Dancing With the Stars returns for its 27th season in September, and the cast of pros heading to the ballroom has officially been announced.
Jenna Johnson, who won the Mirror Ball Trophy during the show’s recent all-athletes season with partner Adam Rippon, will make her return to the ballroom, as will her fiancé, Val Chmerkovskiy.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Fellow returning pros include Keo Motsepe, Sasha Farber, Emma Slater, Lindsay Arnold, Gleb Savchenko, Sharna Burgess, Artem Chigvintsev, Alan Bersten, Witney Carson and Cheryl Burke.
Brandon Armstrong will also be joining his fellow professionals after serving in the show’s troupe, which has been the case for many of the current pros.
“Y’all I’m beyond and excited to be joining these amazing line up of pros and compete for a mirror ball!” Armstrong shared on Instagram after the news was announced.
A pair of fan favorite faces that won’t be gracing the ballroom are Maksim Chmerkovskiy and his wife, Peta Murgatroyd, who last competed in Season 25 with Vanessa and Nick Lachey, respectively. Last season, the couple was on the road with their show Maks, Val & Peta Live on Tour: Confidential, but their absence this season may be due to the duo possibly expanding their family.
In August, Murgatroyd told Entertainment Tonight that she hopes to become pregnant with the couple’s second child “maybe in the next six months.” The pair is already parents to 1-year-old son Shai.
DWTS hasn’t yet revealed this season’s celebrity contestants, but as always, there are rumors about which stars might head to the dance floor.
Hollywood Life reports that the show is hoping to snag WWE superstar Brie Bella, reality personality Mama June Shannon, former NBA star Scottie Pippen, actress Tori Spelling, Property Brothers star Jonathan Scott, former Bachelorette Becca Kufrin and former Donald Trump staffer Omarosa Manigault-Newman.
“Omarosa is the one person they want next season more than anyone else,” a source said. “They have already reached out and are hoping to make a deal with her to join the show for this upcoming season. It’s not official, but the offer is 100% there for her to join.”
Several other stars on the list would also make sense as ballroom additions, as Bella’s twin sister, Nikki Bella, has previously competed, as has Scott’s brother Drew Scott. Kufrin is also a likely contestant as many former stars of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette have graced the dance floor in the past. Pippen’s daughter Sophia is also rumored to be joining the upcoming Dancing With the Stars: Junior.
Dancing With the Stars premieres on Monday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Photo Credit: Getty / David Livingston
