The new cast of Dancing with the Stars season 18 was revealed last week which features a cast of Olympic gold medalists, athletes, former teen stars and more.
The lineup of stars and pro partners of DWTS 2014 will take to the stage live next week in its season premiere on Monday, March 17 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
This season will feature a new game twist "The Switch Up" which will allow the American audience to change the celebrity and professional dance pairings. This will be the first time contestants on the show will get to switch their pro-dancers during the competition.
This year's show will be hosted by veteran host Tom Bergeron and Fox Sports reporter Erin Andrews, replacing host Brooke Burke-Charvet, who will not be returning to the dancing show.
Last month, Burke-Charvet, who was expecting to return as host of the show, tweeted her surprise: "Weird day.. Shocking pre-season elimination #DWTS...ME. @Tom_Bergeron didn't even read my name. I won't be returning to the show this season."
She also told E!Online: "I've seen my fair share of shocking eliminations in the ballroom but this one takes the cake."
Meanwhile, behind-the-scenes photos of the new cast can be seen here.
The full list of celebrities and pro-partners are:
Candace Cameron Bure – The actress and best-selling New York Times author and inspirational speaker who is passionate about her Christian faith will be pairing with pro dancer Mark Ballas. Bure starred as D.J. Tanner in the hit family show "Full House" in the '90s.
Danica McKellar – The former "The Wonder Years" actress will be partnering with Valentin Chmerkovskiy. McKellar, who starred as "Winnie Cooper" in the hit show, is also a New York Times bestselling author.
Diana Nyad – The ambitious swimmer will be paired with Henry Byalikov. Nyad achieved her 35-year-old dream of becoming the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida last year. She achieved her goal after five attempts.
Nene Leakes – The reality star of "Real Housewives of Atlanta" will be pairing with Tony Dovolani. Leakes has her own spin-off show from the reality show called "I Dream of Nene: The Wedding." She was also cast for an episode in "Glee" and landed a starring role in NBC's "The New Normal."
Cody Simpson – The 17-year-old pop-star will be partnering with Witney Carson. Simpson previously toured with Justin Bieber in his Believe Tour and recently released "The Acoustic Sessions" EP.
Drew Carey – The stand up comedian and actor who starred in "The Drew Carey Show" and "Whose Line Is It Anyway" will be pairing with Cheryl Burke.
Meryl Davis – The Olympic ice-dancing gold medalist will be pairing with Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who will be returning to the show after a brief hiatus. DWTS will be the first time that Davis will be competing against dance partner Charlie White, who will also be competing this year. Davis and White won the 2014 Olympic gold, 2010 Olympic Silver and are 2011 & 2013 World Champions in ice-dancing.
Charlie White – The Olympic ice-dancing gold medalist will be pairing with Sharna Burgess. White, who started dancing on ice since the age of 3, partnered with Meryl Davis for 17 years and finally achieved their Olympic dream when they won the ice-dancing gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Amy Purdy – The 2014 Paralympic Games Olympian snow-boarder will partner with Derek Hough. Purdy lost her legs at the age of 19 as a result of meningitis but continued to achieve her dreams. She is a three-time World Cup Para-snowboard winner and co-founded Adaptive Action Sports, a non- profit organization which helps disabled youth, adults and wounded veterans.
Sean Avery – The former pro hockey player will be partnering with Karina Smirnoff. Avery played left wing for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Dallas Stars and the New York Rangers.
James Maslow –The "Big Time Rush" star will be dancing with partner Peta Murgatroyd. Maslow starred in the hit television series and is a member of the band of the same name.
Billy Dee Williams – The legendary actor will be dancing with partner Emma Slater. Williams starred alongside Diana Ross in "The Lady Sings the Blues" and appeared in numerous movies including "The Return of the Jedi," "The Empire Strikes Back" and more. He won the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.
