ABC Lines Up Talent for Dancing with the Stars

BURBANK: The ninth season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars will feature a roster of talent that includes former House Majority Leader Tom Delay, singer/actress Kelly Osbourne and Donny Osmond, part of the brother-sister performing duo Donny & Marie.

The two-hour season premiere will air on ABC on September 21 at 8 p.m., with 16 new teams, made up of a celebrity and a professional dancer. The Pro Dancer Competition will watch as world-class professional dancers compete live on the results show for a guaranteed spot on next season’s show. Macy’s Stars of Dance returns to feature some of the most renowned dancers and choreographers of our time. One of the Macy’s Stars of Dance performances will be the Design-a-Dance, where fans can select their favorite professional dancers, dance styles and wardrobe at abc.com. The middle stages of the competition feature the return of the Dance Off, where contestants will perform a dance style of their choosing to fight for their spot in the competition. There will also be three double eliminations this season.

Among the stars to dance this season are teen pop artist Aaron Carter, Olympic swimming gold medalist Natalie Coughlin and Republican politician Tom Delay. Mark Dacascos, host of Food Network’s Iron Chef America, is also in the lineup, as is singer Macy Gray, Melissa Joan Hart of Sabrina the Teenage Witch fame, supermodel Kathy Ireland and former NFL wide receiver Michael Irvin. Ashley Hamilton, son of former Dancing with the Stars contestant George Hamilton, will take the stage, and model Joanna Krupa, UFC champion Chuck Liddell, actress Debi Mazar and performing artists Mya are also contestants. Kelly Osbourne and Donny Osmond round out the dancers, alongside professional snowboarder Louie Vito.

Host Tom Bergeron returns this season, along with judges Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba. The new episodes will kick off with a special two-hour performance show on September 21 with eight couples to take the floor, while the following evening will see the remaining eight dance. On a special night and time, two couples will face elimination on September 23. The performance shows will air regularly on Mondays and results shows on Tuesdays.

This version is produced by BBC Worldwide Productions.