New Season of “Dancing with the Stars” Begins Monday Night
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ABC (LOS ANGELES) — Thirteen celebrities will put on their dancing shoes Monday night when ABC’s Dancing with the Stars begins its 19th season.
The judges’ desk will be a little more crowded this season. Former Dancing with the Stars pro and two-time champ Julianne Hough will join Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba on the panel. There will also be guest judges during the season.
Hough — whose brother, Derek, will be back as one of the pros — doesn’t plan on holding back her opinions. She tells ABC News Radio, “I judge the way that I teach. And, you know, if you saw previous seasons that I was on I was not afraid to crack the whip on my dance partners. Where, you know, I do have my little halo, it’s held up by my devil horns.”
In another wrinkle to the format, there will be a separate results show during at least the first two weeks of competition. Last season, Dancing with the Stars aired only once per week throughout the competition.
Among the notable celebrities who will enter the spotlight in the ABC ballroom: YouTube star Bethany Mota, General Hospital’s Antonio Sabato Jr., Duck Dynasty’s Sadie Robertson, former The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actor Alfonso Ribeiro, Back to the Future actress Lea Thompson, and comedian Tommy Chong.
Las Vegas oddsmaker Johnny Avello has tabbed Sabato Jr. as the early front-runner for the Mirrorball Trophy, followed by Ribeiro and track star Lolo Jones. Tommy Chong has the longest odds, behind PBS host Tavis Smiley.
If Sabato Jr. wants to finish in first place, he’ll have to battle through the pain he’s already been experiencing in rehearsals. He says he’s been taking a lot of Advil, adding, “The hips are hurting. Everything is new. The mind is working really fast to get all these moves.”
However, he notes, “I’m just blessed to be a part of this.”
Thompson is simply hoping to have fun on the dance floor, despite some concerns she has about doing the show. She comments, “That’s what’s really great about dance, because once you just let it go, it’s just joy, and I’m hoping to get to that spot again.”
On the first night of Dancing with the Stars, which will begin at 8 p.m. Eastern time, each couple will dance either the cha cha, the foxtrot or the jive. One couple will be eliminated the following night on the results show, which will air at 8 p.m. Eastern time and will feature musical guests Smokey Robinson and Aloe Blacc.
Here’s a rundown of this season’s couples:
- Jonathan Bennett, Mean Girls actor, and Allison Holker
- Tommy Chong, one-half of the comedy duo Cheech and Chong, and Peta Murgatroyd
- Randy Couture, UFC star, and Karina Smirnoff
- Betsey Johnson, fashion designer, and Tony Dovolani
- Lolo Jones, track star, and Keo Motsepe
- Bethany Mota, YouTube star, and Derek Hough
- Janel Parrish, Pretty Little Liars actress, and Valentin Chmerkovskiy
- Alfonso Ribeiro, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actor, and Witney Carson
- Sadie Robertson, Duck Dynasty star, and Mark Ballas
- Antonio Sabato Jr., General Hospital actor, and Cheryl Burke
- Tavis Smiley, PBS host, and Sharna Burgess
- Lea Thompson, Back to the Future actress, and Artem Chigvintsev
- Michael Waltrip, NASCAR driver and owner, and Emma Slater
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