Carole Baskin Reveals She’s Doing A Cat-Themed ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ Dance For Her ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Debut

Carole Baskin will kick off her time on Dancing With The Stars with a cat-themed dance.

In a new interview, the big-cat rights activist, 59, said she wants to draw attention to the animals that she fights so hard to protect, so it’s no surprise that she plans to start out strong on the ABC celebrity ballroom competition with the perfect theme song.

“We are opening my act with ‘Eye of the Tiger,'” Baskin told Entertainment Tonight. “It was my first choice. The people in wardrobe asked me what they could do and I told them to go just absolutely wild. So, I think you’re going to be as surprised as I am.”

“Eye of the Tiger” is a great choice or Baskin for a number of reasons. In addition to its kitty connotations, the 1982 hit by rock band Survivor was the theme song from the movie, Rocky III, so it contains “fightin'” lyrics.

It’s no secret that Baskin will have an uphill battle on Dancing With The Stars as she competes against a Backstreet Boy, a teen Disney star, and an Olympic figure skater for the mirrorball trophy, so the powerful opening number is the perfect pick for her.

While she didn’t completely dish on what she’ll be wearing for her first dance, Baskin revealed to ET that so far, no bicycle or flower crowns have been presented to her. The Big Cat Rescue CEO was known for wearing floral crowns and riding her bike when she filmed the Netflix documentary that made her famous.

Baskin did tell reporters that she gave some instructions to the costume department, according to E! News. She told them “no fur, no feathers, no leather, and anything else.” She added that other than those exceptions, she was ready for a wild look and just wants to have “a blast” on the show.

Baskin hopes that her first dance will help DWTS fans to keep thinking about the exploited cats that are currently holed up in small zoos such as Joe Exotic’s animal park that was featured in The Tiger King.

She noted that her beloved cats were “the real losers” in the 2020 film because producers didn’t focus on their plight but instead on the insider drama with the controversial zookeeper. She said she hopes the editors of Dancing With The Stars will be mindful of why she agreed to join the celebrity ballroom competition and help her keep the cats in the spotlight.