‘DWTS: Athletes’ Fans Weigh in on Newly Revealed Cast List

The cast of Dancing With the Stars: Athletes was officially announced Friday on Good Morning America, and fans are sashaying to social media with their reactions.

Among the 10 professional athletes announced Friday morning were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Johnny Damon, Mirai Nagasu, Chris Mazdzer, Josh Norman, Arike Ogunbowale, Jennie Finch, Tonya Harding, Jamie Anderson and Adam Rippon. While the athletes gear up to compete for the coveted Mirror Ball, fans are not being shy about sharing their opinions online.

The stellar cast even has some people gearing up to begin watching the competition for the first time.

Others are poking some fun at the announcements, notably the addition of Tonya Harding, who returned to spotlight this year with the release of Oscar-nominated I, Tonya, and is most famous for her feud with Nancy Kerrigan. Kerrigan competed on season 24 of Dancing With the Stars.

One person thought that the show was missing out by not casting Cleveland Cavalier’s player Tristan Thompson, who just welcomed a daughter with Khloé Kardashian amid a widely publicized cheating scandal.

Along with the 10 professional athletes announced, the show also revealed the 10 professional dancers returning to the lineup. The group includes reigning mirror ball champion Lindsay Arnold, along with Sharna Burgess, Witney Carson, Emma Slater, Gleb Savchenko, Artem Chigvintsev, Keo Mostepe, Alan Bersten, Jenna Johnson and Sasha Farber.

Noticeably absent from the list of professional dancers were Maksim Chmerkovskiy, wife Peta Murgatroyd and brother Val Chmerkovskiy while the three are out on the CONFIDENTIAL tour, which doesn’t end until May 16, as previously reported in a PopCulture.com exclusive. Maks’ absence further fuels rumors that last season with Vanessa Lachey was his last.

Fan-favorite professional Mark Ballas is also missing from this year’s pro lineup.

The pairings for the season were also announced.

Retired NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be partnered with pro Lindsay Arnold; MLB player Johnny Damon will dance with pro Emma Slater; Tonya Harding is heading to the ballroom with pro Sasha Farber; figure skater Mirai Nagasu is paired with pro Alan Bersten; figure skater Adam Rippon joins pro Jenna Johnson; snowboarder Jamie Anderson joins pro Artem Chigvintse; Olympic luger Chris Mazdzer will dance with pro Witney Carson; softball player Jennie Finch is paired with Keo Motsepe; NFL player Josh Norman will dance with Sharna Burgess; University of Notre Dame women’s basketball player Arike Ogunbowale will dance with Gleb Savchenko.

Hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews will also return to their roles for the special four-week event slated to premiere April 30.