use. If you are going to a barre or ballroom class because a show got you interested, buy the flare. If the legging also has to cover a Tuesday night on a treadmill, buy the straight leg and keep the $32 for shoes.

How do you find the exact piece someone wore?

Usually you cannot, and sites that claim to have identified it are guessing off a compressed frame. Competition and rehearsal wardrobes go uncredited, unlike scripted shows where a costume designer will name labels happily. When a brand does outfit a season, it says so loudly, because announcing the deal is the whole point of paying for it. No such announcement covers anything premiering this month.

The question we can answer is the narrower one: what kind of garment is that, and where is the closest thing you can buy? Our method is written out in how to find workout clothes you see on TV. More breakdowns sit under Shop the Look, the competition archive is at Competition Shows, the reality side at Reality TV, host athleisure at Talk & Daytime, and the background explainers live in Guides — starting with what this site covers and what it will not claim. Last week's version of this page is still up for comparison: competition shows for Sept. 8–14.

TL;DR

Sources

#competition shows next week#DWTS season 35 premiere#The Challenge season 42 episode 8#Physical 100 Italy schedule#TV schedule Sept 14 2026#rehearsal wear#black high waist leggings