Can you believe that we’re going into the 15th season of ABC’s hit, “Dancing with the Stars”? When it first premiered back in 2005, there were some people who were highly-skeptical that it would make it even beyond half of a season. Yet, over the years, with celebrity names like Billy Ray Cyrus, Michael Bolton, Sugar Ray Leonard, Jennifer Gray, Toni Braxton, Gladys Knight, Kim Kardashian, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Wayne Newton (just to name a very few), the show has clearly proven that the world of reality television can be entertaining without sex and scandal; that a little bit of dancing can definitely go a long way.
In the efforts to not disappoint, this season is bringing back some of the stars of DWTS’s past for an all-star “cast” season. There are some former first-place winners on tap (no pun intended) including General Hospital actress, Kelly Monaco (season one); 98 degrees member, Drew Lachey (season two); former NFL star, Emmitt Smith (season three); Olympic speed skater, Apolo Anton Ohno (season four); the former Indy 500 champ, Helio Castroneves (season five), and athletic great, Shawn Johnson (season eight). Plus, some of the fan favorites include Bristol Palin (season 11), Pamela Anderson (season 10), and Kirstie Alley (season 12). Rounding out the group is reality television star Melissa Rycroft (season eight), NYNC member Joey Fatone (season four) and reportedly, a wild card spot that could go to Sabrina Bryan, Kyle Massey, or Carson Kressley based on the viewer’s vote (on ABC.com through Friday, August 24).
If you are a fan of the show, then this will probably be your favorite season yet in the sense of you being able to watch people who have proven (if not through skill, then at least by the votes that they’ve earned) that they have what it takes to capture an audience’s attention on the dance floor. If after all of this time you’re still a skeptic, well, just the celebrity camaraderie alone between the past participants may be enough to at least pique your interest while flipping channels. One episode of the show has a magical way of proving that you don’t have to be big into celebrity culture or even a lover of dance to find yourself swept away by the competition of it all. Indeed, you can definitely fake a lot of things in life, DWTS reminds us all that moving, on beat, to music, is certainly not one of the things on the list.
Plus, on the show, there tends to be a real friendship that has developed between the dance instructors (and partners), the judges, the music director (Harold Wheeler) and especially the DWTS’s host, Tom Bergerson who makes it no secret that he thinks that the energy will be soaring high from the premiere show. This time, all of the celebrities taking dance classes in preparation to compete know what to expect. So, the anxiety will not really be due to stage fright, but the high adrenaline that comes with wanting to be a winner.
There are definitely a lot of options of programs to watch, but if you want some clean family fun, this season of DWTS is sure to be worth tuning in and perhaps even tapping your feet to.