Monday nights in prison are about to get a lot more exciting for Joe Exotic because, because his ‘Tiger King’ nemesis, Carole Baskin, is competing on ‘Dancing with the Stars.’
The long-running reality series is step-ball-changing through the pandemic to bring you its 29th season on Sept. 14 on ABC. The full cast was announced Wednesday morning on ‘Good Morning America,’ along with their accompanying dancing pros.
Baskin will be joined by fellow Netflix reality stars, including Coach Monica Aldama from ‘Cheer’ and ‘Selling Sunset’ favourite Chrishell Stause. ‘Chicago PD’ actor Anne Heche, ‘Desperate Housewives’ alum Jesse Metcalfe, rapper Nelly, former NFL player Vernon Davis, ice skater Johnny Weir, ‘Catfish’ host Nev Schulman, ‘One Day at a Time’ actor Justina Machado, Disney Channel alum Skai Jackson, NBA legend Charles Oakley and ‘The Real’ host Jeannie Mai round out the cast.
Kaitlyn Bristowe of the ‘Bachelor’ franchise and Backstreet Boys singer AJ McLean were previously announced as contestants as well.
A “vilified” Baskin told GMA that she’s looking forward to course-correcting her narrative and advocating for animal rights after being “betrayed” by the popular Netflix series. So it’s only a matter of time before she’s foxtrotting to an “Eye of the Tiger/“Roar” mashup in a heavily animal-printed get up.
The season premiere will also mark the debut of supermodel Tyra Banks, who will serve as host and executive producer. She will be taking over hosting duties from Tom Bergeron, who helmed the series for 28 seasons, and Erin Andrews. The two were ousted in a surprise announcement in July.
In a statement revealing her new roles, Banks said she’s “excited to continue the legacy and put on my executive producer and hosting hats” with network executives, promising that she’ll bring a “fresh take” to the series.
The judging panel remains intact, with Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli returning.