ADAM CAROLLA AND JULIANNE HOUGH
Funnyman Adam Carolla is the host of the nationally syndicated morning radio program "The Adam Carolla Show." A staple on the comedy circuit, Carolla helped to create and host Comedy's Central The Man Show in 1999 alongside Jimmy Kimmel. He also worked with Celebrity Rehab's Dr. Drew Pinksy in 1995 on the long-running radio program Loveline. This March, Carolla will make his acting debut in The Hammer, which he co wrote and co produced. The actor/comedian is about to add yet another mark on his resume: he can also dance!
This season on Dancing with the Stars, Carolla will be paired with two-time Stars champion Julianne Hough, who returns for her third season on the series. Hough was bitten by the dancing bug early on, coming from a family of talented dancers. Impressively, the young sensation can do more than shake and twirl�Hough's is also an acclaimed country singer. The future looks promising for this ambitious double talent, who has danced her way up to the winning spot for the past two seasons of Stars.
CRISTIAN DE LA FUENTE AND CHERYL BURKE
Chilean native Cristian De La Fuente is about to add "dancer" to the list of his many talents. After making his debut on several South American television shows, the international film and television star has begun to make a splash in the American entertainment industry. Through roles on Family Law and CSI: Miami and silver screen appearances in 2001's Driven and 2003's Basic, the actor has become known as a valuable talent. De La Fuente's hidden talent? He is also a First Lieutenant in the Chilean Air Force Reserve.
De La Fuente will team up with DWTS sensation Cheryl Burke, who returns for her fifth season of Dancing With the Stars. A trained ballroom and Latin dancer, Burke began competing when she was just 13. In 2006, she was nominated for two Emmys for Outstanding Choreography for her Paso Doble and Freestyle performances featured on DWTS. The fan-favorite dancer ventured outside the dance studio and onto the small screen when she appeared in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody in 2006 and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in 2007. Burke's dance skills and on-screen performance helped her score the disco ball trophy on DWTS second and third seasons.
SHANNON ELIZABETH AND DEREK HOUGH
Shannon Elizabeth was first introduced to audiences through her starring roles in both American Pie in 1999 and Scary Movie in 2000, but the silver screen isn't the only place she shines. The model/actress also has a great poker face! At the 2007 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, Elizabeth came in third out of 64 professional players. The all-around talent is set to compete this spring in another contest, lacing up her dancing shoes to partner with Derek Hough in this season of DWTS.
Derek Hough, who returns for his second season, is the older brother of current DWTS champion Julianne Hough. A former World Under-21 Latin Dance Champion, Hough has won both the LA Outstanding Dancer of the Year and the New York Dance Alliance Outstanding Dance awards. The 22-year-old thespian has appeared on stage in Footloose, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. He even branched out to the silver screen as an extra in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. What's more, this triple-threat is also a musician. Hough plays guitar and sings lead vocals in Almost Amy, a band he created along with DWTS costar Mark Ballas.
STEVE GUTTENBERG AND ANNA TREBUNSKAYA
Steve Guttenberg has starred in several American blockbusters, including Three Men and a Baby in 1987, Police Academy in 1984 and Cocoon in 1985. The Julliard grad's extensive training has paid off�each of the dozen films that the actor has appeared in has grossed over $100 million at the box office. However, one of Guttenberg's biggest accomplishments took place off the silver screen when he starred in The Day After, one of the highest-rated made-for-TV movies of all time. The star's off-screen passion is indulging his philanthropic side. The actor has founded and facilitates The Guttenhouse Project, a program that offers housing to children who have been phased out of foster care. Do-gooder Guttenberg will be paired up with Anna Trebunskaya on this season of DWTS as she returns for her third year.
Growing up in Russia, Trebunskaya spent most of her time practicing leaps and twirls at the dance studio her parents owned. Her dedication and dance genes helped win her first competition when she was just 7-years-old and she brought her ballroom skills to the U.S., being honored as 1998's Amateur Youth Standard Ballroom Champion. Trebunskaya is married to fellow DWTS pro Jonathan Roberts.
MARIO AND KARINA SMIRNOFF
Maryland native Mario was discovered when he was just 11 and offered a record deal from Clive Davis at age 14. This R & B sensation, now 21, is best known for his hit singles "Just a Friend" in 2002 and "Let Me Love You" which was selected as Billboard's Top R & B Single of the Year in 2005. Mario made his acting debut in Step Up in 2006 and starred in Freedom Writers alongside Hilary Swank in 2007. His latest album Go is in stores now. A man with rhythm, Mario is set to team up with Karina Smirnoff in the upcoming season of DWTS.
Smirnoff is embarking on her fourth season of DWTS. A world champion ballroom dancer, she is ranked second in the world. Smirnoff spent her childhood in Ukraine wearing ballet slippers, possessing a passion for dance since the age of 5. After moving to the United States when she was 14, Smirnoff stopped dancing to study and work in hopes of achieving the American dream of wealth and success. Although she graduated Fordham University with the plan to pursue a law degree, she couldn't stay away from her true love: dancing. Since then, she has excelled in partner ballroom dancing, winning countless competitions and awards, including the World Trophy Championship. Her vivacious movements ballroom dancing landed her a role in the film Shall We Dance alongside Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, and Jennifer Lopez in 2005.
MARLEE MATLIN AND FABIAN SANCHEZ
Although actress Marlee Matlin lost her hearing when she was 18-months-old, she never let her disability hold her back. The actress has said, "The handicap of deafness is not in the ear; it is in the mind." Matlin was the youngest performer ever to win an Academy Award for Best Actress, which she earned for her film debut in the 1986 hit Children of a Lesser God at the age of 21. Since her success on the silver screen, Matlin has appeared on a number of hit television shows including The West Wing, Nip/Tuck, The L-Word, and Desperate Housewives. The star refuses to let people with impaired hearing be excluded from the entertainment world: Motivated Matlin is the national spokeswoman for the largest provider of TV Closed Captioning. The philanthropic star is ready to conquer another challenge when she is paired up with newcomer Fabian Sanchez on this season of DWTS.
Sanchez is a fixture in the ballroom dancing world. Since he began competing in 1992, the ballroom sensation has danced his way up the ranks. He is the 2006 World Mambo Champion, a four-time Fred Astaire National Champion, and the 1999 American Rhythm Champion. When Sanchez is not shaking it on the dance floor, he coaches and choreographs at his own dance studio in Hoover, Ala.
PENN JILLETTE AND KYM JOHNSON
Penn Jillette is the larger, more loquacious half of the comedic illusionist team Penn & Teller. The entertaining duo has been amusing people for 30 years and currently headline in their own theater in Las Vegas. They have been nominated for 11 Emmy Awards for their television series Penn and Teller: Bulls**t on which they analyze aspects of society which they deem to be, simply stated, Bulls**t! Penn & Teller have created several other TV projects together and have also written three best selling books. A highlight of Jillette's career: In 2005, he produced and co created the critically acclaimed, laugh-out-loud documentary The Aristocrats. Jillette will have yet another partner-in-crime when he teams up with Kym Johnson on this season of DWTS.
Australian ballroom performer Kym Johnson returns for her fourth season on DWTS. A dancer since the time she could walk, Johnson has earned several accomplishments. She and her former partner Tomas Atkocevicius placed second at the Australian Dancesport Championships in the Open Amateur Modern Ballroom and they were finalist at the U.K. Ballroom Championships. Johnson retired from competitive ballroom dancing in 2001, but continues to win over fans on DWTS.
PRISCILLA PRESLEY AND LOUIS VAN AMSTEL
As music icon Elvis Presley's former wife, Priscilla Presley has found fame of her own. The model/actress/entrepreneur starred in the Naked Gun films and on the 1980's soap opera Dallas. Founder of Elvis Presley Enterprises, the multi-talented Presley has also made a splash in film production, serving as executive producer on the 1998 feature film Finding Graceland and on the television version of her autobiography Elvis and Me in 1988. Did Presley learn any dance moves from her rock n' roll husband? The world will find out when she pairs up with Louis van Amstel on the upcoming season of DWTS.
Seven-time Dutch and three-time World champion performer van Amstel returns for his fourth season on the series this spring. Since retiring from competition, van Amstel has become a renowned coach and choreographer. His respected work landed him a job working under the bright lights of New York City's Times Square when he choreographed and performed in the hit Broadway show Latin Fusion. Fun fact: this fan-favorite took a hiatus from DWTS during seasons four and five when all of the female partners were taller than him! However, van Amstel is back and has his eye on that disco ball trophy.
MONICA SELES AND JONATHAN ROBERTS
Tennis champ Monica Seles is the holder of nine grand slam singles titles and was once the top ranked-player in the world. In 1988, Seles turned pro at the young of 14 and earned her first grand slam championship at the French Open just two years later. The tennis talent was forced to take a two-year hiatus from the court following an attack in which she was stabbed in her back by a spectator in 1993. However, resilient Seles returned to the net to capture her final grand slam crown in 1996 when she won the Australian Open. This season on DWTS, Seles trades in her racket for dancing shoes when she is paired with Jonathan Roberts, who returns for his fifth season.
It is ironic that graceful Jonathan Roberts stumbled upon dance. The star ballroom dancer only decided to take up dancing after he received a free trial at a local studio and enjoyed it! Roberts has achieved a lot of success throughout his career. He won the US National Professional Rising Star Ballroom Champion in 1997 and, with once partner, now wife and DWTS competitor Anna Trebunskaya, he became the 2003 Blackpool Professional Rising Star Latin Champion and the 2004 US National Professional Rising Star Latin Champion.
JASON TAYLOR AND EDYTA SLIWINSKA
NFL star Jason Taylor has played defense for the Miami Dolphins for over a decade. He was awarded this year's NFL Man of the Year and last year's NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards. While he is not busy scoring touchdowns, the six-time All Pro player spends his time doing charity work. In 2004, he created the Jason Taylor Foundation in hopes of improving the lives of needy children living in South Florida. All skilled football players take ballet classes during training, but will Taylor's practiced leaps and twirls that help him to perform on the field come to his aid when he is paired with Edyta Sliwinska in the upcoming season of DWTS?
Edyta Sliwinska is the only pro to compete in all six seasons of DWTS. Ballroom dancer Sliwinska has competed with partner Alec Mazo for over six years. The pair took their partnership to a new level when they said "I do" in September of 2007.
MARISSA JARET WINOKUR AND TONY DOVOLANI
Marissa Jaret Winokur is best known for her role as the first Tracy Turnblad in the hit Broadway musical Hairspray. For her performance as this over overweight, eccentric, and amiable '60s gal, she not only received standing ovations from the audience night after night. Winokur also earned a 2003 Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress. Since her success on Broadway, Winokur has made her way to tinsel town. She appeared in the Farrelly Brothers' 2005 film Fever Pitch, on the television series Stacked with Pamela Anderson, and starred in the 2007 Lifetime movie Betrayals. The theatrical sensation is also set to star in the new CBS pilot Fugly. Winokur has proven she can sing and act. Soon, we will find out if she can dance with the professionals on DWTS when she is paired with Tony Dovolani this season.
Tony Dovolani returns for his fifth season. Dancing since he was just 3-years-old, Dovolani's family moved from Yugoslavia to the United States when he was 15, which is when his career skyrocketed. The ballroom dancer has twirled around the world, winning numerous competitions. In 2005 and 2006, he won the title of the World Rhythm Champion and the United States Open Rhythm consecutively. The dancer has also appeared on the silver screen, playing a Latin bad boy in the hit film Shall We Dance?, during which time he helped coach costar Jennifer Lopez.
KRISTI YAMAGUCHI AND MARK BALLAS
One of the most popular figure skaters of our time, Kristi Yamaguchi is an Olympic Gold medalist and World Champion. Since winning the 1992 Winter Olympics, the graceful glider has retired from competitive skating to perform in numerous television specials and perform with the traveling "Stars on Ice" tour. Among her many awards and accomplishments, Yamaguchi is a member of the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame, World Figure Skating Hall of Fame and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. When she is not on ice, Yamaguchi spends time fundraising and supporting children's charities through her Always Dream Foundation, which she founded in 1996.
Pro Mark Ballas is returning to the show for his second season. Trained in dancing, singing, and acting at the Italia Conti Academy of Dramatic Arts Associate School in London, Ballas found his true passion in dance. When he was just 10, Ballas became the British Juvenile Ballroom and Latin American Dance champion. Since then, he has moved on to win championships at The British Open to the World, The U.S. Open to the world, and The International Open to the World. With his former partner and DWTS competitor Julianne Hough, he took home the gold medal at the Junior Olympics and won the Junior Latin American Dance Championship. Ballas has made a splash theatrically and played the lead role of Tony in the musical Copacabana. What's more, this young talent is also musically inclined, forming the band Almost Amy with DWTS pro and best pal Derek Hough.
