‘Dancing With the Stars’ Courting Nancy Kerrigan, Nick Viall & Fifth Harmony for Season 24 (EXCLUSIVE)
With less than one month until the Season 24 premiere of “Dancing With the Stars,” ABC is setting the new cast of celebrity contestants.
Nancy Kerrigan will compete on the upcoming season, along with a member of Fifth Harmony, a source tells Variety. Our insider also tells us that “The Bachelor” Nick Viall will more-than-likely be a contestant.
Mr. T. and Simone Biles will also compete on Season 24, our source says, confirming the participation of the wrestler and Olympic gymnast, who was courted to dance on the competition series last year, but was unable to due to scheduling. (Her Rio teammate Laurie Hernandez competed and won last season).
Kerrigan was one of the most notable figure skaters of the ’90s, having won the bronze medal at the ’92 Olympics and the silver at the ’94 games. She also is known for the highly-publicized 1994 incident in which she was attacked by associates of her rival Tonya Harding’s ex-husband. The controversy has been profiled on ESPN’s “30 for 30” and a Netflix documentary, “Nancy & Tonya.” Kerrigan, who has had small film and TV roles in recent years, will be portrayed by Caitlin Carver in Margot Robbie’s upcoming movie “I, Tonya.” (Robbie will play the embattled Harding).
A member of the girl band Fifth Harmony will also complete, though it’s not clear who. Recently, Camila Cabello departed the group, which now consists of Ally Brooke, Normani Kordei, Dinah Jane, and Lauren Jauregui. The band has experience on reality TV, as they were formed on “The X-Factor.”
Viall, who’s currently starring on ABC’s “The Bachelor,” is probably going to be competing for the Mirror Ball, though our source warns his deal is not completely done. “Dancing With the Stars” has a history of casting past stars from “The Bachelor” or “Bachelorette,” including Sean Lowe, Jake Pavelka, Melissa Rycroft, and Trista Sutter.
While Viall’s casting isn’t a done deal, one thing is certain: our insider jokes that current fan-favorite “Bachelor” contestant Corinne Olympios will not be stepping into her dancing shoes.
When asked for comment by Variety, a spokesperson for ABC said the network does not comment on casting rumors.
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