By Rikki Pepino
The entire 2013 celebrity cast of ABC’s hit television contest Dancing with the Stars, including notable people such as Bill Nye “the Science Guy,” was announced on September 4th on Good Morning America in New York City’s Times Square.
Hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke-Charvet kicked off the much-buzzed about announcement, and also unveiled the celebrities’ professional partners, including reigning season 16 pro champ Derek Hough and beloved veterans Cheryl Burke, Mark Ballas, Karina Smirnoff, Tony Dovolani, and Val Chmerkovskiy.
Among the other well known celebrities who will be joining Bill are actress Valerie Harper, King of Queens star Leah Remini, former NFL star Keyshawn Johnson, reality star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Glee star Amber Riley, Disney star Corbin Bleu, and Brant Daugherty of Pretty Little Liars.
Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli will reprise their roles as judges. The Harold Wheeler orchestra and singers will also return to provide the music throughout the season.
“This season should be interesting,” said junior Joseph Taylor. “I mean, Bill Nye joining the cast is great, but Snooki? I’m really looking forward to seeing how she tries to make herself stand out with the rest of the cast.”
“I didn’t really care about this year’s cast but when I heard the words Bill and Nye, you caught my attention,” said junior Andrew Mchugh. “Watching him as a kid when I was in science class and seeing what he’s doing now, it’s pretty cool. I never thought I’d see him do things on TV other than teaching us how recycling works.”
The new season premiered Monday, Sept. 16 at 8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. CST on ABC. The show will be on just one night per week, unlike past seasons, and each episode will run two hours. Every episode will feature the dancers pitted against each other, performances they do as a group, and surprise guests from the world of music. Starting with the second episode (airing on September 23rd), each show will include a dramatic elimination at the end, the result of both the judges’ scores and America’s votes from the week before.
