Although the majority of them had already leaked last week, ABC has formally revealed the celebrity and professional partner pairings for Dancing with the Stars' ninth season.
ADVERTISEMENT
Singer Macy Gray will be paired with Jonathan Roberts, former supermodel Kathy Ireland will dance with Tony Dovolani, professional snowboarder Louie Vito will partner with Chelsie Hightower, and actress Melissa Joan Hart will be teamed with Mark Ballas.
The other 12 previously leaked pairings are actress Debi Mazar and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, entertainer Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson, actor/singer Ashley Hamilton and Edyta Sliwinska, Olympic gold medalist swimmer Natalie Coughlin and Alec Mazo, indicted former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and Cheryl Burke, actress Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough, UFC mixed martial arts fighter Chuck Liddell and Anna Trebunskaya, singer Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff, singer/actress Mya and Dmitry Chaplin, Food Network host Mark Dacascos and Lacy Schwimmer, former The Osbournes star Kelly Osbourne and Louis van Amstel, and retired NFL star Michael Irvin and professional newcomer Anna Demidova.
While the couples still have several weeks of practice ahead of them before Dancing with the Stars ninth season premieres with a two-hour performance episode on Monday, September 21 at 8PM ET/PT, the rehearsals apparently won't be as intense as in years past in an effort to prevent injuries.
"There's a rule now that we're not allowed to train for more than five hours a day for the first two weeks," Burke told E! News earlier this month.
ADVERTISEMENT
"After every two hours, you have to have a 30-minute break. And we have to have one full day off a week."
Injuries plagued Dancing with the Stars eighth season this past spring, as singer Jewel and Access Hollywood co-anchor Nancy O'Dell were both forced to withdraw prior to the premiere after sustaining serious injuries while training for the reality dance competition.
In addition, Sex and the City star Gilles Marini injured his groin and subsequently needed surgery to repair a shoulder injury; Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak fractured his foot and was forced to wear a cast; and Steven "Steve-O" Glover suffered nerve damage in his back.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio