'Dancing With the Stars': Can the New Cast Really Dance?
Ready to rumba? Melissa Rycroft goes backstage at the final rehearsals.
March 22, 2010 — -- The new season of "Dancing With the Stars" kicks off tonight, and 11 celebrities and their dancing partners are getting ready to waltz, cha cha and hit the floor.
The star-studded cast includes actors, musicians, and athletes. And there's even a man from the moon, but former astronaut Buzz Aldrin says dancing is nothing like walking on the moon.
"It's flat, it's not dusty, it's not gray," he joked.
Will he be doing the moonwalk on the dance floor?
"Well I don't know," he said. "We might do something backwards."
Reality television star Kate Gosselin says her children -- all eight of them -- have been very supportive. She and professional partner Tony Dovolani are racking up a lot of air miles flying back and forth to Pennsylvania to practice in her basement.
"They transformed her basement into a dance studio. It's really great to practice in there," Dovolani said.
And Gosselin said he fits right in with the twins and sextuplets.
"He's equal to five kids himself!" she joked.
Actress Pamela Anderson says she loves dancing in high heels.
"I asked for higher heels, now I feel better," she said. "I feel balanced now that I'm a little higher."
But will we see her dancing in that famous red Baywatch bathing suit? No, but she says she's enjoying every minute on the dance floor.
"I'm really excited about doing it," she said.
And as always there are the athletes, even an Olympian still glowing from Vancouver.
Evan Lysacek's partner Anna Trebunskaya said "he knows how to wear sequins and be proud of it."
"I'm no stranger to a sequin," he joked. "I'll tell you that!"
Sportscaster Erin Andrews, who just last week saw her stalker go to jail, finally has a reason to smile.
"I'm so excited," she said. "I just saw Pam Anderson for the first time, so it was like oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh."
Comedienne and host Niecey Nash thinks her partner Louis Van Amstel is her biggest advantage.
This is my greatest advantage right here," she said. "It's the truth."
Watch the "Dancing With the Stars" two-hour season premiere tonight at 8 p.m. ET.
Buzz Aldrin, Legendary Astronaut
Aldrin will be partnered with dancer Ashley Costa (formerly DelGrosso), who returns for her fourth season.
Pamela Anderson, Actress and Model
Anderson joins professional dancer Damian Whitewood, who makes his "Dancing with the Stars" debut this season.
Erin Andrews, ESPN Host
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Andrews teams up with Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who returns for his eighth season.
Shannen Doherty, Actress
Doherty will dance with two-time "Dancing with the Stars" champ Mark Ballas, who returns for his sixth season.
Kate Gosselin, TLC Star
Kate Gosselin has the joy, frustration and honor of raising eight children -- twins and sextuplets -- in central Pennsylvania. Gosselin teams up with Tony Dovolani, who returns for his ninth season.
Evan Lysacek, Olympic Figure Skating Champion
Lysacek will dance with Anna Trebunskaya, who returns for her fifth season.
Niecy Nash, Comedienne and Host
Nash joins Louis Van Amstel, who returns for his sixth season on "Dancing With the Stars."
Chad Ochocinco, NFL Star
Ochocinco will hit the dance floor with two-time champion Cheryl Burke, who returns for her ninth season.
Jake Pavelka, "The Bachelor" Star
Pavelka joins Chelsie Hightower, in her third season.
Nicole Scherzinger, Pop Star
Scherzinger teams with Season 7 champ Derek Hough, who returns for his sixth season.
Aiden Turner, Soap Star
Turner will partner with Edyta Sliwinska, the only pro to compete in all 10 seasons of "Dancing with the Stars."
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