ABC announces new cast of Dancing With the Stars

Lance Bass: Bass, formerly of N*Sync, was one of the early rumors for this season's cast. Bass is going to be appearing, but contrary to previous reports, his dancing partner will not be a man. Instead, he will be paired up with Lacey Schwimmer, who is making her first appearance on the show.

Toni Braxton: The six-time Grammy award winning "Un-break My Heart" singer has been on a medical hiatus for the past six months due to heart problems. She has apparently bounced back and will be paired with season one champion, Alec Mazo, who is making his fourth appearance.

Brooke Burke: The lad mag cover girl and former host of Wild On and Rock Star: Supernova will be competing with Derek Hough, who is performing on DWTS for the third time.

Rocco DiSpirito: Audiences were first introduced to this eccentric chef on his reality show, The Restaurant. While he was ousted from the restaurant on which the show was based, he has gone on to publish cookbooks and make other television appearances. He's getting another show on A&E called Rocco Gets Real, premiering in October. He is paired with the infamous Karina Smirnoff, who is making her fifth appearance.


Maurice Greene: This Olympic runner, dubbed "World's Fastest Man," has two Olympic gold medals, one silver, and one bronze that he won in the 2000 and 2004 games. He also currently holds the Indoor World Record for the 60m, with a time of 6.39 seconds. His partner is two-time DWTS champion, Cheryl Burke. This is her sixth appearance on the show.



Kim Kardashian: Most of us first heard about the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star when she appeared in a sex tape with Brandy's brother, Ray-J. Since then, she's appeared in somewhat more legitimate films, including the upcoming Disaster Movie. It was also just reported that she managed to slice her foot open by moving a mirror that was under her desk. This injury required stitches, but is not expected to keep her from competing. Her partner is defending champ Mark Ballas, who is appearing for the third time.

Cloris Leachman: Leachman is 82-years-old and is awesome. a nine-time Emmy award winner, she also won an Oscar for her role in The Last Picture Show. Leachman is paired with Corky Ballas, who is making his DWTS debut.

Cody Linley: As Hannah Montana's Jake Ryan, Linley is well-known to the tween audience. He's also the youngest celebrity to ever compete on DWTS. Luckily, he has a good partner in two-time champ Julianne Hough, who is returning for her fourth season.

Susan Lucci: Even if you don't watch soap operas, you know Lucci, who has played Erica Kane on All My Children since the beginning of time (Seriously. AMC is having its 10,000th episode in November). Lucci won an Emmy for her role in 1999. She is paired with DWTS vet Tony Dovolani, who is making his sixth appearance.

Misty May-Treanor: A beach volleyball player, May-Treanor apparently does not believe in vacations. She is competing on DWTS right after snagging a gold medal in Beijing. Her victory at the Olympic games also marked her 108th win in a row. She is paired with Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who is returning for his fifth season.

Ted McGinley: Despite his reputation as a show-killer, it's doubtful that his appearance on DWTS is going to do any harm. He is probably best known for his roles on sitcoms Married: With Children and Hope & Faith. He's paired with newcomer Inna Brayer, so maybe producers aren't taking any chances.

Jeffrey Ross: Known as "The Meanest Man in Comedy," Ross can be seen on the various Comedy Central Roasts. He has also made appearances on Weeds and CSI. His partner is Edyta Sliwinska, the only professional dancer to appear on all seven seasons of DWTS.

Warren Sapp: Ths show loves having its awkward football players compete. A recently-retired Super Bowl champion, Sapp played for both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders. Beginning in October, he will host Showtime's Inside the NFL. His partner is Kym Johnson, who is returning for her fifth season.

Dancing With the Stars premieres on Monday, September 22 in a big ol' live, three-night dancing extravaganza. Producers are switching things up a bit by making the contestants choreograph two dances for the first week. They will perform the first dance on Monday, and only 12 of the 13 teams will perform their second dance on Tuesday. On the Wednesday results show, another team will be eliminated. Jesse McCartney and The Jonas Brothers (insert high-pitched squeal here) will be performing.

In addition to having the oldest and youngest stars on the show this season, this is also the biggest cast they've ever had. Personally, I'm rooting for Leachman to go all the way and I think McGinley is going to be kicked off pretty quickly. But then again, I don't really watch the show, so I could be way off.

Who do you think is going to be the first one kicked off and who's going to win it all?