The new cast for Dancing with the Stars season 21 is here. On Wednesday, the 13 new stars and their pro partners were revealed on Good Morning America, though in a rather unusual move, nine of the celebrities competing had already been announced.
The cast features a recent American hero, two teenagers, two siblings of former contestants, an Oscar-nominated actor in his 70s, controversial chef Paula Deen and a husband and wife who will be competing against each other.
As for the pros, several are coming out of retirement with Anna Trebunskaya and Louis van Amstel returning after taking the last five seasons off while Lindsay Arnold returns after four seasons on hiatus.
Here’s the complete list of the contestant and their professional partners for Dancing with the Stars season 21.
Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough: 17-year-old wildlife conservationist and daughter of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin
Alexa PenaVega and Mark Ballas: Actress known for her starring roles in the Spy Kids movies and currently on Nashville, competing against her husband, Carlos
Chaka Khan and Keo Motsepe: Grammy-winning singer called the Queen of Funk
Paula Deen and Louis van Amstel: 68-year-old Southern chef
Kim Zolciak and Tony Dovolani: Real Housewives of Atlanta star
Tamar Braxton and Val Chmerkovskiy: Singer and younger sister of former DWTS contestant Toni Braxton
Alek Skarlatos and Lindsay Arnold: 22-year-old American hero who foiled a terrorist plot on a train to Paris
Gary Busey and Anna Trebunskaya: 71-year-old Oscar-nominated actor
Nick Carter and Sharna Burgess: Member of the Backstreet Boys and the older brother of former DWTS contestant Aaron Carter
Hayes Grier and Emma Slater: 15-year-old social media and Vine star
Carlos PenaVega and Witney Carson: Singer and actor from Big Time Rush (which also featured former DWTS contestant James Maslow), competing against his wife, Alexa
Andy Grammer and Allison Holker: Singer best known for his hit song “Honey, I’m Good”
Victor Espinoza and Karina Smirnoff: 2015 Triple-Crown winning jockey
This is the fourth season in a row to feature teenagers (Hayes Grier and Bindi Irwin) as well as someone over 70 (Gary Busey), giving viewers an extremely wide age range. It’s also the first season to feature a husband and wife participating together with the PenaVegas. In season 8 Jewel and husband Ty Murray were supposed to dance, but Jewel had to withdraw before it began.
Dancing with the Stars season 21 premieres Monday, September 14 at 8pm on ABC.
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
