Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Valerie Harper are among celebrity contestants on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars," which is shrinking to one night a week as it battles ratings declines
Valerie Harper, whose battle with brain cancer has touched many hearts, leads one of Dancing with the Stars' most intriguing casts of recent seasons.
Harper, who reportedly is near remission, will be joined on the long-running ABC dancing competition (Sept. 16, 8 p.m. ET/PT) by a mix of personalities and newsmakers announced this morning on Good Morning America. They include Jersey Shore star and recent mom Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi; Glee's Amber Riley; Leah Remini of The King of Queens and The Talk, who made news recently with reports of her departure from the Church of Scientology; and Jack Osbourne, brother of former Dancing competitor Kelly Osbourne, who last year learned he had multiple sclerosis.
Other Season 17 stars pairing up with professional partners include singer Christina Milian, formerly of time-slot competitor The Voice; actress Elizabeth Berkley Lauren, a trained dancer known for different kinds of dance moves in Showgirls; Bill Nye, the beloved science guy; comedian Bill Engvall; former NFL star Keyshawn Johnson; High School Musical star Corbin Bleu; and Brant Daugherty of Army Wives and Pretty Little Liars.
"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 says of the new dancing dozen. "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."
A strong field could help the long-running dance competition as it shrinks from two shows a week to one, eliminating the Tuesday results show.
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