Rylee, 21, joined the dance competition series in 2023 after getting her start on the spinoff show ‘Dancing with the Stars: Junior’ in 2018

NEED TO KNOW

• Rylee Arnold revealed the one thing she has to do before a new Dancing with the Stars season during an exclusive PEOPLE in 10 interview
• The 21-year-old dance pro got her start on Dancing with the Stars: Junior in 2018 and joined the main competition show in 2023
• She will compete alongside comedian and podcaster Connor Wood in season 35 of DWTS

Rylee Arnold is sharing how she gets ready for a new season of Dancing with the Stars.

The 21-year-old dance pro recently sat down for an exclusive PEOPLE in 10 interview ahead of the premiere of season 35 of the dance competition series and revealed that her preparations involve lots of R&R.

“I love to just rest before a season starts, for sure, because once it gets started, it is the craziest, most stressful but super fun situation,” she said. “So I love to just mentally prepare myself, give myself a good rest before it’s like craziness.”

Rylee first appeared as a professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars: Junior in 2018. After the show’s cancellation, she joined the main competition series in 2023 for season 32, partnering with reality TV star Harry Jowsey.

She followed in the footsteps of her older sister, Lindsay Arnold, who joined DWTS as a pro in 2013 before stepping away after season 30 in 2021. Lindsay, 32, recently welcomed her third baby with husband Samuel Cusick.

Rylee told PEOPLE she’s “in complete awe” of her sister’s ability to effortlessly juggle her career and motherhood.

“Lindsay is probably the hardest-working person I’ve ever met in my life,” she said. “Like, we were doing rehearsals, and she was breastfeeding and dancing at the same time. I was just in complete awe of her.”

She said she became even more impressed by Lindsay once she joined DWTS herself.

“I watched [the show] as a little girl and I watched my sister do it,” she told PEOPLE, “but the amount of respect I have for her now that I’ve been doing it … and the way that she’s stayed true to herself, the way that she’s accomplished so much aside from just Dancing with the Stars. I have so much respect for her. She’s amazing.”

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She added, “I wish she would do the show with me. Like, I would actually love that, and that would make my life.”

Elsewhere during her conversation with PEOPLE, Rylee — who will partner with comedian and podcaster Connor Wood in DWTS’ upcoming season — revealed what she thinks makes a celebrity contestant stand out on the ballroom floor.

“Biggest thing is personality,” she said. “Like, willing to have fun, but also locked in, ready to work so hard, so excited for the experience, down-to-earth and grateful. Because if someone has that, you can literally make anything work.”

As for who among the new cast has her the most starstruck, Rylee singled out reality star Maura Higgins, who has appeared in Love Island UK and The Traitors.

“I’m obsessed with Maura,” she said. “Like, I loved her on Traitors, and she is, to me, a fashion icon. Her outfits, her beauty — like, she is just insane, so the fact that she’s on our show is crazy to me, and I will be starstruck when I see her.”

Dancing with the Stars returns with a two-night premiere on Tuesday, Sept. 15, and Wednesday, Sept. 16, on ABC and Disney+. Episodes will stream the following day on Hulu.

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