After months of speculations, the official roster of celebrity contestants for the 21st season of "Dancing With the Stars" was finally revealed. The final line-up of participants in the long-running celebrity dance tournament from ABC was announced on Wednesday's broadcast of "Good Morning America."
Before the big reveal on "GMA," some of the contestants for season 21 have already been announced by the network. Some of the first names earlier revealed include Australian wildlife show host/ actress Bindi Irwin, multi-awarded jockey Victor Espinoza, pop singer Andy Grammer, 15-year-old Vine celebrity Hayes Grier, "Nashville" star Alexa PenaVega and her "Big Time Rush" actor/ singer husband Carlos PenaVega, 10-time Grammy winner and international music icon Chaka Khan, and Backstreet Boys' youngest member and best-selling record artist Nick Carter.
Other celebrities who will join the show next season include Southern kitchen diva Paula Deen, reality show star Kim Zolciak Biermann, R&B singer Tamar Braxton, actor Gary Busey, and soldier Alek Skarlatos.
In other news, one pro dancer will not be able to compete in the coming 21st season. Peta Murgatroyd, one of the earlier confirmed professional dancers set to return in ABC's popular dance floor, recently announced through her Twitter account that she will have to sit out "DWTS" this season after suffering a severe ankle injury. She revealed that she needs to undergo surgery and two months of recovery before she will be able to actually dance again.
"This is obviously one of the toughest decisions I've ever made and I seriously struggled with the idea of not being able to dance," she tweeted, "but I know my health does come first, and the sooner I get this done, the sooner I can be back in the ballroom for all of you!"
The dancer also revealed that she was supposed to be paired with Andy Grammer, who asked to be paired with her for the season.
"He had specifically asked to be partnered with me and I felt like I was letting him down," Murgatroyd added in an interview with People magazine. "It's super frustrating but I'm going to be fine and I'm going to be back in week eight or nine of the show."
"Dancing With the Stars" season 21 will premiere on Monday, Sept. 14, on ABC.
