Derek Hough confirms he is back for the upcoming 'Dancing with the Stars' season and Tom Bergeron drops a 'very subtle' hint about 'The Bachelor' star Chris Soules joining the show.
- Feb 25, 2015
AceShowbiz - After Rumer Willis and Michael Sam were revealed as the celebrity contestants for the upcoming twentieth season of "Dancing with the Stars", ABC officially announces the "DWTS" lineup on "Good Morning America". Eleven of the 12 celebrity contestants are revealed along with their pro partners, while one is still kept a secret.
Big surprise came when Derek Hough was confirmed to return for the new season despite his previous announcement to take a break to a show at Radio City Music Hall. He is paired with Olympic gold gymnast Nastia Liukin. They are expected to travel back-and-forth between New York and Los Angeles for rehearsals and the competition.
Derek said the decision was made "literally two days ago." He said from the Big Apple, "I had a little heartbreak not being able to a part of the 10th anniversary, the 20th season. It's such a huge milestone for 'Dancing With the Stars.' It's my family, so I wanted to be a part of it. ... I'm so glad we made it happen. Let's make it the best season ever."
Rumer, the actress daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, will team up with Val Chmerkovskiy who finished third place last season with Janel Parrish. Michael, the first openly-gay NFL star, will dance with Peta Murgatroyd who once won the mirror-ball trophy with Donald Driver in season 14. It will be Val and Peta's eighth edition on "DWTS".
Music great Patti LaBelle is paired with Artem Chigvintsev who is invited back after making his debut last season and claimed sixth place with Lea Thompson. LMFAO star Redfoo will team up with Emma Slater who is back for her fourth season on "DWTS" and finished seventh place with Michael Waltrip last season.
"Glee" actor Riker Lynch, who is also the second cousin of Derek and Julianne Hough, will collaborate with Allison Holker. Charlotte McKinney, who shot to fame in a racy Super Bowl ad for Carl's Jr., will dance with Keo Motsepe. She is ready to "burn off all the burgers" she ate while filming the controversial Super Bowl ad. It's the second season for both Allison and Keo after they made their debut last season.
"Shark Tank" star Robert Herjavec is paired with Kym Johnson who is returning to the dancing competition after leaving for three seasons. The Aussie dancer took a break from the U.S. show in 2013 to be on her home country's version of "The Celebrity Apprentice" and "DWTS".
Rumor has it, Chris Soules is the 12th celebrity cast who will be announced at a later date. He reportedly will compete on "DWTS" after completing his search for love on "The Bachelor". If the rumor is true, he will be paired with the reigning champion Witney Carson who won last season with Alfonso Ribeiro.
"I can't say much. I'm not allowed to. I can tell you that you guys need to be super excited because he's ready to bring it," Carson said, before "DWTS" host Tom Bergeron chimed in, "That's right, her partner couldn't rose -- I mean, rise -- so early to be here." In response, "GMA" host Lara Spencer suggested the word "rose" as a "very, very subtle" hint.
Ribeiro was also present to give some tips to the contestants. "The one thing I would say to everybody is simply that it is a marathon, not a sprint," he said. "It's not about winning week one, it's about winning that final week. You've got to take it slow, pace yourself. Go hard, learn everything, and be the best you can be and give it 100 percent, but pace yourself."
The new season will premiere Monday, March 16 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC. Bergeron and Erin Andrews will return to host the show, while Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Julianne Hough are back as judges.
"DWTS" season 20 cast and their pro partners:
- U.S. army vet and amputee Noah Galloway with Sharna Burgess
- "Shark Tank" star Robert Herjavec with Kym Johnson
- Singer Patti LaBelle with Artem Chigvintsev
- Olympic gold gymnast Nastia Liukin with Derek Hough
- "Glee" actor and singer Riker Lynch with Allison Holker
- Model Charlotte McKinney with Keo Motsepe
- LMFAO's Redfoo with Emma Slater
- NFL player Michael Sam with Peta Murgatroyd
- "The Hunger Games" star Willow Shields with Mark Ballas
- Actress Suzanne Somers with Tony Dovolani
- Actress Rumer Willis with Valentin Chmerkovskiy
