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The pros for season 20 of “Dancing with the Stars” were announced on Wednesday’s “Good Morning America,” just over a month before the premiere. See video below!
Reigning champion Witney Carson is back, fresh off her season 19 win with Alfonso Ribeiro. She’ll again face other previous winners again, such as Peta Murgatroyd, Mark Ballas and Tony Dovolani. Still looking for their first Mirror Ball trophy are Val Chmerkovskiy and Emma Slater.
Kym Johnson, also a prior winner, is returning to the show as a partner for the first time since season 16 in 2013. Sharna Burgess is back after an early elimination last season. Also returning are two of the newbies, Allison Holker and Artem Chigvintsev, both of whom made their debut on season 19 last fall.
Noticeably absent from the list are longtime “Dancing with the Stars” favorites Derek Hough, Cheryl Burke, and Karina Smirnoff. As Gossip Cop reported, it was recently announced that Hough will not be taking part after scoring the lead role in a Radio City Music Hall show that overlaps with the season. Burke, who has been with the series since season 2, announced her exit in December, and will soon have her own variety show.
And, after 16 seasons, Smirnoff just announced her departure to fans on Tuesday night, hours before the cast reveal. “After a lot of thought and prayer, I’ve decided to focus my energies on some other exciting endeavors including adding author to my resume,” she wrote on Instagram. The season 13 winner went on, “I have absolutely loved dancing for all of you for all these years and feel blessed to have been given a platform to put my passion for dance, choreography and creativity on display. DWTS has been a huge part of my life for the last 10 years and I will always have a special place in my heart for it.”
To recap, the full list of pros for season 20 is: Witney Carson, Peta Murgatroyd, Mark Ballas, Tony Dovolani, Val Chmerkovskiy, Emma Slater, Kym Johnson, Sharna Burgess, Allison Holker, and Artem Chigvintsev. But, two additional pros will be revealed at a later date. And the stars competing will be announced on February 24. “Dancing with the Stars,” celebrating its 10th anniversary, premieres on March 16. What do you think of this season’s pros?
