‘DWTS’ 2016 Celebrity Cast Revealed: Ryan Lochte, Amber Rose, Rick Perry Among Star Lineup
— -- Olympic gold medalists Ryan Lochte and Laurie Hernandez are joining the celebrity cast of season 23 of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.”
The two appeared live on “GMA” today with their pro partners. Val Chmerkovskiy, whose partner last season was “Good Morning America” chief meteorologist Ginger Zee, will dance with Hernandez, and fan favorite pro Cheryl Burke will return this season to partner with Lochte.
“I’m definitely really excited. This is completely new for me,” said Lochte, 32. “I think it’s time for me to hang up the Speedo and put on my dancing shoes and get in that ballroom.
“I’m going to treat this kind of like going into the Olympics,” he added. “You train for so long, and you have that one shot to put it all out there, and I think that’s what I’m going to do.”
The rest of the celebrity cast includes talk show host Amber Rose, rapper Vanilla Ice and Rick Perry, a former governor of Texas and two-time Republican presidential candidate.
The others in the cast come from the worlds of TV, music and sports. They are “Brady Bunch” star Maureen McCormick, actress Marilu Henner, singer Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, “Little Women LA” star Terra Jolé, actor Jake T. Austin, former Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson, racecar driver James Hinchcliffe and country singer Jana Kramer.
See the full list of celebrity dancers and their pro partners below.
Also returning to the dance floor are fan favorite pros Derek Hough and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, the brother of Val Chmerkovskiy. Julianne Hough, a former “DWTS” pro dancer and Derek Hough’s sister, will return to the ballroom as a judge.
The new season of “Dancing With the Stars” premieres at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, Sept. 12, 2016, on ABC.
THE SEASON 23 COUPLES
Terra Jolé and Sasha Farber
Amber Rose and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Laurie Hernandez and Val Chmerkovskiy
Maureen McCormick and Artem Chigvintsev
Marilu Henner and Derek Hough
Rick Perry and Emma Slater
Jake T. Austin and Jenna Johnson
Calvin Johnson and Lindsay Arnold
Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and Allison Holker
Ryan Lochte and Cheryl Burke
Vanilla Ice and Witney Carson
James Hinchcliffe and Sharna Burgess
Jana Kramer and Gleb Savchenko
Tune in to “GMA” on Wednesday, Sept. 7, starting at 7 a.m. ET to see the full “Dancing With the Stars” cast live in Times Square.
