ABC will attempt to ramp up
anticipation for the upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars by announcing
the new field of celebrity contestants via a live primetime press conference,
the network announced Aug. 17.
Dancing co-hosts Tom Bergeron and
Brooke Burke will reveal the cast during the Aug. 30 episode of Bachelor Pad. The
contestants will be posted on ABC.com immediately following the announcement.
The presser also will be available for streaming online.
This is the first time the Dancing
cast has been revealed live on-air. The new season of Dancing with the Stars
bows Sept. 20 at p.m.
Last season was a mixed bag ratings
wise for Dancing. With high-profile train wreck contestants including Kate
Gosslin and Pamela Anderson, the show posted some of its best ratings ever for
its Monday performance shows, which averaged more than 20 million viewers. But
the Tuesday results shows posted year-over-year declines, averaging around 13
million viewers. And while the premiere last March set a record with 23.9
million viewers. The May finale however posted steep declines; 18.2 million people
watched singer/actress Nicole Sherzinger win the mirror ball trophy, a 27% drop
compared to the previous year.
