“Dancing with the Stars” has revealed its lineup of contestants for the 2020 season, which includes a few surprises and a new host. Tiger King’s Carole Baskin, rapper Nelly, Disney Channel actress Skai Jackson, Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir, and former NBA star Charles Oakley are among those set to tango on the fabled ballroom.
Supermodel and businesswoman Tyra Banks will take the leading role as host, as well as coming on board as one of the executive producers. This past July, co-hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews announced their exits from the series, who have hosted the show as a team since 2014.
Enter, Stage Left
The cast for the upcoming season has created a lot of excitement for fans. The full lineup of celebrities include:
- Netflix’s “Cheer” head coach Monica Aldama
- Tiger King’s Carole Baskin
- “The Bachelorette” star Kaitlyn Bristowe
- Super Bowl Champion Vernon Davis
- TV and film actress Anne Heche
- Disney Channel actress Skai Jackson
- “One Day at a Time” actress Justina Machado
- Backstreet Boys singer AJ McLean
- “The Real” host Jeannie Mai
- TV and film actor Jesse Metcalfe
- rapper Nelly
- “Catfish” TV host Nev Schulman
- NBA superstar Charles Oakley
- “Selling Sunset” actress Chrishell Stause
- Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir
The professional dancers will include Brandon Armstrong, Alan Bersten, Sharna Burgess, Cheryl Burke, Artem Chigvintsev, Val Chmerkovskiy, Sasha Farber, Jenna Johnson, Daniella Karagach, Keo Motsepe, Peta Murgatroyd, Pasha Pashkov, Gleb Savchenko, Emma Slater, and Britt Stewart.
The celebrity pairings with professional partners will be revealed in the season opener.
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My Name is Controversy…May I Cut In?
Although “Dancing With the Stars” is a prime-time dance competition, it’s had its share of controversy, which has added a little bit of excitement to the dance floor.
In season one, “General Hospital” star Kelly Monaco and “Seinfeld” actor John O’Hurley were the two finalists to dance for top honors. In the show’s finale, Monaco and her partner won the trophy ball in a huge upset (much to the chagrin of O’Hurley and TV viewers), which resulted in a dance-off and O’Hurley becoming the the victor. However, Monaco is still recognized as the official champion of season one.
During season 23, two men stormed the dance floor after Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte completed his first dance with partner Cheryl Burke. At the time, Lochte was suspended from competition by USA Swimming after he alleged he was the victim of a robbery by armed men with police badges at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian authorities deny the event took place.
The show drew criticism from fans – and longtime host Tom Bergeron – when former White House press secretary Sean Spicer was cast on the show last season. Despite having consistently low marks, he remained on the show before being eliminated in the sixth week. Though, his dance segments brought the show some its highest fan interactions on social media.
This season, of course, will have a personality that folks love to hate . . . Carol Baskin . . . whom some have said fed her husband to her tigers.
All episodes of “Dancing with the Stars” will be available on-demand and on Hulu the day following their original air dates.
Let’s Hear From You
Are you a Dancing with the Stars fan? With the lack of things to do in our current crazy times, do you appreciate a little extra drama returning to TV to add a little spice to life? Let us know your thoughts about the new cast and host. And let us know who you think will win. We looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
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