Wow, The 'Dancing With The Stars' 2019 Cast Lineup Is... Interesting
It's that time of year: Dancing with the Stars is sashaying its way onto America's TV screens very soon, and fans of the show are already so pumped. Leading up to the premiere event, ABC has announced who will be hitting the ballroom floor to strut their stuff. While every year brings together an interesting mix of actors, reality show regulars, athletes, and more, the Dancing with the Stars 2019 cast is especially eclectic.
Airing live on Good Morning America on Wednesday, Aug. 21, the Season 28 cast announcement included appearances from the upcoming stars, who gave audiences a little sneak peek of their personal dancing styles. When they gathered on the stage, DWTS host Tom Bergeron asked them, "How many of you are having second thoughts already." The audience laughed when more than a few hands went up, but I honestly don't blame the new competitors — though they're all used to being in some semblance of a spotlight, professional-level ballroom dancing is a whole other type of exposure!
Take a look at who will be competing for the coveted Mirrorball Trophy, and see if you can guess who will go home first, and who will go all the way and win.
And here's the full cast lineup:
Karamo Brown
Best known as the "culture expert" on Netflix's wildly popular Queer Eye, Brown has risen to fame as a smooth-talking, sharp-dressing lifestyle expert with a heart of gold. The father of two said on Good Morning America he's "the only one with rhythm" in the Fab Five, but that hopefully won't stop Jonathan, Antoni, Tan, and Bobby from showing up during the season to cheer him on.
Hannah Brown
The woman is not slowing down! Fresh off of her tumultuous season of The Bachelorette, Brown is switching from sparkly cocktail dresses to sparkly dance costumes. When she was asked on GMA about being ready for DWTS so soon after ending her season of The Bachelorette, Hannah replied, "Can't stop, won't stop," before adding a bit more seriously, "I'm so excited. I want a fresh start, something that I can go all in with emotionally, physically, spiritually, and I think dance is something I can do that with." That's the Hannah fans know and love!
James Van Der Beek
Formerly known as a teenage Dawson on a little show called Dawson's Creek, Van Der Beek is now a total dad, with five kids who just might be the best dance coaches ever. "We dance all the time at home, constantly," he said on GMA. "That's how we babysit toward the end of the day, after dinner."
Christie Brinkley
Supermodel Brinkley just might have a "leg up" on the competition. No stranger to dancing, she recently starred as Roxie Hart in the Broadway musical Chicago. However, on GMA, she demurred: "I can barely get my leg up and believe me, what I learned in ‘Chicago’ doing the honey rag, you cannot... dance to Beyonce doing the honey rag, so I need some moves."
Kate Flannery
Does Meredith Palmer from The Office have moves? Fans will soon find out when Flannery hits the stage. The actor, who has also appeared in American Housewife and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, sounds ready to glam it up. "This is the deal. I had nine seasons of the most unglamorous character on TV," she said. "So we're going in a different direction. So bring on the Spanx and the spray tan, whatever you got. Bring it on."
Ray Lewis
The former NFL star earned tons of recognition from football fans who played for the Baltimore Ravens for his entire pro career. Though he is a controversial sports figure, having been on trial for murder in the 2000s (the charges were dropped), he is also a celebrated member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Here's hoping he shows off his signature touchdown celebration move, "The Squirrel," on the dance floor.
Lamar Odom
Though many fans probably know Odom from his relationship with Khloé Kardashian and his appearances on Keeping Up with the Kardashians, he was also a a championship-winning NBA player. Though he faced some controversy in the past, his biggest concern now is what he's going to wear on DWTS. "I don't know if I can do sparkles," he said.
Lauren Alaina
Country singer Alaina rose to fame when she became the runner-up on American Idol Season 10. Now with two studio albums out, she's swapping out the cowboy boots for dancing shoes.
Ally Brooke
Making a name for herself as one-fifth of the former girl group Fifth Harmony, Brooke is now a solo artist, with hits like "Low Key" and "Lips Don't Lie." Talking about her experience dancing in music videos on GMA, she said: "Some of the dance moves were a little harder and some people would leave not so nice comments and it wouldn't feel good," adding, "This is an opportunity for me to not only prove [to] them but to myself that I can really tackle this."
Sean Spicer
Though rumors of Spicer's DWTS involvement have been swirling for a while now, many fans are still shocked to see him in the cast lineup. The former Trump press secretary is probably the most divisive person of Season 28, so it'll be interesting to see how he fares on the show. He told GMA his strategy will be to "work really, really, really hard every day." K.
Kel Mitchell
Though he's done plenty since his time on Nickelodeon's All That, Mitchell is still beloved by many for playing the eccentric, orange soda-loving character on the sketch show. Now, he said his wife has been helping him prepare for the dance floor. "That's my teammate for life, you know," he said about her on GMA. "And when we got the call [aobut going on DWTS], she was like, 'Let me see some moves right now, let's go.'" He also stood up to dance in front of all his fellow competitors, potentially solidifying himself as one to watch.
Mary Wilson
Revealed last as the surprise competitor on the show, Wilson is a legend in her own right. The 75-year-old founding member of The Supremes will certainly bring pizazz to the DWTS dance floor. Her family is also excited about the new gig: "For years they never allowed me to even have my gold records in the house," the singer said to GMA. "So now that they've watched Dancing with The Stars, I'm like, 'Hey, grandma is cool!'"
In a new twist, ABC will not announce which star is partnered with which dancer until the season premiere. The network did, however, reveal who the dancers will be. Returning dancers include Brandon Armstrong, Lindsay Arnold, Alan Bersten, Cheryl Burke, Witney Carson, Val Chmerkovskiy, Sasha Farber, Jenna Johnson, Keo Motsepe, Peta Murgatroyd, Gleb Savchenko, and Emma Slater. Newcomers Daniella Karagach and Pasha Pashkov will also join the lineup.
Season 28 of Dancing with the Stars begins airing on Sept. 16 on ABC.
