It has been confirmed that Olympian swimmer Michael Phelps had been approached to join the cast for the upcoming "Dancing with the Stars" season 23. According to a report from Hollywood Life, the swimmer had been asked if he could join the roster for the show right before he headed out for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil.
The show is scheduled to premiere during this fall season, which will be after the Olympic Games, but unfortunately Phelps declined the offer.
"Michael has been asked before [to do 'DWTS'] and he was recently asked to compete in the upcoming season," a source told Holywood Life. "And though he has considered it, he doesn't want to do it; he wants his legacy to be in the pool and not on the dance floor."
It is noted that Phelps had been approached to join the show before for the 2012 season but just as he did now Phelps had declined the offer. According to the report, Phelps did state that if he ever joined he would want fellow Olympian Nataly Coughlin to be his partner. Coughlin had previously joined and won "Dancing with the Stars."
Other notable athletes to have joined the show include Kristi Yamaguchi, Apollo Ono and Meryl Davis. All three won during their respective turns on the show. Some other athletes, such as Lolo Jones, Metta World Peace and Sean Avery did not do so well during their stint on "Dancing with the Stars."
With Phelps not joining, a report from Inquisitr points out that other celebrities have been rumored to step in instead. Some names being suggested include JoJo Fletcher from "The Bachelorette" and Teresa Giudice from "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." Derek Hough, on the other hand, is not returning due to a scheduling conflict with his new project, "Hairspray Live!"
"Dancing with the Stars" season 23 will premiere on ABC this coming Sept. 12.
