The season 13 star-studded cast and their professional partners get ready to break in their dancing shoes on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” for the long awaited two-hour Season Premiere, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 (8:00-10:01 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.
In alphabetical order, with their professional partners, the 12 stars making their dancing debut are:
* RON ARTEST, NBA champion, partners with last season’s Troupe member PETA MURGATROYD, who makes her “Dancing with the Stars” debut as a professional partner this season.
* DAVID ARQUETTE, actor and producer, joins two-time champion KYM JOHNSON, who returns for her 10th season.
* CHAZ BONO, author and activist, teams up with LACEY SCHWIMMER, who is back for her 5th season.
* ELISABETTA CANALIS, model and actress, partners with VAL CHMERKOVSKIY, who makes his “Dancing with the Stars” debut as a professional partner this season.
* KRISTEN CAVALLARI, TV star, teams with two-time champ MARK BALLAS, who returns for his 9th season.
* NANCY GRACE, TV host and journalist, joins last season’s Troupe member TRISTAN MACMANUS, who makes his “Dancing with the Stars” debut as a professional partner this season.
* ROBERT KARDASHIAN, reality star, partners with two-time champ CHERYL BURKE, who is back for her 12th season.
* CARSON KRESSLEY, television star and style guru, partners with ANNA TREBUNSKAYA, who returns for her 8th season.
* RICKI LAKE, talk show host and actress, joins three-time champ DEREK HOUGH, who returns for his 8th season.
* J.R. MARTINEZ, veteran and actor, teams with KARINA SMIRNOFF, who returns for her 9th season.
* CHYNNA PHILLIPS, singer, joins TONY DOVOLANI, who is back for his 12th season.
* HOPE SOLO, World Cup star, teams with MAKSIM CHMERKOVSKIY, who returns for his 11th season.
All 12 couples will dance for the first time on live national television on MONDAY,
SEPTEMBER 19 (8:00-10:01 p.m., ET), with couples either performing the Viennese Waltz or the Cha Cha. The couple with the lowest combined judges’ scores and public votes for their performance will be sent home the following night, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 (9:00-10:01 p.m., ET), on the season premiere of “Dancing with the Stars the Results.”
Hosted by Tom Bergeron (“America’s Funniest Home Videos”) and Brooke Burke (“Dancing with the Stars” Season Seven Champion), the celebrities perform choreographed dance routines which will be judged by renowned Ballroom judge Len Goodman and dancer/choreographers Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba.
Viewers may cast their votes for their favorite teams via phone on Monday night during and up to 30 minutes after the “Dancing with the Stars” performance shows. AT&T customers may also text message their votes by texting the word “VOTE” and entering the number that corresponds to the team they want to support (message and data rates may apply). AT&T will also offer customers exclusive mobile video footage of weekly backstage highlights to keep fans connected to some of their favorite couples all season long. Viewers may also vote online at www.abc.com starting from the opening of each episode on the East Coast with voting closing at 8:00 a.m. PT/11:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday mornings.
“Dancing with the Stars” is the U.S. version of the international smash hit series, “Strictly Come Dancing.” This version is produced by BBC Worldwide Productions. Conrad Green serves as executive producer and Ashley Edens-Shaffer and Joe Sungkur are co-executive producers. Alex Rudzinski directs. “Dancing with the Stars” is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound.
About BBC Worldwide Productions:
BBC Worldwide Productions, led by Jane Tranter, is based in Los Angeles and develops and produces scripted and non-scripted projects for U.S. cable and broadcast networks, as well as digital platforms. The production company is responsible for the smash hit Dancing with the Stars (ABC), Top Gear (HISTORY), What Not to Wear (TLC) and Torchwood: Miracle Day (Starz). BBC Worldwide Productions sits within one of six core businesses that form BBC Worldwide, the main commercial arm and wholly-owned subsidiary of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).