Dancing with the Stars has officially revealed its full cast for this spring's 24th season, and it will include the show's first-ever professional baseball player.
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The celebrities are two-time World Series champion -- and the first pro baseball player to ever appear on DWTS-- David Ross, entertainer and reality TV veteran Charo, NFL player Rashad Jennings, Glee star Heather Morris, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Girardi, The Bachelor star Nick Viall, Fifth Harmony member Normani Kordei, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, pro wrestler Mr. T, iconic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan, comedian and actor Chris Kattan, and bull rider-turned-model Bonner Bolton.
The names of everyone in the cast, except for Ross, leaked out in the press over the last week.
The professional dancers who will be paired up with Season 24's stars are veterans Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Peta Murgatroyd, Val Chmerkovskiy, Lindsay Arnold, Sharna Burgess, Gleb Savchenko, Artem Chigvintsev, Emma Slater, Sasha Farber, Keo Motsepe, Kym Johnson, and Witney Carson.
Murgatroyd is returning to the series after taking a season off to give birth to her first child with fiance Maksim, son Shai Aleksander. Johnson is also making a comeback after a hiatus following her marriage to Robert Herjavec, whom she was paired with for Season 20.
Motsepe is the only other pro dancer in the cast who didn't compete on Season 23.
Dancing with the Stars' official lineup was first announced on Wednesday's edition of Good Morning America.
Murgatroyd wasn't present in the studio but joined the GMA broadcast from Los Angeles to reveal she will be partnered with Viall, The Bachelor's current star.
"I am super excited," Murgatroyd noted.
"This is going to keep me in shape, I think, a little better right? Rather than going home and just eating chips all day on the couch," Ross told Michael Strahan and Robin Roberts on GMA of his participation. "I figured I'd do this to keep me in shape and get outside my comfort zone and hopefully represent the MLB, be the first baseball player to stay a little long [in the competition]."
Morris has "a little bit" of confidence going into the new DWTS season having been on Glee and danced on tour with Beyonce, but she said ballroom is "very different" from the style of dance she's used to, so she's "a little iffy."
Laurie Hernandez, who won last season of Dancing with the Stars, surprised her teammate Biles on GMA and gave her a big hug -- and a pair of sneakers -- for good luck.
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Roberts pointed out that Murgatroyd, Maksim and Val have won four of the last six mirrorball trophies on Dancing with the Stars. Val insisted there is no family tension, adding, "Hopefully we can get another one."
But Val has his work cut out for him, as Kordei is currently on tour in Asia with Fifth Harmony and writing another album.
"I told [Val] the schedule and he freaked out a little bit," the singer confessed, "but we're going to make it work... [We'll fly] back and forth, so it's going to be crazy. I better eat my vegetables."
"It's not just a tour," Val clarified as to why he freaked out about the news. "It's a tour literally on the other side of the world."
Bolton was apparently surprised by doctors to be cleared to dance on the show after a life-threatening bull-riding accident last year.
"I was super pumped when they first told me [I could dance]. But after I said, 'yes,' I thought, 'Man, I kind of took on Mount Everest!' So I might be more nervous that climbing on a bull right now, but I'm excited," Bolton admitted.
Kerrigan's kids are "excited" for their mom because they "watch the show together... They think it's going to be a lot of fun," she said.
While Girardi, who goes by her stage name Erika Jayne, said she's going to give the show all she's got -- with a lot of "sass -- Charo yelled about how she loves Dancing with the Stars and this is her "moment."
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Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews will continue to host the ABC reality dancing competition. Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Julianne Hough are also returning to Dancing with the Stars next season as judges.
Below is the full list of the celebrity and professional pairings for Season 24:
Heather Morris is paired up with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Maksim joined Dancing with the Stars in Season 2 and served as a pro all the way up until Season 18 with the exceptions of Season 6, 16 and 17. He announced his DWTS retirement after winning Season 18 with Meryl Davis, but competed last season with Amber Rose.
David Ross will be partnered with Lindsay Arnold, a former So You Think You Can Dance contestant. Arnold will be taking the stage as a pro dancer for the fifth time on DWTS. She finished Season 21 in third place with Alek Skarlatos, Season 22 in fourth place with Wanya Morris, and Season 23 in third place with Calvin Johnson Jr.
Bonner Bolton will be training with Sharna Burgess, who made her debut on DWTS' 16th season. She finished Season 20 in third place with Noah Galloway, Season 21 in second place with Nick Carter, Season 22 in fourth place with Antonio Brown, and last season in second place with James Hinchcliffe.
Erika Girardi will be paired up with Gleb Savchenko. He competed on Season 16 of Dancing with the Stars in 2013 with Lisa Vanderpump and Season 23 with Jana Kramer. Savchenko and Kramer finished in fourth place last season.
Normani Kordei will be partnered with Val Chmerkovskiy, who joined DWTS 11 seasons ago and will be participating in his 12th edition. He finished as Season 16's runner-up with Zendaya Coleman, claimed third place in Season 19 with Janel Parrish, won Season 20 with Rumer Willis, finished Season 22 in third place with Ginger Zee, and won Season 23 with Laurie Hernandez.
Nancy Kerrigan will be matched up with Artem Chigvintsev, who served as a member of the Dancing with the Stars Troupe before appearing as a first-time pro in Season 19, during which he finished in sixth place. He hasn't been able to place higher than that ever since.
Rashad Jennings will be dancing with Emma Slater. She joined Dancing with the Stars in Season 17 and placed fourth with Bill Engvall but hasn't had much luck in the competition's standings since then. Last season, Slater finished in twelfth place with Rick Perry.
Simone Biles will be paired with Sasha Farber, who first appeared as a pro on Season 17 of DWTS with Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi. He later served as Derek Hough's alternate in Season 20 when he got hurt mid-competition. Farber served as a pro in Season 22 and finished seventh again with Kim Fields. And then last season, he placed fifth with Terra Jole.
Chris Kattan will take the dance floor with Witney Carson, a former So You Think You Can Dance contestant and DWTS Troupe member who made her debut as a pro on Season 18. Carson won Season 19 with Alfonso Ribeiro and placed fourth in Season 21 with Carlos PenaVega. She finished in eighth and then tenth place on Season 22 and 23, respectively.
Nick Viall will be dancing with Peta Murgatroyd. She will be gracing the stage again for her tenth season. She made her debut as a pro on the series' 13th season and was the first pairing voted out, however, she went on to win DWTS' 14th season with celebrity partner Donald Driver. She placed fourth on Season 18 with James Maslow and eventually won Season 22 with Nyle DiMarco.
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Mr. T. will be partnered with Kym Johnson. She joined Dancing with the Stars in Season 3 and won the show twice, in Season 9 with Donny Osmond and Season 12 with Hines Ward. She took a break from Seasons 17-19, and then placed sixth with her now-husband Robert in Season 20.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
