Get out those dancing shoes! ABC has lifted the curtain on Season 21 of Dancing With the Stars. And, although various celebrity names did trickle out over the summer, ABC saved four mystery competitors – Kim Zolciak, Tamar Braxton, Paula Deen and Alek Skarlatos – for a big reveal that took place Sept. 2 on Good Morning America.
Ever since DWTS was downsized to a one-night-per-week format two years (i.e., four seasons) ago, the show has had to stare down some powerful head-on competition from NBC’s The Voice on Monday nights. Co-hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews and the rest of the DWTS gang will get a one-week jump on The Voice when it comes to season premieres this fall. Nevertheless, the show will have to up its game in other ways. Here are 6 ways DWTS plans to do that …
1. Crikey! It’s Bindy!
Bruce Willis and Demi Moore’s daughter, Rumer Willis, danced away with the Mirror Ball Trophy last season. So, why shouldn’t onetime Crocodile Hunter superstar Steve Irwin’s little girl have a good chance of doing the same thing? She was the first of the upcoming season’s contestants to be revealed by ABC – and 17-year-old Bindy Irwin is bound to be popular with audiences. After all, she has been following in the footsteps of her late father, mingling with all sorts of wildlife on TV. And, although she has been somewhat of a wildlife warrior, she admits that the DWTS judges scare her a lot more than crocodiles do.
2. Bye-bye, Len!
Longtime head judge Len Goodman has been a lovable curmudgeon for the whole run of the show. But Goodman is gearing down his involvement this season, thanks to a new grandson in his offscreen life and his already-busy onscreen schedule as lead judge on Strictly Come Dancing (the original British show on which DWTS is based). Goodman will be back occasionally, but his absence opens the door for Bruno Tonioli, Carrie Ann Inaba and Julianne Hough to welcome a tidal wave of guest judges.
3. Marital Squabbles!
Alexa Vega (Nashville) and Carlos Pena Jr. (Big Time Rush) – both now using PenaVega as their surnames – are the first married couple to compete against each other on the show. And there undoubtedly will be plenty of his-and-her throw-downs and close-up comparisons as the pressures of the weekly competition begin to take their toll.
4. Boy Oh Boy!
Nick Carter of Back Street Boys (pictured above with Sharna Burgess) is continuing what has become somewhat of a DWTS tradition of boy-band stars (Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, etc.) showing up as competitors. Carter bringing his dance moves to the show opens things up to a loyal fan base that should pay off.
5. Getting Social!
What better way to crank up social-media buzz than to recruit a social-media powerhouse as a competitor? Hayes Grier is only 15 years old, but the Vine star has 3.5 million followers on Vine and close to 3 million followers on Twitter. That’s bound to get #DWTS trending.
6. Blasts From The Past!
In the past, the show has had a real blast with various, um, “exuberant” competitors who have tended to upend things on the show every once in a while. This season’s slate includes the likes of Chaka Khan and – wait for it – Gary Busey! That will more than likely make things a little nutty here and there.
Dancing With the Stars airs Mondays on ABC.
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Nick Carter and Sharna Burgess: ABC/Adam Taylor