Here it is. The most highly anticipated announcement of the fall television season… at least in my home. The list of stars who will be busting a move on the next season of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” has just been announced. Unfortunately, my favorite celeb dancer of all time, season-four champ Apolo Ohno won’t be shimming and shaking this season, but he did help announce who will be trying to un-seed him during his appearance on “Good Morning America” a few minutes ago.
Frankly, I wasn’t that impressed with the new roster. Take a look at who’s lacing up their dance shoes this season and judge for yourself:
Spice Girl Melanie Brown is pairing up with pro dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
Cheetah Girl Sabrina Bryan will be dancing with Mark Ballas.
Pro racecar driver Helio Castroneves will be dancing with last season’s winner (pro) Julianne Hough.
Mark Cuban, the owner of NBA’s Dallas Mavericks will be dancing with Kym Johnson.
Former “Beverly Hills 90210” star Jennie Garth will be dancing with Derek Hough, older brother of Julianne Hough.
Model Josie Maran will be pairing up with pro partner Alec Mazo.
Cameron Mathison, the hottie from “All My Children” will be dancing with pro partner Edyta Sliwinska.
Boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will be dancing with Karina Smirnoff.
Legendary entertainer Wayne Newton will try to get pro partner Cheryl Burke her third mirror disco-ball trophy.
Marie Osmond will be dancing with Jonathan Roberts.
Model Albert Reed will try to make it work on the dance floor with Anna Trebunskaya.
Award-winning actress Jane Seymour will be hitting the dance floor with Tony Dovolani.
Before I give you my prediction on who will make it to the finals, you should know that not only are the dancers new this season, but the show is debuting a new format as well.
When the series returns on September 24 it will air on three consecutive nights its first week, with the six female contestants performing on Monday and the six males on Tuesday. One contestant will then be sent home on Wednesday’s live results show. Then, the second week (October 1), the show will air on two consecutive nights: the performance show on Mondays and the live results show on Tuesdays.
Producers say they decided to split the cast the first week “so you can actually get to know the people and see them all over two nights. There are a lot of stories to tell – what they have been through, how they got here, their backgrounds, their motivations for doing it.”
The final change to the show will be temporary and has yet to be announced—–finding someone to fill in for host Samantha Harris while she’s on maternity leave?
My vote: Apolo Ohno.
My predictions for who will be in the finals (without even seeing them walk on the dance floor) are: Cameron Mathison. He has a huge fan following… and did I mention he’s hot. Viewers will be looking at his face and other “assets” and not paying attention to his feet. My female pick is Jane Seymour. She’s eloquent, light on her feet and has a great partner in Tony Dovolani. Not to mention the fact that my college sweetheart was (is) so in love with Seymour that his votes alone (and those of the people he would pay to have call in) will keep her in the running until the end.
Who will you be rooting for?