‘DWTS’ Cast 2017: See The First Official Photos For Season 24
The official DWTS cast 2017 has been revealed by ABC, and the first official photos of the celebrity stars with their professional dance partners have been released!
On Wednesday, March 1, the new Dancing with the Stars cast made their big reveal on Good Morning America after a long wait filled with rumors and leaked names. Now, we finally know who will be putting on their dancin’ shoes this season!
According to ABC, there are 13 couples going for Season 24’s Mirror Ball Trophy. The site also confirmed some surprises.
“The season 24 premiere is the 400th episode of the hit show, and many fan-favorite dancing partners will also be returning to the show, including Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd, who welcomed their first child together just this year. Veteran dancer Kym Herjavec is also back this season after she took a hiatus following her marriage to her former DWTS partner Robert Herjavec.”
The official DWTS cast 2017 will be missing a couple of key players. Derek Hough and Mark Ballas have both taken the season off. Also, dance pro Allison Holker announced that she’d be taking the season off, posting on Instagram on Sunday before the big cast announcement on Monday morning.
“I truly adore my DWTS family, It’s all love and I’m so excited for all of the competitors who are participating this season. I will be watching alongside all of you and will be voting for my favorites. I will be keeping you posted on some exciting ventures that will be coming up,” she said in part.
Now that we know who is part of the DWTS cast 2017, let’s learn a little more about the stars who will be learning how to ballroom dance.
Simone Biles and Sasha Farber
Simone is an Olympic gymnast who took home four gold medals and one bronze medal in the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio. She was on the same Olympic team as Laurie Hernandez, who competed on Dancing with the Stars last season and won the Mirror Ball Trophy with her partner, Val Chmerkovskiy!
Nick Viall and Peta Murgatroyd
You probably recognize Nick from being on The Bachelor (twice on The Bachelorette and then on Bachelor in Paradise). It was long speculated that Viall would join the DWTS cast this season, and some have even said that Nick’s desire for fame and fortune could drive a wedge between him and his new fiance (tune into the Bachelor finale on March 13 to find out who he chooses).
Rashad Jennings and Emma Slater
This former NFL running back played with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Oakland Raiders, and the New York Giants before retiring.
Chris Kattan and Witney Carson
The 46-year-old actor is perhaps best known for his role on Saturday Night Live. Some of his best films include A Night at the Roxbury and Undercover Brother. Although he’s taking a short break from acting to compete on Dancing with the Stars, Chris Kattan has two films slated for release in 2017.
Erika Girardi and Gleb Savchenko
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star will be heating up the dance floor with the same partner that her pal Lisa Vanderpump was paired with when she was on the show. Many feel that Erika has a bit of an edge as her alter-ego, Erika Jayne, is a singer and a dancer. Although it isn’t ballroom, Erika can definitely keep a beat.
Normani Kordei and Val Chmerkovskiy
Normani is a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony. Perhaps she also has an edge as she has done quite a bit of dancing while performing songs like “Work From Home” with her girls.
David Ross and Lindsay Arnold
Fresh off of his World Series win with the Chicago Cubs, David Ross is the first baseball player to join DWTS. While there have been plenty of athletes, there are usually NFL players and gymnasts. This is definitely something different, and many can’t wait to see how Ross fits into the Season 24 cast.
Heather Morris and Maks Chmerkovskiy
The 30-year-old Glee actress may be the one to beat this season. If you remember way back to when Heather first rose to fame — she competed on Season 2 of So You Think You Can Dance.
Bonner Bolton and Sharna Burgess
Many people don’t know much about Bonner Bolton, 29, but he’s a professional bull rider. He has also done modeling and was once a stunt double for the super-handsome Scott Eastwood. This is another first for Dancing with the Stars as they’ve never had a bull rider compete for the Mirror Ball Trophy.
Mr. T and Kym Herjavec
The former professional wrestler and actor is best known for his work on his own show, I Pity the Fool. That is also his catch-phrase, which fans to expect to hear a lot of this season. In 2015, Mr. T was inducted into the Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Charo and Keo Motsepe
The Spanish-American actress and musician rose to fame in the 1970s. Charo has a catch-phrase of her own; “cuchi-cuchi” will likely be said a few times throughout this DWTS season!
Nancy Kerrigan and Artem Chigvintsev
The former Olympic figure skater won a silver medal in the 1994 Olympics and a bronze medal in the 1992 Olympics. She made headlines in 1994 when she was attacked by the ex-husband of Tonya Harding. Nancy Kerrigan is currently working as an executive producer on a documentary called Why Don’t You Lose 5 Lbs. DWTS will definitely be a challenge for Kerrigan but many are hoping that she does well on the show.
Season 24 of Dancing with the Stars kicks off on Monday, March 20 on ABC.
[Featured Images by Craig Sjodin/ABC]
