Which 2018 Olympians want to do Dancing With the Stars?
Season 26 of Dancing With the Stars is shaping up to be unlike any other run for the Mirrorball Trophy. During the season 25 finale, co-hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews announced that, for the first time ever, all of the 10 participants for the coming season will be from the sports world. Which, in 2018, can only mean one thing: A parade of sequin-studded Olympians.
DWTS is no stranger to athlete contestants; in fact, they typically perform well in the dancing competition — and that goes double for Olympians. Speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno took home the trophy in season 4; gymnasts Shawn Johnson and Laurie Hernandez won seasons 8 and 23; while figure skaters Kristi Yamaguchi and Meryl Davis won seasons 6 and 18.
A few weeks after the Closing Ceremony, figure skater Adam Rippon told People Now he was game to hit the parquet. “If the opportunity came up, I would love to do it,” he said, adding that the experience “would be fun…. I’ve never danced with a partner before, so that would definitely be something challenging.”
Following her lackluster performance in the women’s figure skating final, Mirai Nagasu told USA Today that her main focus for that event was “auditioning for Dancing with the Stars.” “I would like to be on Dancing With the Stars because I am a star,” she said.
A number of other members of Team USA who competed in PyeongChang have expressed interest to EW in participating on the All-Athlete edition of DWTS. Read below for their answers.
Bobsledder Aja Evans
“Yeah, I would love to. I think it would be funny. I think most of my family is completely made for TV, so I would love to be on something like that.”
Ice dancers Maia and Alex Shibutani, a.k.a the Shib Sibs
Alex: “If they wanted us on, I think we would consider it.”
Maia: “It would be really different to compete against each other.”
Alex: “We’ve never had to do that before in a serious way. It would be interesting and potentially awkward. But it would be really fun. I think we would both take it really seriously.”
Bobsledder Carlo Valdes
“I’ve always thought about it… I don’t consider myself a dancer, but I think I could do a pretty good job at it if I were to put some time in. But yeah, that’s something my friends and family jokingly tell me, like, ‘Dude, you can probably end up on Dancing with the Stars from this,’ but I’m like, ‘I don’t know, man.’ That’d be cool, but I’m not holding my breath.”
Ice dancer Zach Donohue (who skates with Madison Hubbell)
“When we were living in Detroit, I started teaching ballroom as well and we were very excited because we both love Latin music and Dancing With the Stars would be an opportunity to work with professionals and actually do ballroom on the floor, which would be incredible.”
Hockey player Meghan Duggan
“100 percent [I’d do it]. I don’t know what kind of a dancer I would be; I’m more of a singer. But 100 percent. That would be awesome.”
Luger Chris Mazdzer
“Absolutely. I don’t think I’m a good dancer, but it would be fun. I’ve never been trained for dance. I’ve never been taught moves ever. This [past] summer, USANA, which is a nutritional company in Salt Lake City, they had their yearly convention and I was a part of the lip-syncing competition. So I had one my girlfriend’s friends help me with choreography the night before, and it was actually really fun. I didn’t know that I could kind of dance a little bit. I’m up to no decent level, but going up there and making a fool of yourself isn’t the worst thing in the world. As long as you have fun with it.”
Snowboarder Maddie Mastro
“Sure! I’m not a very good dancer so I don’t know if they’d want me on it. I could be one of those, I don’t want to say rags to riches, but uncoordinated to coordinated stories in Dancing with the Stars. If they want me I’d able with the idea.”
