As with all other seasons of “Dancing With The Stars,” a buzz was created with the announcement of the cast line-up for Season 13. All to be expected of a show that vies with “American Idol” for the top-ranked television program of the year. On Wednesday’s “Good Morning America,” the 12 professional dancers were named and partnered up to complete the pairings for the competition.
Although most of the professionals on “DWTS” are relatively equally skilled in the art of dance, there are advantages of being paired with previous winners. They are winners and are familiar to the audience as such, building a fan base that can only enhance the chances of the celebrity they are paired with. In this regard, reality show stars Robert Kardashian (“Keeping Up With The Kardashians”) and Kristin Cavallari (“The Hills”) came out winners. Both were paired with two-time winners of the mirror ball trophy, Cheryl Burke and Mark Ballas, respectively. So did actor David Arquette, who will be pairing with two-time winner and Season 12 champ Kym Johnson.
But former talk show host Ricki Lake may have gotten the best deal in the pairings. She drew three-time winner Derek Hough.
At the other end of the pairing spectrum, and if one were to be on the superstitious side, being part of a couple that included a professional dance veteran without a win might not be a confidence builder. Singer and actress Chynna Phillips was paired with Tony Dovolani, who has competed for the mirror ball in all 12 previous seasons without scoring a victory. Reality show host Carson Kressley (“How To Look Good Naked”), daytime drama actor J. R. Martinez (“All My Children”), professional soccer star Hope Solo, and transgender activist Chaz Bono pulled long-time veterans as well.
And then there are the pairings with rookies, if professional dancers can even be considered such. NBA star Ron Artest and talk show host Nancy Grace were paired with dancers appearing as professional partners for the first time, as did model Elisabetta Canalis, who, before the announcement of the dance pairings, was considered the celebrity most likely to win the competition.
But will the celebrity-professional match-ups really matter in the end? Or will the audience simply choose their favorites throughout Season 13?
“Dancing With The Stars” Season 13 Celeb-Pro Pairings
– David Arquette – Kym Johnson (Season 12 winner, tenth season on “DWTS”)
– Ron Artest – Peta Murgatroyd (first season for Murgatroyd)
– Chaz Bono – Lacey Schwimmer (“So You Thin You Can Dance” contestant, 5 seasons on “DWTS”)
– Elisabetta Canalis – Val Chmerkovskiy (Maksim’s brother, making his “DWTS” debut)
– Kristin Cavallari – Mark Ballas (two-time winner, ninth season).
– Nancy Grace – Tristan McManus (professional debut)
– Robert Kardashian – Cheryl Burke (two-time champ, twelfth season)
– Carson Kressley – Anna Trebunskaya (eighth season)
– Ricki Lake – Derek Hough (three-time winner, eighth season)
– J.R. Martinez – Karina Smirnoff (ninth season)
– Chynna Phillips – Tony Dovolani (twelfth season)
– Hope Solo – Maksim Chmerkovskiy (eleventh season)
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Source:
“The Pro Dancers,” ABC.go.com