Dancing with the Stars Cast Reveal - H 2015
ABCDancing With the Stars unveiled 11 of the 12 season 20 celebrity couples on February 24, leaving fans wondering: “Just who are these people?”
The Hollywood Reporter takes a look at the 11 announced celebrities and speculates about who the 12th could be (ahem, The Bachelor‘s Chris Soules).
Read more ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Unveils Season 20 Celebrity Cast
Noah Galloway (partnered with Sharna Burgess)
The Operation Iraqi Freedom war veteran lost two limbs (his left arm and leg) during his second tour of duty. After falling into a depression when he returned to the U.S. for recovery, Noah Galloway chose to get back into shape and focus his attention on becoming a personal trainer. He now dedicates his time to nationwide motivational speaking and occasionally gracing the covers of magazines (he was on the November 2014 cover of Men’s Health and was dubbed the magazine’s “2014 Ultimate Guy”). If he has feet like season 18’s Amy Purdy, Galloway and Burgess could make it to the finale.
Noah Galloway and Sharna Burgess
Robert Herjavec (partnered with Kym Johnson)
Robert Herjavec is no stranger to ABC. The Shark Tank investor and host will trade the judging chair for the dance floor. Off of TV, Herjavec is an entrepreneur and investor, primarily in IT and technology.
Robert Herjavec and Kym Johnson
Patti LaBelle (partnered with Artem Chigvintsev)
Grammy winner Patti LaBelle joins the Dancing With the Stars season 20 cast as the oldest celebrity competing. The 70-year old singer won a Grammy in 2005 and is a veteran of the music industry. In 1993, the vocalist earned her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Patti LaBelle and Artem Chigvintsev
Nastia Liukin (partnered with Derek Hough)
Nastia Liukin has no problem performing in front of audiences or on live national television. The retired gymnast became a household name when she competed in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and earned a team silver medal, a bronze medal on floor, a silver medal on balance beam and uneven bars, and the all-around Olympic gold-medal title. In 2014, Liukin was a special correspondent for NBC Olympics at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. If Liukin’s run on DWTS is anything like Olympic teammate Shawn Johnson‘s on season eight, the retired gymnast could take home the Mirrorball trophy.
Riker Lynch (partnered with Allison Holker)
Singer-songwriter Riker Lynch, who has appeared on Glee, was spotted sitting in on an episode of DWTS last season. The 23-year-old performer is the in the band R5 along with brothers Ross and Rocky, sister Rydel and bandmate Ellington Ratliff.
Riker Lynch and Allison Holker
Charlotte McKinney (partnered with Keo Motsepe)
Blond model Charlotte McKinney garnered attention for her Carls Jr. 2015 Super Bowl ad. In the commercial, McKinney walks through an outdoor market, appearing to be unclothed while strutting around. After viewers witness the model being ogled by men, the final clip shows McKinney sporting a barely there bikini while chomping into a burger.
Charlotte McKinney and Keo Motsepe
RedFoo (partnered with Emma Slater)
“Party rock is in the house” every Monday night. The LMFAO curly-haired singer, who is in the two-man band with nephew Sky Blu, will bring the anthem to the hardwood floors of Hollywood in season 20. How much is on the betting table that “Party Rock Anthem” or “Sexy and I Know It” will make the dancing playlist for RedFoo and Emma Slater?
RedFoo and Emma Slater
Michael Sam (partnered with Peta Murgatroyd)
Michael Sam, who played defensive end at the University of Missouri and is an openly gay NFL free agent, is trading his football cleats for dancing shoes. Sam publicly came out last February and was drafted for a short stint by the St. Louis Rams in 2014, making headlines as the first openly gay player to be drafted.
Michael Sam and Peta Murgatroyd
Willow Shields (partnered with Mark Ballas)
May the odds be ever in your favor, Willow Shields. The 14-year-old actress, widely know as Jennifer Lawrence‘s younger sister, Primrose Everdeen, in the Hunger Games series, joins the cast as the youngest dancer this season.
Willow Shields and Mark Ballas
Suzanne Somers (partnered with Tony Dovolani)
Longtime actress Suzanne Somers should be widely recognized by audiences for her roles as Chrissy Snow on Three’s Company and Carol Foster Lambert on Step by Step. She has written multiple self-help books, two autobiographies, a book of poetry and four diet books.
Suzanne Somers and Tony Dovolani
Rumer Willis (partnered with Valentin Chmerkovskiy)
Daughter of actor parents Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, Rumer Willis has made a name for herself acting in roles in The House Bunny, Sorority Row, Hostage and Now and Then, among others.
Rumer Willis and Valentin Chmerkovskiy
Mystery Contestant (rumored to be Chris Soules partnered with Witney Carson)
Good Morning America did not reveal the 12th celebrity castmember that will partner with season 19 champion Witney Carson, but fans have reason to believe that farmer Bachelor Soules will fill the final slot. On Carson’s Instagram, the pro dancer posted a photo on Monday of her standing in front of a farm: “Just moments away from meeting my new partner! Sooooo excited I can’t even contain it,” she captioned. Host Tom Bergeron also made a (perhaps intentional) slip at the early-morning announcement, saying that Carson’s partner “couldn’t rose — I mean rise — early enough.”
The season 20 premiere airs March 16 at 8 p.m. on ABC.
Twitter: @Natalie_J_Stone
