Dancing With the Stars 5: A Preview

OK, so Shady’s not really here, but I’m back for Season 5 of Dancing with the Stars! Some of our favorite professional dancers are also returning with a few newcomers and of course a fresh group of stars. Let’s take a peek at who’s who this season.

Melanie Brown, or Scary Spice as she’s known to her fans, has had a busy year. Not only did she give birth to her second child, get married, and reunite with the other spices in the rack, she also signed up for Dancing with the Stars. She is paired with the always-delicious Maksim Chmerkovskiy. I predict that this is going to be one feisty and fun couple.

Next up is Sabrina Bryan. I have to admit that this young woman could run over me with a segway and I’d have no idea who she is; however, I do recognize her work. She is an actress and singer who starred in The Cheetah Girls movie and also appeared on The Bold and the Beautiful. Her partner is Mark Ballas, whose parents are famous dancers Corky and Shirley Ballas.

Two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves is teaming up with Julianne Hough, one-half of last season’s winning couple. The Brazilian cutie may start the engines of a few dance fans’ hearts this season if you know what I mean. Wink, wink.

Oh, boy. Here we go. Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks NBA team, is also on our list. His partner is Kym Johnson who is returning for her third season of Dancing with the Stars. The reason I’m moaning is that while Mark has a special place in my heart, he also causes me unnecessary pain. You see, Mark is from the Pittsburgh area and the Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t had a winning season since 1992. Fans started a campaign several years ago to persuade Mark to buy the Pirates and do for the team what he did for the Mavericks. Of course, that didn’t happen and probably never will. At times, it feels as if Mark is the team’s only way to the World Series again, but let’s hope not. (Mark, if you’re reading this, buy us!)

OK, back to dancing!

Jennie Garth, star of Beverly Hills: 90210 and What I Like about You, is now taking on the role of dancer. She is performing with Derek Hough, who is appearing on the show in a competitive nature for the first time.

Josie Maran is one diverse woman. In addition to being a model and actress, she is also a spokesperson for Global Green. As if that weren’t enough, she’s partnering with Season 1 winner of Dancing with the Stars Alec Mazo.

Actor Cameron Mathison, who stars on All My Children, is dancing with Edyta Sliwinska, the only professional dancer to appear on all five seasons of Dancing with the Stars. Let’s play Six Degrees of Dancing with the Stars and link Cameron to our next celebrity.

• Cameron appeared on What I Like about You with Jennie.
• Jennie is dancing with Derek.
• Derek is Julianne’s brother.
• Julianne is partnered with Helio.
• Helio is considered to be a hottie in his sport, as is Maksim.
• Maksim was partnered last season with Laila Ali.
• Laila is a professional boxer like…

Floyd “Pretty Boy” Mayweather. (Wasn’t that fun?) The six-time world champion has a record of 38-0. Will he and his partner Karina Smirnoff be successful on the dance floor or will the competition knock him out?

Who ordered the cheese? I kid! I kid! Our next star is the legendary Wayne Newton. He practically needs no introduction much like his dance partner Cheryl Burke. The two-time champion of Dancing with the Stars may have met her match though; let’s see what she can do with her partner’s big personality.

Singer, performer, and author Marie Osmond has had a very successful career. Only time will tell if that success carries over to the dance floor. She is pairing up with the adorable Jonathan Roberts in the competition.

Speaking of Jonathan… his wife Anna Trebunskaya is back for her second season and will be performing with Albert Reed. Albert, a former surfer turned model, has worked the runway for several designers including my favorite Michael Kors. (Michael, if you’re reading this, I love your jeans more than anything else in the world… except for Yoko the wonder dog.)

Is there a doctor in the house? Why, yes, it’s Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman! Jane Seymour is dancing with Tony Dovolani and may be the cure for what ails Tony’s winless streak in his fourth season on the show.

Our annoying favorite hosts Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris are returning as well as judges Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli, and Carrie Ann Inaba. It’s nice to see some more familiar faces.

Special musical guests this season include Dolly Parton, Avril Lavigne, and Gloria Estefan. But don’t hold me to that; we’ve had changes in the show before the season even started in previous years.

Join me on Monday, September 24 from 8:00 pm until 9:30 pm ET as the female stars do their thing. Then meet me again on Tuesday, September 25 at the same time for the guys’ performances. We’ll get together on Wednesday, September 26 from 8:00 pm until 9:00 pm ET as one couple is eliminated from the competition. After that, we’re down to just Mondays and Tuesdays. I mean, I like you guys and everything, but a girl’s got to watch other shows like America’s Next Top Model.

As always, feel free to e-mail your thoughts and opinions to me at the address below. (For my regulars, please note that my e-mail address has changed, so you’ll want to update your contact listing for me. Oh, you know you have one!) Thank you for allowing me to come back once again to recap all of the dancing, drama, and goobers for you.

Jill is an east coast mama who loves Michael Kors and the Pittsburgh Pirates, but can’t take another losing season. She can be reached at jillcjones@zoominternet.net to discuss these and other topics.

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