The hunt for the mirrorball trophy is nearly underway! Season 26 of Dancing with the Stars is going to be the fiercest yet with only athletes looking to take home the top prize. In anticipation of the big premiere (Monday, April 30), Us Weekly caught up with the stars to learn their strategy and who is their biggest competition. Watch the video above!
While Tonya Harding is a little “nervous” about the big night, she does admit that her biggest competition is herself, and that all the athletes are “gonna bring it.”
“This is truly an honor to be part of this,” Harding, who said to be on the lookout for her signature triple axel, told Us on April 13 in New York City. “It’s very heartfelt, and I’m just so excited. I just want to do it.” (Harding is paired with Sasha Farber this season.)
And it looks like the other figure skaters in the competition — Olympic medalists Adam Rippon and Mariai Nagasu — are the ones to watch. Olympic luger Chris Mazdzer told Us, “They might not have ballroom dance lessons, but they have dance experience.”
As for Rippon, 28, he says that former NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will also bring the heat.
“When we were on Good Morning America, they asked anybody if they’ve had a dance lesson before,” Rippon told Us. “And Kareem raised his hand.”
As for Jabbar, he’s just concerned with one thing … having a good time!
“We want to have fun,” Abdul-Jabbar, 71, told Us. “We just want to go out there and be relaxed and have fun have people see that we are enjoying ourselves.”
Dancing With the Stars: Athletes premieres ABC on Monday, April 30, at 8 p.m. ET.
