'Dancing with the Stars' Season 26 Updates: NBA Superstar Rumored to Join the Cast
Fans of "Dancing with the Stars" are waiting for the big reveal on the cast of the first all-athletes edition of the ABC series, set to air next year.
The twist for the upcoming season was previously revealed during the last installment's finale, where Jordan Fisher and his dance partner Lindsay Arnold won the Mirrorball Trophy. Show hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews announced that season 26 is going to be composed of ten sets of athletes whose names would be revealed at a later date. This will be the first attempt of the TV dance competition to have an all-athlete cast, but it came as no surprise to many. After all, ten of the show's past champions hailed from the world of sports.
For instance, former football players Emmitt Smith, Hines Ward, Donald Driver, and Rashad Jennings took home the coveted price when they joined the series. Some Olympic gold medalists also won in their respective contests, like Apolo Anton Ohno, Kristi Yamaguchi, Shawn Johnson, Meryl Davis, and Laurie Hernandez. Race car driver Hélio Castroneves was announced the winner in season 5. Meanwhile, Paralympian swimmer Victoria Arlen made it to fourth place last installment.
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At the moment, ABC has not yet revealed the expected line up for the new season. There have been a lot of speculations on the names of possible contestants. Cinema Blend posits that NBA legend Kobe Bryant may be joining the show. Recently, Bryant's former teammate and "Dancing with the Stars" contender Derek Fisher revealed that the basketball superstar loves the show. According to him, Bryant and his family are fans of the franchise, and the producers would do well to at least reach out to him.
Meanwhile, Bergeron and Andrews have been confirmed to return as hosts.
"Dancing with the Stars" season 26 will air in Spring 2018.
