‘Dancing With the Stars’: Charity Lawson, Barry Williams & More Celebs Tease Season 32
Preview
Dancing with the Stars is gearing up for its 32nd season with a fresh batch of celebrities who are putting their best dance foot forward for a chance to win the mirrorball prize.
In anticipation of the show’s ABC return on September 26, competitors and their pro partners were on hand in New York City to celebrate the big casting reveal and TV Insider was on site to ask the stars about their feelings heading into the reality competition space. Convening at the Hard Rock Hotel in Times Square, they got quite candid about their experience so far.
Scroll down for a peek behind the ballroom curtain as the Season 32 celebrities tease what’s to come. And let us know what you’re looking forward to in the comments section.
Additional Reporting by Leah Williams
Dancing with the Stars, Season 32 Premiere, Tuesday, September 26, 8/7c, ABC
Mira Sorvino
Actress Mira Sorvino couldn’t be more thrilled to participate in the fun, telling us that despite not being a professional or trained dancer, “I’ve always loved to dance. Even when I was a kid jumping around in my living room with my friends, and putting on pretend shows.” Fondly, she recalls, “It makes me happy… with my dad [the late Paul Sorvino], we used to watch Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies and we’d sit there in the living room and were kind of transported by the dances. It almost made you just sway thinking about it. And there’s something kind of haunted about that life in the dance. You’re living a special life while you’re dancing and so this is sort of a dream come true.”
Ariana Madix
Meanwhile, Bravo star Ariana Madix is excited to be paired with pro partner Pasha Pashkov. “I was really excited to meet Pasha and have Pasha as my partner because I’ve only heard the absolute best things,” she says, gushing. “I got the best partner, and right away I felt like we were having a lot of fun.”
Jason Mraz
For singer Jason Mraz, dance may be a bit of a stretch, but he’s not letting that get in the way of him achieving his goals. “It seemed like… the Mount Everest of dance,” he says candidly. “I’m not just going to dance. I want to go to the top,” he notes of his reasoning behind taking on the famed TV competition. “That’s just how I’ve always approached things. If I’m going to do something, I’m going to go where it’s really done. I’ve signed up for dance in the past and not committed, but [now I] have a super pro like [Daniella Karagach] checking me every step of the way and have my parents and America watching and holding me accountable. So I can’t wait.”
Barry Williams
For The Brady Bunch vet Barry Williams, he remarks on his “instant chemistry” with partner Peta Murgatroyd. “We’ve been really having fun,” the actor gushes. “It’s an enjoyable process and it’s a tough one. It’s competitive, it’s demanding, but it’s a satisfying, rewarding process.”
Adrian Peterson
NFL star Adrian Peterson was equally enthused about learning that he was paired with dance pro, Britt Stewart. “I was super stoked,” he says about his initial reaction to meeting Stewart. “Having a couple of rehearsals… she’s a great teacher, she does an amazing job. I have a lot of respect for what she does because she’s been doing it for a long time,” Peterson acknowledges, noting Stewart’s been involved with dance “since she was three years old. So it just gave me a totally new respect for the profession.”
Xochitl Gomez
When it comes to knowing her partner, Marvel star Xochitl Gomez shares she was well-read when it came to Val Chmerkovskiy. “I had read his book,” she admits, adding, “so I knew quite a bit of information about him already.” Because of that, Gomez says, “I was just excited to meet him.” While Gomez initially thought of Chmerkovskiy as a “very technical” teacher, she says he’s “also a funny guy. I don’t think people usually immediately think that, but he was really funny.” As for her partner’s teaching techniques, she says, “I think over the years he’s gotten pretty gentle.”
Alyson Hannigan
Former How I Met Your Mother star Alyson Hannigan is already thinking about her dance moves. “I’m excited,” she says. The actress is paired with Sasha Farber, a DWTS vet pro, Hannigan says, “he gave me a little glimpse into tango the other day and I think I’m going to like tango. I don’t think I’ll be good at it, but I think I’m going to like it.”
Charity Lawson
Meanwhile, Bachelorette star Charity Lawson may have found her perfect match in Dotun Olubeko, but she’s not ruling it out when it comes to dance partners. “When the doors opened and I saw Artem [Chigvintsev]… [I screamed], literally, that was the sound I made.” Her excitement stems from the fact that “obviously we know he’s just been so successful, is a great teacher, great dancer. So I was like, yeah, this is the perfect match,” she gushes.
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