Season eleven of Dancing with the Stars premiered on September 20, 2010. The cast was announced during the August 30 episode of Bachelor Pad during a live press conference that included a Q&A session with host Tom Bergeron and co-host Brooke Burke and the new cast. There are twelve celebrity cast members this season. The pairs were announced on September 1.

Corky Ballas returned to the show for the first time since season seven. This is the first season to feature no new professional dancers, as each of the 12 pros has appeared on at least one previous season. Edyta Śliwińska, the only pro to have appeared throughout the entire run of the series, did not return this season. Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli, and Carrie Ann Inaba continued as the judges.

Several changes were introduced this season including an "Acoustic Week," in which couples performed either the Rumba or the Argentine Tango, while the audience was brought closer to the dance floor, which was elevated and made circular, a "TV Theme Week" and a "Rock n' Roll Week", in which couples performed the Paso Doble or the Tango and danced in a Rock n' Roll marathon. Fan favorites from previous seasons also came back to judge the couples, who re-created their most memorable routines on the 200th episode; these guest judges were Hélio Castroneves, Kelly Osbourne, Emmitt Smith, Drew Lachey, Gilles Marini, and Mel B. Kristi Yamaguchi and Apolo Ohno also served as team captains for the team dances. Yamaguchi's team consisted of Rick & Cheryl, Kyle & Lacey and Bristol & Mark, while Brandy & Maksim, Jennifer & Derek and Kurt & Anna were on Ohno's team. Also scheduled was a week dubbed "Instant Choreography" in which the couples practiced their routines for a week and received the music for their Latin dances only 45 minutes before their live routines.