by Kylene Hamulak

 

The Stars and Pros of Season 16 of Dancing With the Stars have been revealed on ABC's "Good Morning America," with the latest season premiering on Monday, March 18 at 9pm. As usual, the cast mostly uses the term "Star" pretty loosely, but there are some interesting pairs - and some equally as interesting absent faces.

 

Not returning to the dance floor this season are pros Anna Trebunskaya, Chelsie Hightower, and Louis van Amstel. Most notably, however, is Maksim Chmerkovskiy, a DWTS veteran since 2006. Maks has been one of the shows most popular personalities, with a history of clashing with some of his "stars" while being a patient and effective teacher with others. His shirtless routines, especially, will be missed.

 

Here's the rundown of who's on a quest for the mirrorball!

 

ATHLETES:

 

Dorothy Hamill, partnering with Tristan McManus

You might remember Dorothy as the Gold-medalist Olympic skater at the 1976 Winter Games. You might also remember her hair from every suburban mother you've ever met. It's no secret that I adore Tristan, so I hope Dorothy's half-century (literally) of ice-skating translates well in the ballroom.

 

Jacoby Jones, partnering with Karina Smirnoff

Baltimore Ravens' Wide Receiver Jacoby Jones is this season's NFL representative, coming off the team's recent Super Bowl victory. My sources tell me he had nothing to do with the power outage that delayed the game, but if the lights go out on the dance floor, he's going to have some explaining to do. It's no secret that athletes - particularly football players - have done well on the show, so Jacoby's partner Karina will need to focus on replacing his end zone moves with ballroom habits.

 

Victor Ortiz, partnering with newcomer Lindsay Arnold

This pair is somewhat of a mystery. Victor is a title-winning American boxer who picked up the sport as a child in a broken home. Boxing fans know him for his aggressive style and boyish charm - both of which could work in his favor on the dance floor. Perhaps his greatest obstacle? His partner Lindsay is new to the cast of pros this season, so there will be little carryover in votes from people voting for her.

 

Aly Raisman, partnering with Mark Ballas

This one was a no brainer - OBVIOUSLY one of Shawn Johnson's flipping friends was going to make it to the ballroom, it was just a matter of which of the gymnasts from the 2012 Gold Medal US Team would get the call. The first African American to win the All-Around Gold? Nope. The one who went viral for her "unimpressed" meme? Nope. The....other one? Yeah, pretty much. Mark knows how to work with gymnasts, and Aly will no doubt bring tricks to the dance floor, but we'll see how the judges react when they start breaking the rules.

 

 

NEW FACES:

 

Andy Dick, partnering with newcomer Sharna Burgess

An accomplished actor and comedian, you might've seen Andy in any one of a million different comedy projects, including NBC's NewsRadio. Other places you may have seen Andy? Celebrity Rehab or local AA meetings, court dates after exposing himself, or basically anywhere racial slurs and Anti-Semitism are appreciated. Andy is partnered with first-time DWTS Pro Sharna Burgess.

 

Lisa Vanderpump, partnering with newcomer Gleb Savchenko

For years - literally, YEARS - DWTS has turned its nose at inviting "stars" from the Real Housewives series to the dance floor. Because, you know, THAT'S where we draw the line on our loose interpretation of the word "star." The moment Real Housewives fans have been waiting for has FINALLY arrived via Lisa Vanderpump, who also happens to be the star of reality show "Vanderpump Rules." She's partnering with newcomer Gleb Savchenko, but she's a Beverly Hills Housewife - fabulous is not even a challenge.

 

Zendaya Coleman, partnering with Val Chmerkovskiy

Sixteen-year-old Zandaya stars as Rocky on Disney Channel's "Shake It Up." Which means if you don't spend time with humans under the age of 10, you've probably never heard of her. She's the token Disney star, but the thing that will really work in her favor is being paired with ladies' favorite Val, who we last enjoyed in steamy routines with Kelly Monaco during the All-Star season. We're either going to see a different side of Val or a restraining order from young Zendaya's dad.

 

 

EVERYONE ELSE:

 

D.L. Hughley, partnering with Cheryl Burke

D.L. Hughley is a popular comic who you may have seen in everything from your CNN news broadcast to the ABC/UPN sitcom "The Hughleys" to the regrettably prematurely cancelled NBC drama "Studio 60." He was also a former member of the Bloods gang (looooong before he turned his life around), but chances are if you're watching DWTS, you probably don't know him from there. Note: He is NOT a Wayans brother, no matter how many times I mistakenly claim he is. D.L. is partnering with Cheryl, and she's got a long history of making great dancers out of untrained stars, so she's always one to watch.

Wynona Judd, partnering with Tony Dovolani

One of country music's best-known performers, Wynona Judd is most recognizable as a member of - you guessed it - The Judds. Fun Fact: According to Wikipedia, she's engaged to a man named Cactus. He's a pretty sharp guy. (rimshot) Returning champ Tony Dovolani's new partner is a little older and a little bigger than pocket-sized Melissa Rycroft, but Wynona has the potential to make up for it with everything else.

 

Kellie Picker, partnering with Derek Hough

Country music star Kellie Picker is as much a personality as she is a musician, gaining fame as a contestant on American Idol back in 2006. Her ditzy demeanor on the show has evolved into a quirky charm, and she has since brought attention to special causes such as vegetarianism and breast cancer through her actions. She's partnered with Derek Hough, and that's really no surprise. In fact, the only pair more predictable than this one would be Aly and Mark.

 

Ingo Rademacher, partnering with Kym Johnson

Regardless of how well they dance together, these two might as well waltz off with some award for Best Looking Humans. He's best known for his role as Jax on the ABC soap "General Hospital" and for having crystal blue eyes that pierce my soul. Trivia time: Ingo has two sons, Pohaku and Peanut. I was going to write something about him naming his kid after a Pokemon, but then I realized his name was Ingo, and it made alllll the sense in the world. Kym is a great partner for him, as long as he doesn't have lead feet.

 

Dancing With The Stars returns to ABC on March 18 for the first night of a two-part premiere. The first results show airs on March 26.

 

Visit Reality Wanted for all the news from the ballroom!

 

(Images courtesy of ABC)

 

Follow Kylene on Twitter at @keepingupwithky!