‘Dancing with the Stars’ to begin 20th season

Can you believe its already Season 20 for Dancing with the Stars? We agree – it’s crazy! But whether we can believe it or not, it’s real life and this Monday, March 16 the season will have its premiere at 8 p.m. EST on ABC!

This beloved and star-studded ballroom extravaganza will present many promising couples, as announced in late February. The DWTS Season 20 cast features 12 couples, including: 33-year-old competitor and Army vet Noah Galloway with 29-year-old Australian ballroom dancer Sharna Burgess; Shark Tank star and 52-year-old competitor Robert Herjavec with 38-year-old Aussie pro dancer Kym Johnson; 70-year-old Grammy-winning diva Patti LaBelle with 32-year-old Russian pro dancer Artem Chigvintsev; 25-year-old gymnast and five-time Olympic medalist Nastia Liukin with New York Spring Spectacular lead Derek Hough; and 23-year-old musician and competitor Riker Lynch with former So You Think You Can Dance competitor and now pro dancer Allison Holker.

The other couples are: 23-year-old American model Charlotte McKinney with South African pro dancer Keo Motsepe; American rapper, record producer and DJ RedFoo with English professional dancer Emma Slater; former NFL star and competitor Michael Sam with New Zealand native and 28-year-old ballroom dancer Peta Murgatroyd; Hunger Games actress and 14-year-old competitor Willow Shields with Emmy-nominated dancer and choreographer Mark Ballas; 68-year-old TV actress and competitor Suzanne Somers with veteran ballroom instructor and Capezio Athlete Tony Dovolani; 26-year-old actress Rumer Willis with Ukrainian professional dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy; and newly announced competitor and Bachelor star Chris Soules with reigning champion Witney Carson.

All in all, it sounds like we have another bedazzled season full of dramatic, fiery routines and diverse, attention-grabbing contestants on its way. Even though pro dancers like Karina Smirnoff and Chelsie Hightower will not be returning to the stage this season, we definitely have a fascinating competition on our hands, which will end with only one couple receiving the new, gold mirror ball trophy.

Tune into ABC this Monday at 8 p.m. EST for the DWTS Season 20 premiere!

Photo: Dancing with the Stars Season 20 Cast. Photo courtesy of DWTS.