Dancing with the Stars is shaking things up in week 5 with the Switch-Up Challenge. The nine remaining stars will all get a new professional partner for one week, giving us a chance to see how they do with someone new.

In addition, season 18 winner Maksim Chmerkovskiy is coming back to the ballroom as the guest judge, which is always interesting and a tad confrontational.

Here are the new pairs for the Switch-Up Challenge of Dancing with the Stars season 21:

Bindi Irwin and Val Chmerkovskiy
Alexa PenaVega and Derek Hough
Paula Deen and Mark Ballas
Tamar Braxton and Louis van Amstel
Carlos PenaVega and Lindsay Arnold
Alek Skarlatos and Emma Slater
Hayes Grier and Allison Holker
Andy Grammer and Sharna Burgess
Nick Carter and Witney Carson

These are some interesting new pairs. Alexa wins the lottery with Derek as her new partner while Mark is stuck with Paula. But if anyone can whip up something good for the celebrity chef, it’s Mark with his inventive choreography. Bindi and Val might be the oddest couple, combining her sweet smile with his icy demeanor.

As for the male stars, Nick will benefit from getting paired with the only remaining female pro who was won the Mirror Ball, Witney. Hayes and Allison could be interesting since she has a fun, youthful energy, but perhaps being pregnant will bring out her maternal side with the teenager.

Which new pair are you most excited to see? Find out as they take the stage Monday at 8pm on ABC.

(Image courtesy of ABC)

John Kubicek

Senior Writer, BuddyTV

John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire DiariesSupernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.