Earlier this week, ABC revealed the identities of the 13 celebrities who'll soon be strutting their stuff on the ballroom floor this season of
Dancing with the Stars, and now, it's time to learn which professional dancer each star will be paired with. There are 11 veteran dancers returning to the show this season, plus two newbies pulled from hugely talented ranks of
So You Think You Can Dance,
Chelsie Hightower and
Dmitry Chaplin.
You'll remember that Chelsie Hightower competed in season 4 of Fox's summer dance hit,
So You Think You Can Dance, where she came in third among the female dancers. She is also a 10 Dance Youth National champion. Dmitry Chaplin competed in season 2 of
So You Think You Can Dance, coming in fifth place among the male dancers. He is also a 2006 U.S. National finalist.
Here's the break down of the couples who'll compete together.
- Derek Hough will be paired with rapper Lil' Kim.
- Julianne Hough will dance with country singer (and boyfriend!) Chuck Wicks.
- Edyta Sliwinska, the only pro to appear in every single season of Dancing with the Stars, will take on her second gridiron champ, Lawrence Taylor.
- Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who is newly engaged to fellow dancing pro Karina Smirnoff, will be taking the stage with Denise Richards, and undoubtedly teaching her complicated steps.
- Meanwhile, Karina Smirnoff has embraced the challenge of teaching Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.
- Chelsie Hightower will attempt to turn champion bull rider Ty Murray into a champion ballroom dancer.
- Dmitry Chaplin's partner will be Jewel, who is married to Ty.
- Cheryl Burke, a two-time Dancing with the Stars champion, will try for a third trophy with actor Gilles Marini.
- Mark Ballas has had good luck in the past with former Olympians, and probably hopes for the same with his new partner, Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson.
- Kym Johnson will partner with comedian David Alan Grier.
- Jonathan Roberts hopes to have better luck this season with singer Belinda Carlisle.
- Tony Dovolani gets another cougar this season, this time in the form of Access Hollywood co-anchor Nancy O'Dell
- Last but certainly not least, Lacey Schwimmer, another So You Think You Can Dance alumna, will be paired with the unpredictable Jackass Steve-O.
As always, the judging panel will consist of Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli. Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris will continue their duties as hosts of
Dancing with the Stars.
Dancing with the Stars premieres with a two-hour performance show on Monday, March 9 at 8pm.
Which team will waltz their way to victory this season on Dancing with the Stars? Here are our picks!
-Debbie Chang, BuddyTV Staff Writer
Source: ABC
(Image courtesy of ABC)