With Dancing With the Stars Season 7: Every Demographic Covered

On August 25th, Good Morning America officially announced the show's season seven celebrity contestants. They are:

1) Grammy winner Lance Bass;

2) TV Chef Rocco DiSpirito;

3) Olympic Gold Medalist (just crowned) Misty May Treanor;

4) Gold medalist sprinter Maurice Greene;

5) Broadway star and singer Toni Braxton;

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6) Reality TV star Kim Kardashian (who seems to have just injured her foot);

7) Hannah Montana star (and youngest ever to be on the show; will be paired with Julianne Hough) Cody Linley;

8) Actress (fabulous, I might add, and excellent comedian, and, according to the Good Morning America broadcast, the oldest star ever to be on the show), Cloris Leachman;

9) Actor Ted McGinley (to be paired with new dancer Inna Brayer);

10) "Everything woman" Brooke Burke;

11) a comedian supposedly more raucous than Adam Carolla, Jeffrey Ross (who will be paired with Edyta Sliwinska, so possibly next season's poor, beleaguered Julianne Hough);

12) Football player Warren Sapp (paired with Kym Johnson, whom the annoyingly ingratiating Good Morning America host kept pronouncing "gorgeous, gorgeous");

and finally (and this is the first season the contestants number more than twelve, by the way)

13) probably the most famous actress in all of daytime, Susan Lucci. After making a big deal of her numerous unsuccessful Emmy nominations, said annoyingly ingratiating GMA host pronounced being accepted to DWTS "better than any award." Hmm.

Anyway, it appears DWTS producers have worked very hard to cover just about every major demographic base: young Linley should appeal to the teenagers, while Leachman and Lucci older women (though Leachman really should appeal to everyone; the woman is whacked, twisted hilarity uncontained). And with the football and Olympic stars they've got the sports fans covered. Braxton appeals to Broadway and music lovers, the reality TV stars to the twenty- and thirty-something crowds. And, in an attempt at creating nostalgic continuity, longtime actor McGinley should remind viewers of last season's lovable cutie Steve Guttenberg and Ross, the wisecracking Carolla.

Best thing about the Good Morning America broadcast by far: the mention of Maks Chmerkovskiy's return (who will be paired with Treanor). At least the silly TV talking heads haven't forgotten the pro dancers make this show.

Too bad the show didn't make more mention of the pro dancers. According to the TV Guide blog, Leachman is to be paired with ballroom legend Corky Ballas (newcomer to the show, and father of last season's Mark Ballas, who will be paired with Kardashian), Green will dance with many-times winner Cheryl Burke, DiSpirito with Karina Smirnoff, Braxton with Alec Mazo who is returning after a couple-season-long hiatus, Brooke Burke with Derek Hough, and Lucci with Tony Dovolani. Finally, according to TV Guide, Bass will be dancing with Lacey Schwimmer, a West Coast Swing champion who was also a finalist on last season's So You Think You Can Dance. Since the musician is gay, internet talk had revolved around whether the show's producers would give him a same-sex partner. Apparently that didn't come to fruition. Too bad: though a successful dance partnership in no way depends on sexual attraction or romance, it still would have been interesting, and a welcome change, to see same-sex partners on the show.

The new season begins with two two-hour-long segments on September 22nd and 23rd.

Comments

[JanetE]

They HAVE to do some kind of twist on her role in Young Frankenstein!!! Cloris Leachman was fantastic in that. I'm laughing just thinking about how the horses kept neighing every time she said (forgive the spelling) Herr Bleucher. Funny woman.

[lwaxanatroi]

I hope Cloris shows up for one of the dances as the horrible grandmother from MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE. i loved that character--but then i've loved all ms. leachman's many incarnations. hope she makes it to the finals.

[cinemaven]

Ted McGinley?! They're not afraid of his "jump the shark" rep?

[KayoFrisco]

You are right, cinemaven. DWTS is DOOMED!!! With Ted McGinley there will NEVER be a Season 8!
Anybody who likes this show should write to the producers and get them to cut Ted now, or their ratings will tank and they WILL be cancelled!! Warning to fans: the Shark has jumped.

[cinemaven]

Kayo, I'm really hoping he manages to incorporate shark jumping into one of his dances... maybe a song that starts with the theme from Jaws ;)

(for anyone who doesn't know it, McGinley is listed as the "patron saint" of the jumptheshark.com website and it's rumored that if he appears on your show, it's DOOMED ... McGinley also merits his own tab at jumptheshark, the only actor with that dubious honor)

[lolyla]

I think he has more of a "show killer" reputation than a jump the shark one. Back in the day, a Ted McGinley appearance was a harbinger of doom for a show. Maybe "Married With Children" broke his perfect record of show cancellations.

[Revanchist]

Cloris Leachman? The air still vibrates from my first hearing of this. By all means, Go Cloris!

[JScott]

Phyllis Lindstrom!

[hopefulinflorida]

I love this show, but, if that dreadful Kardashian is going to be on I won't watch it. She is the most disgusting thing they ever put on tv. What are they going to have her do ? pole dancing? The only redeaming factor will be to see her fall on her fat ass.

[Revanchist]

As you believe and recognize this, there is hope yet for humanity.

[Rosanneofpgh]

Sorry, same sex partners on the show would be icky.

Would the pro dancer need to be gay as well?

[MechaMike]

Same sex dance partners on this show would not be "icky". Though there's no use to argue about it since it would likely never happen, but it should be a viable possibility.

I do not understand how even some liberals can be homophobic. We have to get over it and bury homophobia. It is ignorant and disgusting.

I'm looking forward to Lance Bass being on this program though I admit I was never a fan of the boy band that was his claim to fame.