'Dancing With the Stars' season 20: Here's who will be participating
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Molly Driscoll Staff writer
The cast for the twentieth season of the ABC reality competition “Dancing With the Stars” has been announced.
Football player Michael Sam, singer Patti LaBelle, “Three’s Company” actress Suzanne Somers, Willow Shields of “The Hunger Games” (she plays protagonist Katniss's sister Prim), and LMFAO member Redfoo are among the celebrities competing this season.
Also taking part are Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin, actress Rumer Willis, model Charlotte McKinney, “Shark Tank” investor Robert Herjavec, singer Riker Lynch, and military veteran Noah Galloway.
The professional dancers who will be competing include Artem Chigvintsev, Peta Murgatroyd, Kym Johnson, Derek Hough, Allison Holker, Emma Slater, Mark Ballas, Tony Dovolani, Valentin Chmerkovskiy, Sharna Burgess, and Keo Motsepe.
Professional competitor Witney Carson will also participate and her celebrity partner will be announced later.
According to USA Today, Shields will be the youngest “Dancing” contestant ever at age 14.
Judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli will return for the new season, according to TheWrap.
Alfonso Ribeiro, who appeared on the sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” and his professional partner Carson won this past season, while Chmerkovskiy and Olympic ice dancer Meryl Davis won the previous installment. Of the professional participants, Derek Hough has won five times. Julianne Hough used to participate as a professional contestant before she became a judge for this past season.
Hough had left the show in 2009 and appeared in such movies as “Footloose” and “Rock of Ages.” “My role is to encourage and be supportive, and to also be candid and honest and try not to beat around the bush, to be too politically correct," Hough said of being a judge in an interview with People. "I want to give critiques so they can improve. I'm not there to be harsh or cause a controversy. I won't be mean or malicious. That's not who I am. That's not my role at all.”
“Dancing” debuted in the U.S. in 2005. Soap opera actress Kelly Monaco and professional dancer Alec Mazo won the first season.
The new season will debut on March 16.
