The next cast of ABC’s hit show Dancing With The Stars has been announced and the celebrity dancers include a couple of reality TV “veterans”, a sitcom legend, a former NFL superstar, and Bill Nye the Science Guy.
Hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke-Charvet announced the new cast on Good Morning America this morning.
This year’s cast is: Elizabeth Berkley Lauren, Corbin Bleu, Brant Daugherty, Bill Engvall, Valerie Harper, Keyshawn Johnson, Christina Milian, Bill Nye, Jack Osbourne, Nicole “Snooki” Pollizi, Leah Remini, and Amber Riley.
Disney Channel fans will recognize Corbin Bleu from his role as Chad on the Emmy-Award winning movie High School Musical and its sequels High School Musical 2 and High School Musical 3: Senior Year. Bleu has also starred in the Disney Channel movie Jump In. This fall he can be seen in the thriller The Monkey’s Paw. Bleu will be dancing with DWTS veteran Karina Smirnoff.
Two cast members – Jack Osbourne and Nicole “Snooki” Pollizi – are no strangers to reality television. As a teen, Osbourne starred in the MTV series The Osbournes, and Snooki found fame on MTV’s Jersey Shore and Snooki & JWoww. Currently Osbourne is a co-anchor for Fuse News, a daily live music show on Fuse. Fans can catch Snooki on the third season of Snooki & JWoww this October. DWTS pro Cheryl Burke is dancing with Osbourne, while Snooki is partnered with new pro cast member Sasha Farber.
Fans of ABC Family’s hit series Pretty Little Liars likely squee'd with delight this morning when Brant Daughetry’s name was announced. Daugherty is best known his role as Noel on the series, but can also be seen as Lt. Patrick Clarke on Lifetime’s Army Wives. Daugherty is dancing with pro Peta Murgatroyd this season.
Perhaps this season’s most inspirational story comes from celebrity dancer Valerie Harper. While best known for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda, the actress has been in the news lately as she battled terminal brain cancer. Harper is dancing with Tristan Macmanus.
The rest of the cast includes:
- Elizabeth Berkley Lauren became famous as Jessie on Saved by the Bell. She also starred in the cult classic Showgirls, and was part of the cast of CSI: Miami. She’ll be dancing with Val Chmerkovskiy.
- Bill Engvall is a Grammy-nominated comedian who was part of the Blue Collar Comedy concert series. He’s dancing with new pro dancer Emma Slater.
- Keyshawn Johnson played for the New York Jets, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Carolina Panthers. He currently appears on ESPN on Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown. He’s dancing with Sharna Burgess.
- Christina Milian is known for her role as the social media correspondent for NBC’s The Voice. She is also currently in the recording studio working on her fourth album. She’ll be dancing with Mark Ballas.
- Bill Nye “The Science Guy” has won 18 Emmys for his role as “Bill Nye the Science Guy.” He is also the CEO of The Planetary Society, the world’s largest non-governmental space interest organization. He’s dancing with newcomer Tyne Stecklein.
- Leah Remini starred in the hit CBS series The King of Queens and was the co-host on the first season of The Talk. She’ll be dancing with DTWS veteran Tony Dovolani.
- Amber Riley is best known for her role as Mercedes Jones on FOX’s hit show Glee. She was nominated for a Teen Choice Award in 2011 and is currently working on her debut album. She’ll be dancing with Derek Hough.
The season 17 premiere is a two-hour episode with competitive dance, group performances, and an elimination. Beginning with the September 23 episode one couple will be eliminated at the end of the show by combining the judges’ scores from that night with the public votes from the previous week.
Dancing With The Stars returns to ABC on Monday, September 16 at 8 p.m. ET.
