The new cast of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars is out! And there are quite a few changes - with a few pros gone, a judge added and quite a few actors on this year’s lineup.
Like in years past, stars join the show to get their own names/projects/messages out there. Season 19 is no different, with quite a few actors and athletes back on the list, and a few wild cards thrown in, including YouTube star Bethany Mota, fashion designer Betsey Johnson and 76-year-old comedian Tommy Chong.
Below, we break down the marketability of each star and how this competition might work out for them - off the dance floor.
First, there are the athletes. During the off season, Olympians like last year’s champion, Meryl Davis, use Dancing with the Stars to maintain their exposure while not performing, competing or winning the gold. Their appearance on the show, for as long as it lasts, lets them hold on to their sponsorships and endorsement deals as they remain in the public eye between big sporting events.
This year’s athletes are: Olympian Lolo Jones, MMA fighter Randy Couture and NASCAR’s Michael Waltrip. Jones managed to get her name into the public eye despite her less-than-stellar performance at the 2012 Summer Olympics, before returning to the 2014 Games on the bobsled team. Waltrip’s marketing ploy is a bit more obvious: he launched a comedy tour a few years back, owns Michael Waltrip Racing and in 2011, released his book, In the Blink of an Eye. And Couture has plenty to promote. He just appeared in the film Expendables 3 and has a development deal with Spike TV that includes a new reality show Gym Rescue.
Then there is teen YouTube sensation Bethany Mota, who, as MacBarbie07, can boast of more than 7 million subscribers to her channel where she posts fashion and beauty advice. She just designed a clothing and accessories collection for Aeropostale aimed at teenagers, and has a fragrance out also. Mota’s motivation for joining the show might be the clearest, marketing-wise. While she’s able to capture a teen market with her clothes and YouTube channel, to grow her brand she also needs to reach a slightly older demographic, which is where ABC primetime comes in.
A large part of Dancing with the Stars’ cast each year tends toward actors who may want the public to see them as someone other than their old characters (Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s Carlton, perhaps?). Alfonso Ribeiro joins the actor list that includes Back to the Future and Caroline in the City’s Lea Thompson and Antonio Sabato Jr., while reality star Sadie Robertson (of Duck Dynasty’s Robertson clan) may want to shed her reality show’s image in favor of a more fashionable one. Her prom dress line debuted last year, she travels the country as a motivational speaker and just released a book. Jonathan Bennett, mostly known for playing Aaron Samuels in Mean Girls ten years ago, probably just wants to get back on the public’s radar. There’s also some cross-marketing going on for ABC, with two stars of ABC Family shows—Thompson and Pretty Little Liars’ Janel Parrish—joining the cast.
Lastly, there are the wild cards. Any product of the ‘70s knows who Tommy Chong is, but the fact that he recently wrote a book about his trouble with the law and film I Chong may surprise some viewers. PBS’ political commentator Tavis Smiley also seems an unlikely choice, but his 16 books and nonprofit foundation give him plenty of reasons to promote his name. Fashion designer Betsey Johnson, who is as recognizable as her label, may just be competing for even more exposure (let’s hope they let her design her own costumes!)
And while tabloid fodder/dancing pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy is no longer on the show, Dancing with the Stars has added a new judge in former pro Julianne Hough after she turned her original fame from the show into a TV and film career.
Season 19 of Dancing with the Stars debuts Sept. 15 on ABC, with a live results show the following day.
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