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Who's on 'Dancing's' 20th season?

Bill Keveney
USA TODAY
Suzanne Somers says she's in it to win it.

Dancing With the Stars' mystery dancer may be hiding in plain sight in the ABC Monday time slot that will shift from The Bachelor to Dancing on March 16 (8 p.m. ET/PT).

Bachelor Chris Soules is rumored to be the 12th celebrity dancer and partner for reigning professional champ Witney Carson. ABC wouldn't comment.

Soules would join a field that includes singing star Patti LaBelle; actress and Las Vegas performer Suzanne Somers; Michael Sam, the first openly gay NFL draft pick; and 14-year-old actress Willow Shields, Dancing's youngest competitor to date.

During Tuesday's Good Morning America, Dancing host Tom Bergeron hinted of a Bachelor connection when he said the word, "rose," instead of "rise."

Last weekend, Soules, commenting on the rumors, said he would consider appearing on the show, if approached. "I can do some stuff. I dance at weddings and at a bar, occasionally," he says. "I can dance better than I can sing."

In a surprise, five-time pro winner Derek Hough, thought to be out for the spring edition, will compete. Hough, who will be performing at Radio City Music Hall starting in March, will be able to rehearse with celebrity partner Nastia Liukin in New York, where the gold-medal gymnast attends college.

"We wanted to put the best of the best together for the 10th anniversary" season, which also marks the 20th edition of the popular show, executive producer Rob Wade says. "It's got a classic Dancing with the Stars feel, where you have some great human-interest stories, some great celebrity names, some great dancing, some great comedy and humor."

The female stars and their male pro partners include: LaBelle and Artem Chigvintsev; Somers and Tony Dovolani; Shields and Mark Ballas; Olympian Liukin and Hough; actress Rumer Willis and Valentin Chmerkovskiy; and model and actress Charlotte McKinney and Keo Motsepe.

Somers, 68, who starred in ABC sitcoms Three's Company and Step by Step and headlines a new Las Vegas show in May, has been approached about competing over the years.

"It feels like the perfect time in my life to do this. For all the books I've been writing about health and taking care of yourself and a new way to age, this is my opportunity to prove that it's not the years, it's your energy. And I have great energy," says the performer, who also has a new book, Tox-Sick, coming out in April.

'Hunger Games' star Willow Shield will be the youngest celebrity competitor to date on ABC's 'Dancing with the Stars.'

Male celebrities and their female pro partners include: football player Sam and Peta Murgatroyd; Iraq War veteran and personal trainer Noah Galloway and Sharna Burgess; Shark Tank's Robert Herjavec and Kym Johnson; actor and musician Riker Lynch (Glee) and Allison Holker; and singer, producer and LMFAO member Redfoo and Emma Slater.

Galloway lost his left leg above the knee and his left arm above the elbow following injuries sustained in an IED attack in Iraq.

"Noah is an incredible human being, someone who has overcome a huge challenge in his life," Wade says. "We've never had someone who hasn't had an arm (on Dancing). Holds and lifts are so important. We want to see how he does that."

The 10th anniversary will be treated as a celebration, Wade says, with the show providing live streaming from rehearsals and bringing back America's Choice, in which the public creates a performance; the Switch-Up, when dancers trade partners for a week; and such themes as Latin night, Big Band night and Disney night.

"I think we're going to make Disney night the halfway point in the season. It will be a huge goal for the couples to get there," he says.

The four-judge panel — longtime trio Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli and recent addition Julianne Hough — will return, as will hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews.

Despite what Goodman has said, Wade doesn't expect this to be his last season as a Dancing judge. "I'll put my money down that this isn't the end of Len" on the show, he says.

Some familiar pro stars, however, such as Cheryl Burke and Karina Smirnoff, won't be competing this season.

Five-time pro winner Derek Hough will be back after all on the new season of ABC's 'Dancing with the Stars.'

Willis, 26, sees Dancing as a great opportunity to develop her performance skills.

"I just thought, 'Why not?' I've been working on all aspects of singing and acting and I've always wanted to dance," she says. "It's not the worst day when you can be part of a show where professional, award-winning dancers teach you how to ballroom dance."

Willis' parents, actors Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, backed her decision to try Dancing.

"They're very excited and really supportive," she says. Asked if they will be cheering her in person during the weekly shows, she replies, "I'm not sure yet, but I hope so."

Both Willis and Somers want to claim the mirror-ball trophy that goes to the season's winner.

"I most definitely think I can win," Willis says. "I've found even in three days (of training) how much the information has impacted the way I carry myself, how I hold my body."

Somers cites a competitive streak. "I'm not going to go in not to win," she says. "Otherwise, why bother?"

Although Somers has plenty of dance experience from years heading a Vegas show, she is new to ballroom. That doesn't worry her. "I had never studied comedy before I did Three's Company, either."

Contributing: Ann Oldenburg

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