‘Dancing with the Stars 4’ Update: John Ratzenberger Joins the Cast

Last week, it was announced that Vincent Pastore would not appear on Dancing with the Stars 4 after all. That left the show one celebrity short.

Now, ABC has announced the addition of John Ratzenberger to the line up of Dancing with the Stars. John, who is best known for his role as Cliff Clavin on the television series Cheers, is stepping in for Vincent, who cited the physical demands of the program when he withdrew.

John is partnered with Edyta Sliwinska, the only professional dancer to appear on each of the show’s four seasons. Previously, she has danced with Evander Holyfield, George Hamilton, and Joey Lawrence on the program. It appears that for the most part, Edyta is paired with one of the more charismatic celebrity dancers; this season is no different.

John had been invited to dance on the show previously, but was unable to participate due to a scheduling conflict; however, to the delight of many fans, that is no longer an issue and John is now actively preparing for the season kick-off.

I wonder, though, if the judges and the viewing audience will go easy on him for the first week or two of the competition since he has lost about two weeks worth of practice time and is behind the other celebrities in that regard. One benefit he will have is that the format of the show this time around does allow dancing for a couple weeks before voting begins – that should give him a bit of time to get into the groove. Certainly, he’ll do better, and take the show more seriously, than Master P, who also stepped in late as a replacement for his son!

Also, as we reported earlier, Heather Mills is calling rumors of a romantic relationship between her and her partner Jonathan Roberts false. Jonathan is married to professional dancer Anna Trebunskaya, and if you remember Anna from her stint on Dancing with the Stars, then you know that anyone would be a fool to mess around with Jonathan. Anna could snap someone in half with just a glance. And I mean that as a compliment; she’s smoldering hot and spellbinding!

If you’ve forgotten or never knew who the entire cast this season is, check out my preview article. What do you think of John replacing Vincent? Who would you like to see on an upcoming cycle of the show? (I’m still pulling for F. Murray Abraham and Bea Arthur.) Write to me at the address below and let me know your thoughts.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars. Dancing with the Stars 4 premieres on Monday, March 19, at 8:00 p.m. (ET). Of course, I will be here each and every week recapping all of the action and excitement.

Jill is an east coast mama who loves sharks, zombie movies, Bea Arthur, and reality television. She welcomes your comments about these and other subjects, and can be reached at jilljones@verizon.net.

Be sure to sign up for our e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on the site! And take a look at the rest of the site. You can find all of our recent articles on this show at our Dancing with the Stars page and take a look at our sections on The Biggest Loser and Project Runway. You can even buy reality show stuff at our Reality TV Store!

For more news about Dancing with the Stars, be sure to check out SirLinksALot: Dancing with the Stars!