ABC has finally announced the official cast for Dancing With The Stars season 29, which includes Tiger King's Carole Baskin alongside various celebrities. Carole has been a high-profile animal activist for many years. She is the CEO of a nonprofit organization called Big Cat Rescue, which is headquartered in the greater Tampa, Florida area. In 2020, Netflix's Tiger King docu-series turned Carole into a mainstream celebrity in the public eye. With that said, she is not particularly fond of the antagonistic tone that she was given in the documentary.
It is fair to say that Carole Baskin wasn't exactly an obvious choice for Dancing With The Stars. All in all, the animal activist isn't particularly known for dancing skills... however, inexperienced contestants have surprised the DWTS time and time again over the years. Most celebrities who sign on to do Dancing are looking for exposure to push their particular projects and endeavors. It is also a good PR move for famous people who want to change the perception that the public has about them.
Per ABC, Carole Baskin has been officially cast on the upcoming season of Dancing With The Stars. During her official interview with Good Morning America (seen below), Carole once again talked about feeling disappointed by the negative portrayal that she was given on Tiger King. She is now hoping that DWTS will be a good platform for her to advocate for animal rights. In any case, the Dancing With The Stars season 29 cast will also feature Selling Sunset's Chrishell Stause, The Bachelor alum lead Kaitlyn Bristowe, Cheer coach Monica Aldama, and Catfish: The TV Show's Nev Schulman. Actresses Justina Machado and Skai Jackson are also in the cast, along with actor Jesse Metcalfe. Last but not least, the season includes rapper Nelly, singer AJ McLean (from the Backstreet Boys), Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir, and NFL athlete Vernon Davis.
Ten professional dancers that were on Dancing With The Stars season 28 will return to compete on this season in 2020. Those are Alan Bersten, Brandon Armstrong, Cheryl Burke, Emma Slater, Gleb Savchenko, Jenna Johnson, Pasha Pashkov, Peta Murgatroyd, Sasha Farber, and Val Chmerkovskiy. This season's team of professionals will also include Artem Chigvintsev, Sharna Burgess, and Keo Motsepe, as well as newcomers Britt Stewart and Daniella Karagach. Fan-favorites Lindsay Arnold and Witney Carson are not going to be featured on DWTS season 29 as they are both currently pregnant.
The fans are excited to see what Dancing With The Stars will feel like in the hands of brand-new host and executive producers Tyra Banks. In addition, given that there are concerns with COVID-19, the season will likely have quite a few differences for the viewers at home.
Sources: ABC, GMA's YouTube