The 2020 season of "Dancing With the Stars" has finally revealed its lineup, featuring famous names such as rapper Nelly, "One Day at a Time" actress Justina Machado and the controversial Carole Baskin of "Tiger King."
Brand new lineup
The new contestants were announced on September 2. The rest of the contestants include "Backstreet Boys" member AJ McLean, "Bachelorette" star Kaitlyn Bristowe, Netflix's "Cheer" head coach Monica Aldama, Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir, Disney Channel star Skai Jackson, Super Bowl champion Vernon Davis, NBA player Charles Oakley, "Catfish" host Nev Schulman, actress Anne Heche, "Selling Sunset" real estate agent Chrishell Stause and "The Real" host Jeannie Mai.
The professional dancers for this season include Brandon Armstrong, Sharna Burgess, Alan Bersten, Artem Chigvintsev, Cheryl Burke, Sasha Farber, Val Chmerkovskiy, Daniella Karagach, Jenna Johnson, Peta Murgatroyd, Keo Motsepe, Gleb Savchenka, Pasha Pashkov, Britt Stewart, and Emma Slater. The celebrity and dancer pairings will be revealed in the premiere episode.
Supermodel Tyra Banks will be the host of the new season, after Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews, the longtime hosts of the show announced their exits from the series in July, as reported by CNN.
The cast of the last season of the show became controversial when it included former White House press secretary Sean Spicer. Spicer made it far into the show but was eventually eliminated in the sixth week.
Former "Bachelorette" star Hannah Brown took home the final prize, the Mirror Ball trophy, and has set the bar high for fellow alum Bristowe. Weir also follows in the footsteps of Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon who took home the grand prize in season 26.
The new season of "Dancing with the Stars" will premiere on Monday, September 14, from 8:00-10:00 p.m on ABC.
Carol Baskin's infamous reputation
Carole Baskin is an animal rights activist, and she owns a sanctuary that is known for being featured on the hit Netflix docuseries "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness."
Baskin began rescuing cats in November 1992. Eventually, she turned her passion into Big Cat Rescue. According to its website, it is one of the largest accredited sanctuaries in the world dedicated to big cats. BCR has more than 50 exotic cats, including lions, tigers, bobcats, and cougars.
The star of the docuseries is no stranger to the exotic animal scene, since she and her then-husband Don Lewis, founded the sanctuary in the '90s. It was formerly called Wildlife on Easy Street in Tampa, Florida, as reported by USA Today.
Baskin is also no stranger to the news media, as she was on the papers when her husband, Lewis, disappeared in 1997, just six years after the two got married, according to a People Magazine report from 1998, according to Fox News.
Despite the numerous allegations, Baskin insisted that she was innocent and had nothing to do with her husband's disappearance. She told the outlet that the worst thing that she ever did was threaten to report him to the IRS.
Lewis went missing before a business trip to Costa Rica. The investigators said that after his disappearance, his van was found near a Pasco County, Florida airport. The authorities searched the wildlife sanctuary that he ran with his wife, but he was never heard from again.
Baskin was never charged in connection to her husband's disappearance due to the lack of evidence, but his demise sparked a series of rumors and speculations.
