It is almost time for another round of dancing stars! The list of professional dancers that mentor the celebrities on the quest for the mirror ball trophy was finally announced Wednesday morning on "Good Moring America." Fan favorites Derek Hough, Mark Ballas and Val Chmerkovskiy were announced to return, as was Karina Smirnoff who was not on last season, according to Us Weekly.
This morning nine professional dancers were announced for the upcoming season 21. In addition to Hough, Ballas, Chmerkovskiy and Smirnoff, dancers Artem Chigvintsev, Allison Holker, Sharna Burgess, Peta Murgatroyd and Witney Carson were announced as cast members. Not on the list were some longtime fan favorites like Tony Dovolani, Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Cheryl Burke.
"Dancing with the Stars" showrunner Rob Wade preiously previewed changes for the upcoming season to Glamour magazine. "We're going from celebrating to taking risks. We had a really fantastic season last season with new ideas like Judges' Choice, so that's given us [the push] to take greater risks in our themes and competitions and challenges. We're improving the show in every single area," he said.
Wade also opened up about the judges table. Julianne Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli were all announced to return, but long-time judge Len Goodman's involvement was unknown. "It's been back and forth the last year. I said to him, 'look, see how you feel,'" Wade told E! News. "I'm waiting. He's in England, he's working. I think there's a good chance he's not going to back for some of the shows...We'll see where he lands, we'll see how his health is, what he wants to do. But whatever happens this season, whether he comes back for some or none, the following season...I'm sure he'd be back for," Wade said.
The new season's celebrity cast will be announced on Wednesday, Sept. 2, on "Good Morning America," according to ABC News.
