Bill Nye the Science Guy, Valerie Harper, and Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi lead the new lineup of "Dancing With the Stars," one that fans of the competitive reality show are calling the "best cast ever."
ABC revealed the roster for the 17th season of "DWTS" Wednesday on "Good Morning America," and while past cycles have been criticized for lack of star power, this group of celebrities doesn’t disappoint.
"I feel like it's one of the best [fields] we've had in years. Every single person justifies their place,"
executive producer Conrad Green told USA Today. "We wanted to get people with compelling stories. We wanted to get people who will be able to put on a show for us. We wanted something that would appeal to every age of the family and we've got that with this cast."
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Nye, 57, who starred on his own educational PBS show in the '90s, is expected to be a frontrunner.
"It's all physics; it's all the study of motion," he said during Wednesday's cast announcement. "I do like dancing. We're in this to win this. I mean, I went to a pretty tough engineering school and then I worked in children's television with Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers. I played in that league. I'm in this to do my very best... to get the mirror ball trophy."
Another early favorite is Harper, who played Rhoda on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and later on the spinoff "Rhoda." The 74-year-old revealed earlier this year that she had been diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer that gave her just months to live.
Some say Snooki, known for her antics on MTV's "Jersey Shore," might have the advantage though, because of her cheerleading and gymnastics background.
Other competitors are former NFL star Keyshawn Johnson, singer Christina Milian, actor Brant Daugherty, actress Elizabeth Berkley, "High School Musical" alum Corbin Bleu, "Glee" actress Amber Riley, comedian Bill Engvall, Ozzy's son Jack Osbourne, and "King of Queens" actress Leah Remini.
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