‘Dancing With The Stars’ Season 22 — New Cast Secrets, Scandals, And Who Gets Paid What

Dancing With the Stars is gearing up for the premiere of its 22nd season, which will include the likes of Jodie Sweetin, Mischa Barton, Marla Maples, and Kim Fields. Along with dancing their way to the final round, each contestant brings a surprising amount of secrets to the show. With that in mind, here’s a behind-the-scenes look at some of the more scandalous stars, including a look at what they’re getting paid.

For starters, Jodie Sweetin has one of the more controversial pasts this season. According to Radar Online, the star of Fuller House has a long history of drug abuse. Sweeting has admitted to using drugs and alcohol while in high school, which started her long road of substance abuse.

Sweetin married a police officer in 2002, but started to do meth shortly after. Sweetin attempted to get her life back on track when she entered rehab in 2005. Unfortunately, the Full House star couldn’t stay away from drugs and ended up splitting from her husband a year later.

Marla Maples, meanwhile, was formerly married to business mogul and current presidential candidate Donald Trump. The two were husband and wife from 1993 through 1999. Since her breakup with Trump, Maples has tried to publish a tell-all memoir, but has had troubles with her publishing agency.

Mischa Barton, who appeared as a teenager on the reality show, The O.C., is well known for her love of parties. In fact, following her departure from the series in 2006, police officers issued Barton a DUI in 2007. Sadly, things only went downhill from there.

Two years after her arrest, Barton suffered a blackout due to drug abuse and talked about killing herself. During her subsequent mental meltdown, the reality star was put on a psychiatric hold until she worked through her issues.

Of course, Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kim Fields is no stranger to drama. Along with dealing with her first stint on Dancing with the Stars, Fields is currently embroiled in rumors surrounding her husband’s sexuality.

In addition to all the secrets and scandals, Radar Online is reporting that ABC is dishing out a lot of money to the contestants for the 22nd season of Dancing With the Stars. The outlet apparently got a hold of a pitch letter that was sent to some of the contestants to convince them to compete on the reality show.

Along with sharing how the series is a huge boost in publicity, the letter outlined how much money ABC is willing to pay out. Although each contestant is paid on a different scale, some are guaranteed $125,000, even if they get eliminated in week one. If the contestants last longer than the first week then they are given another week of pay. If they manage to get all the way to the final round, their total payout could be as much as $345,000.

Considering the large potential payout, which teams are likely to go the distant this season? According to TV Line, the star that has the best odds at winning is Paige VanZant, who is teamed up with Mark Ballas. VanZant has an athletic history as a UFC fighter, which should translate well to the ballroom floor.

Coming in right behind VanZant is Sweetin. Sweetin is dancing with Keo Motsepe, and is sure to bring in plenty of votes. After all, Fuller House recently launched its first season, and Sweetin’s popularity is at an all-time high. However, Motsepe is pretty new to the show and still hasn’t made it far in past seasons.

The 22nd season of Dancing With the Stars premieres March 21 on ABC.

Tell us! Who do you think has the best chance of winning Season 22 of Dancing With the Stars? Let us know in the comments.

[Image via ABC]