[IMG:L]On Mar. 17, a new crop of terpsichorean contestants will hit the dance floor with their professional partners, hoping to waltz, mambo and cha-cha their way to winning Dancing with the Stars bragging rights and that cheesy mirror ball trophy.
This time, the dancing dozen includes athletes, actors, a musician and a magician: sports legends Kristi Yamaguchi, Monica Seles, and Jason Taylor, TV and movie stars Shannon Elizabeth, Marlee Matlin, Priscilla Presley, Steve Guttenberg, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Cristián de la Fuente, and Adam Carolla, singer Mario, and Penn Jillette of illusionist duo Penn & Teller.
Will the well-conditioned athletes have the edge in the competition, and will Matlin, who is deaf, be at a disadvantage? Co-host Samantha Harris weighs in.
Hollywood.com: What do you think of this season’s cast?
Samantha Harris: I’m really excited. In the past athletes have done so well so it’s really great that we have a lot of them.
HW: Do they have an advantage?
SH: Athletes are used to training and training hard, being coached, and they always want to win. I think that’s one of the reasons we’ve seen athletes do so well in the past. They’re so determined. But we also have Mario; he’s a great singer and also mover and shaker. Hip-hop’s very different from ballroom but he could definitely pull ahead of the pack. Musicians seem to do well. But then again, last year Sabrina Bryan was probably the strongest dancer that we had and still was voted off early on, and of course it caused an uproar. Hopefully the fans won’t let that happen again.[PAGEBREAK]
HW: Marlee Matlin is the first deaf contestant. Do you think she’ll have problems because she can’t hear the music?
SH: Marlee’s so excited. She’s been a huge fan of Dancing with the Stars and she says she’ll hopefully be able to feel the vibrations on the floor. She’ll have her interpreter there with her. And we have Priscilla Presley, the oldest contestant at 62. She’s apparently a huge fan of the show. I think it’s exciting to have stars who are fans and have watched it grow come on the show because they’re that much more excited to be part of it.
HW: What about guys like Penn Jillette and Adam Carolla? You don’t exactly think of them as twinkle toes.
SH: We have a couple of “everymen” in there. Steve Guttenberg, too. Penn Jillette is a comedian, a lot of fun. I think he’ll have fun with it. Adam Carolla has a strong following with his radio show, and Jimmy Kimmel is a good friend of his. A lot depends on who their supporters are. Jerry Springer stuck around for a while. Hopefully their personalities will shine so much that people may not pay attention to their feet, or they’ll surprise us all and be able to glide across the floor like nobody ever thought.[PAGEBREAK]
HW: Any thoughts on this year’s Latin heartthrob, Cristián De La Fuente?
SH: He’s a big telenovela star. I haven’t met him, but I think he’ll do really well.
HW: So do you have any early personal picks?
SH: I have to meet them all first. I try not to play favorites.
HW: This show requires a lot of hard work, dedication and rehearsal time, and it’s not easy on the body. Do you think it’s worth it for them?
SH: Joey Fatone has a major network show The Singing Bee and does red carpet coverage of all the award shows on the TV Guide Channel. Drew Lachey has gone on to do wonderful things and hosts Dance War. You can look at many of our past contestants and see what they’ve done since to see that there’s definitely a career boost.
