Celebrity dancers for the upcoming Dancing With the Stars competition have been revealed. Fans no longer have to wait and wonder. Paula Abdul’s name is not among them – but there are some surprising names nonetheless, including the first ever big-name politician!
Easily the biggest shock is that former U. S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay will take a whirl on the dance floor. Fans have become accustomed to seeing some seemingly unlikely competitors on Dancing With the Stars -- broadcasters, technology gurus and professional football players. But who could have imagined that a former U. S. congressman would step outside the political world to resurface in dancing shoes on a television talent show! And, in fact, DeLay is the first politician ever to make the bold move.
DeLay told usatoday, “I really am a big fan of the show. I couldn’t believe they asked me to do this. It didn’t take me five minutes to agree.”
And show’s executive producer Conrad Green expressed his amazement that DeLay agreed to join the celebrity dancers, “I was astonished when he said yes. There (are) no agents or lawyers. He’s in it to have some fun.”
"The entire DeLay family is ecstatic about the Hammer’s transformation to Dancing Machine,” reports the Washington Post – and they say that he actually has dancing talent!
“He’s been working hard all summer trying to get in shape, improve his flexibility, endurance, etc. He’s lost 12 pounds already!,” daughter Dani DeLay Ferro is quoted in the Post article. “He’s taking this very very seriously and we are all sooooo excited! People probably don’t know that he’s a really good dancer!”
She described her eagerness “for America to get to know the funny, caring man that I’ve grown up with and worked for. They won’t know what hit ‘em.”
But DeLay is not a newcomer among Dancing With The Stars show fans. Back in 2007 he “heavily lobbied the show’s viewers to vote for the seemingly wholesome country singer Sara Evans” reported the Post, adding that it all “backfired on the Hammer when Evans quit the show in the midst of a nasty divorce” ….
DeLay is set to begin rehearsal tomorrow in his hometown – Sugar Land, Texas – and in a few weeks will to go Los Angeles to stay there until he is voted off the show or possibly wins.
Some of the announced celebrity dancers had already been rumored to be on board with Dancing With The Stars -- Osbourne family member Kelly Osborne, actress Debi Mazar, pop star Aaron Carter, actor Ashley Hamilton and entertainer Donny Osmond.
As for Osmond, his name has been hinted as a possible dancer since the days when he showed up to cheer on his sister, Marie Osmond, when she was a contestant. Osmond proclaimed on Monday that he would be happy to do half as well as his sister, but then joked that he actually wanted to do even better than she did. “Gotta beat her,” he laughed.
Osmond was actually on the Good Morning America set with Dancing With the Stars host Tom Bergeron when the list was revealed. He said, “What am I thinking about? Here’s the deal. I’m doing a full production show in Las Vegas with Marie every week. What am I thinking? I must be an idiot.”
It was apparent that Osmond is actually excited and eager to dance in the competition. Even though he, like some other contestants, is known to have done a bit of dancing through the years, he is eligible for the show because he lacks training and experience in the ballroom and Latin dance styles.
R&B singer Mya, like DeLay, has a Washington, D.C. connection -- hers is that she was born in the District. She, like Osmond, has done some dancing. She studied tap, performed a solo dance at the Kennedy Center and danced in films, reports examiner.
Model Kathy Ireland expressed her reasoning for joining the celebrity cast, “You’ve gotta face your fears. When you’re afraid of a challenge, you just have to go for it. For me, this is the ultimate challenge. Walking in high heels is an extreme sport.”
And former light-heavyweight champ Chuck Liddell – who said that he likes to dance, but has no dance training – exclaimed that he wants to win the Dancing WithThe Stars competition.
Liddell told ufc.com, “I want to win. I don’t like losing in anything so I’ll work as hard as they’ll let me. … I’m gonna go out, be myself and show what kind of people we do have in this sport. I’m sure the reaction will be mixed (among fight fans). My friends are gonna be excited, and I’ll never hear the end of it because they’ll make fun of me – but it should be fun and I think everyone will like it.”
Iron Chef America host Mark Decascos can probably cook up a tasty turkey, but on Dancing With the Stars the question will be whether he “cook” in a jive, tango or paso doble?
What could possibly be more entertaining than watching a dance-off between a former Congressman, a former light-heavyweight champion, an Iron Chef America host, a former Dallas Cowboy star, an Olympic swimmer and a professional snowboarder -- along with a group of recording artists, models, singers and actors.
Definitely it should be an interesting Dancing WithThe Stars competition!
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