Hey All! :)
It is that time again. Are you ready to jump into the 17th (wow) cycle of ABC’s reality-competition show, “Dancing with the Stars?” I hope so because I am ready to dive right in myself with you guys. After last season’s incredible finale that saw Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough win out against Zendaya and Valentin Chmerkovskiy, we move forward to what promises to be another exciting season. I am thrilled to be back to live blog this season and I thank MJ for allowing me to do so. I also look forward to chatting it up with you all as we had so much fun last season. I’ve missed you guys and I hope all is well.
Some major changes are coming our way for this seventeenth cycle. NO MORE RESULT SHOWS! That’s right. DWTS is going the way of “So You Think You Can Dance” by having the actual dancing and eliminations take place on the same night. I think that’s going to make for a very suspenseful season. Our votes via calls, texts, facebook, and ABC.COM will still count of course with the judges scores, but the results will be revealed on the same night the couples perform, which means how they fared the previous week will be very important for their safety in the competition. Now that’s pressure!
As usual, we have some pros who will be missing this season (Kym Johnson, Gleb Savchenko, Anna Trebunskaya, and Chelsie Hightower for example) while others (Sasha Farber and Emma Slater) will be joining the main roster that includes favorites like Cheryl Burke, Derek Hough, Mark Ballas, and Karina Smirnoff. All of our judges, hosts, and DWTS orchestra will return.
Today is the big LIVE cast reveal on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” I will be live blogging as the celebrities are announced with their partners. Lots of rumors have sprung up in the last few weeks with some near confirmations like Valerie Harper and Amber Riley and some not nearly as confirmed names like John Stamos and Jamie Lee Curtis. As always, it has been fun to read the circulating stories of who might and might not be joining the show but you never really know for sure until ABC does the official cast reveal. Some celebrities back out at the last minute while others sign on unexpectedly. I’m really excited though to see the crop that the network has signed. This is a very important season for the show. With ratings diving in recent seasons and the end of the result show, ABC really needs some big names and buzz for the show. With all that being said, let’s see who will be shaking their hips and waltzing in the ballroom this fall!
Our hosts, Tom and Brooke are on hand for the official announcement. LOLZ. Brooke has the names in a very official looking suitcase. Tom jokes that the Oscar ballots are also in the suitcase. The show will not reveal the couples until the right time but they show two behind a silhouette. One looks like a football player (perhaps Keyshawn Johnson?) and the other resembles Amber Riley to me. It is almost time! Another female behind the silhouette. No clue. Kinda resembles Bethenny Frankel. Naw, she has a talk show this fall, right? Well, Wendy Williams did both. I’m just having fun guessing here.
And here we go folks…
Snooki – reality tv star
Keyshawn Johnson – football player
Valerie Harper – actress
Brant Daughtery – actor
Christina Milian – actress/singer/tv personality
Bill Nye The Science Guy – scientist/host/tv personality
Elizabeth Berkley – actress
Corbin Bleu – actor
Amber Riley – actress
Bill Engvall – comedian
Jack Osbourne – reality tv star
Leah Remini – actress
Interesting cast. Some of those rumors turned out true so I expected Valerie, Snooki, Keyshawn, Christina, Elizabeth, Corbin, Amber, Jack, and Leah. I had no idea about Brant, Bill Nye, or Bill Engvall. I’ll be honest. It isn’t the most ZOMG amazing cast in history but there are some entertaining and interesting names on that list for sure. Coming up… the professional partners.
And here come the partners…
Snooki is paired with Sasha
Keyshawn is paired with Sharna
Valerie is paired with Tristan
Brant is paired with Peta
Christina is paired with Mark
Bill Nye is paired with Tyne – new pro
Elizabeth is paired with Val
Corbin is paired with Karina
Amber is paired with Derek
Bill is paired with Emma
Jack is paired with Cheryl
Leah is paired with Tony
Reveal!
Interviews
New Troupe dancers, Witney Carson and Lindsay Arnold perform
So what do you guys think? Is this a far better cast than usual for DWTS? Do you think they hit a home run with any specific casting? And who are YOU most excited about seeing this season? Chat it up in the comments and don’t forget to join me for the season premiere of season 17 on Monday, September 16th!
