Details about Season 24 of Dancing with the Stars are beginning to emerge, including its premiere date and the names of a few stars and pros who may compete on the show.
Dancing with the Stars will return for its 24th season on March 20, according to Glamour . Executive producer Rob Wade talked to the magazine about what viewers can expect this spring, and he revealed that fan favorite Derek Hough definitely will not be returning as a pro. Derek and his sister, Julianne Hough, will be busy with the “Move – Beyond” tour, so Derek won’t have enough time to train a partner. Julianne will have Mondays off, but Wade says that her return as a DWTS judge is still up in the air. However, Len Goodman will be back, as will Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.
As far as other Dancing with the Stars Season 24 pros go, Wade thinks that almost everyone from Season 23 will back. He’s not positive about Maksim Chmerkovskiy because he and Peta Murgatroyd are currently caring for a newborn, but both parents are possible contenders.
According to Wade, there’s a good chance that Mark Ballas will return. Ballas skipped last season of DWTS after finishing second place during Season 22.
“Mark is finishing on Broadway [for Jersey Boys ] this Sunday, so we’ll wait to talk to him after that and see where he is and how he’s feeling. Obviously, I’ve talked to him over the holidays and he’s interested in coming back. We’d love to have him.”
Interestingly, Mark Ballas recently followed Pretty Little Liars actress Ashley Benson on Twitter, and she returned the follow. As PureDWTS reports, Dancing with the Stars fans were able to deduce that UFC fighter Paige VanZant would be Ballas’ Season 22 partner based on Mark and Paige’s Twitter activity, so perhaps these recent moves are evidence that Ashley Benson has signed on for Season 24. Benson’s Pretty Little Liars costar Janel Parrish competed on Season 19 of DWTS and finished in third place.
Fans can also look to the Twitter account of Dancing with the Stars pro Emma Slater for more casting possibilities. Slater recently tweeted her top three picks for her Season 24 partner: Storage Wars star Barry Weiss, comedian Russell Brand, and Property Brothers host Jonathan Scott. She also asked her Twitter followers if any of them would be interested in appearing on Dancing with Stars .
You wanna do next season of @DancingABC ?
— Emma Slater (@EmmaSlaterDance) January 12, 2017
Emma Slater got a bite from a Property Brother s star, but it wasn’t Jonathan Scott; his twin brother, Drew, is the HGTV darling who wants to put on his dancing shoes.
@EmmaSlaterDance Of course I do!! ???? @DancingABC
— Drew Scott (@MrDrewScott) January 12, 2017
The Bachelor star Nick Viall is also interested in appearing on Dancing with the Stars . While attending ABC’s Television Critics Association winter press tour, Viall crashed Glamour ‘s interview with the DWTS producers and put himself in the running.
“I think anyone would be the luckiest person in the world to even be considered,” Nick said.
Nick Viall also told Entertainment Tonight that he’d love to join the Season 24 cast of Dancing with the Stars .
“I mean, I haven’t given it much thought. I think it would be fun, you know?” Viall said earlier this month. “Who wouldn’t wanna do it?”
If Nick Viall does join the cast, he’ll be the first Bachelor contestant to compete on DWTS since Season 20’s fifth place finisher, Chris Soules.
There’s also a chance that another member of the “Final Five” U.S. women’s gymnastics team will dance on the show. Laurie Hernandez made her fellow Olympic gold medalists proud by taking home the Mirrorball Trophy last season, and Simone Biles may see if she can replicate her teammate’s success during Season 24. As you can see, Simone has already been cozying up to the DWTS cast.
Last August, Simone Biles told E! News that she was too busy to compete against Hernandez. However, she was hopeful that her schedule would clear up by this spring.
“I would love to do Dancing with the Stars , but so far we have a three month tour after this Olympics,” Biles said. “I would really love to do it in the spring if that’s possible.”
Who would you like to see on Season 24 of Dancing with the Stars ? Share your suggestions in the comments below.
[Featured Images by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for iHeartMedia, Michael Loccisano/Getty Images]