While we are still just beginning to digest the names of the stars announced for the 12th season of Dancing with the Stars, there’s already more news to be had. The celebrity-professional pairings were announced this morning on Good Morning America.
Some of the stars may be unfamiliar to DWTS fans, but the professional names are a little more familiar. The season 12 pairings, as reported on Good Morning America, are:
- Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
- Mike Catherwood and Lacey Schwimmer
- Chris Jericho and Cheryl Burke
- Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas
- Sugar Ray Leonard and Anna Trebunskaya
- Ralph Macchio and Karina Smirnoff
- Petra Nemcova and Dimitry Chaplin
- Romeo and Chelsie Hightower
- Hines Ward and Kym Johnson
- Kendra Wilkinson and Louis Van Amstel
- Wendy Williams and Tony Dovolani
With the exception of Dimitry Chaplin, who has not appeared since season 10, all of the professionals competed in the most recent season of Dancing with the Stars. Many of them, however, have very different types of stars to lead to Mirror Ball glory this season.
Now that the contestants and pairings have been made official, it’s time for all of the stars and professionals to get down to the business of learning to dance. The first performance show is scheduled for Monday, March 21, and each pair will need to perform either a cha-cha or a fox trot on that initial show. Slow learners will get a bit of a break though — no one will be eliminated during the first week of competition. As a result, Dancing with the Stars: The Results Show will not premiere until March 29.
Which star/professional pairing will turn out to be the winning combination? It’s too early to say at this point, but there definitely are some interesting possibilities. Can a driven and often high-ranking professional like Maks Chmerkovskiy make a dancing star out of Kirstie Alley? How will Cheryl Burke fair with her second charismatic athlete in a row (following last season’s Rick Fox)? And does Sugar Ray Leonard still have the moves to keep up with Anna Trebunskaya?
I guess we’ll find out as when the season gets going.
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Which pairing seems like a winner to you? Do you foresee any train wrecks? With last year’s professional champion, Derek Hough, gone, which pro dancer is most ready for a win? Leave your comments and opinions below!
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
Laurel grew up in Mamaroneck, NY, Grosse Pointe, MI and Bellevue WA. She then went on to live in places like Boston, Tucson, Houston, Wales, Tanzania, Prince Edward Island and New York City before heading back to Seattle. Ever since early childhood, when she became addicted to The Muppet Show, Laurel has watched far too much TV. Current favorites include Chuck, Modern Family, Supernatural, Mad Men and Community. Laurel received a BA in Astrophysics (yes, that is possible) from Colgate University and a PhD in Middle Eastern Studies and History of Science from Columbia University before she realized that television is much better than studying.
