10 Initial Thoughts About “Dancing with the Stars” Season 25 Cast

The entire cast of season 25 of Dancing with the Stars was announced earlier today on Good Morning America.
The pairings for the new season are as follows:
Drew Scott & Emma Slater
Nick Lachey & Peta Murgatroyd
Vanessa Lachey & Maks Chmerkovskiy
Nikki Bella & Artem Chigvintsev
Jordan Fisher & Lindsay Arnold
Derek Fisher & Sharna Burgess
Frankie Muniz & Witney Carson
Victoria Arlen & Val Chmerkovskiy
Barbara Corcoran & Keo Motsepe
Lindsey Stirling & Mark Ballas
Sasha Pieterse & Gleb Savchenko
Terrell Owens & Cheryl Burke
Debbie Gibson & Alan Bersten
If you’ve read any of my other Dancing with the Stars pieces, you know what a fanatic I am when it comes to this show. With that being said, I thought I would share 10 thoughts I had while watching the casting announcement.
- Unlike last season, I actually recognized all but two of the contestants.
- Nick Lachey & Peta Murgatroyd vs. Vanessa Lachey & Maks Chmerkovskiy. The married celebrity couple is competing against each other with the married pros as their partners. This is so predictable that I don’t even think it’s going to bring half the “drama” they hope it does.
- My five-year-old Lakers loving NBA heart is so happy Derek Fisher is on DWTS. Even my 22-year-old not-Lakers-specific-anymore NBA loving heart is happy he’s there. NBA athletes are hardly ever represented on the show, mainly because their off-season, unlike the NFL’s, doesn’t line up with either the spring or fall season of the show. While I don’t know how impressive his moves will be, I’m just excited to see more NBA players represented in the ballroom.
- This is Val Chmerkovskiy’s year to make beautiful, Emmy-winning pieces of choreography. Let’s break this down. Val has constantly been compared to Derek Hough throughout his time on the show, and for good reason. Why do I think this year belongs to Val? Well, Derek is a six-time mirrorball winner, but it wasn’t until after he won his first couple of mirrorballs, and established himself as arguably the best pro in the show’s history, that he created his best, most creative pieces of dance. Now that Val has won two mirrorballs, he can stop working to prove himself as something more than Maks’ little brother and start focusing solely on creating breathtaking pieces. Plus, I have no doubt his partner, paralympian swimmer Victoria Arlen, will be a great source of inspiration for him.
- I’ll say it again: WHY CAN’T KEO MOTSEPE GET ANYONE GOOD AS HIS PARTNER? While I think Barbara Corcoran is his best partner since Jodie Sweetin, the Shark Tank investor is not a front-runner for the mirrorball. I just want Keo to get someone who has potential to make it to the finals. Is that too much to ask for, ABC?
- I’m so excited Alan Bersten is FINALLY going to be a pro. I’ve never been in the Alan fangirl club, but after seeing him in person on tour this summer, he definitely deserved the call-up.
- MARK BALLAS IS BACK IN THE BALLROOM AND ALL IS RIGHT IN THE DANCING WITH THE STARS WORLD.
- I have mixed feelings about the Drew Scott and Emma Slater partnership. I love Emma, and her partnership with Rashad Jennings last season is probably my favorite one in the history of the show, so I fear Drew and Emma’s partnership can never live up to that. But I do love Drew and I’m excited to see him shake it on the dance floor.
- Since athletes have a history of doing well in this competition, I think Terrell Owens gives Cheryl Burke her best shot at winning the mirrorball since season 14 with William Levy.
- Based off what I know about each contestant, I think Jordan Fisher and Lindsay Arnold have the strongest chance at winning the mirrorball trophy in November.
Dancing with the Stars Season 25 premieres September 18th at 8pm on ABC.