Dancing With the Stars names largest cast ever

Photos: Cameron Mathison and Jane Seymour

Twelve celebrities, six women and six men, the most ever to compete on the ABC dance floor, have signed on for this season’s Dancing With the Stars. A daytime soap hunk, a racecar driver, a Spice Girl, a billionaire, a model, and a singer are among those hoping to take home the mirror-ball trophy.

The fun starts Sept. 24 on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.

Here’s the list of stars, along with their professional partners:

Cameron Mathison — He’s one of daytime’s hottest and busiest soap stars. He stars as Ryan on All My Children, hosts the SoapNet show I Wanna Be a Soap Star, and does other guest reporting for entertainment shows, even filling in for Regis on Regis and Kelly. Mathison has got the looks, but will he have the moves to stick with professional partner Edyta Sliwinska? She’s the only pro to appear in every season of the show, and frankly, I’m hoping this is her year. The gal has had George Hamilton, Vincent Pastore, and John Ratzenberger as partners, previously. Perhaps she and Mathison will have magic moves. If not, they’ll certainly look great together.

Jennie Garth — This beloved actress was spotted in the audience last season several times, supporting her former Beverly Hills 90210 costar Ian Ziering. This year, she’ll need some support of her own. I hope that means we’ll see some more 90210 folks in the audience this year. (Paging Luke Perry.) Garth is also known for her role on What I Like About You. Garth is dancing with DWTS newcomer Derek Hough, the brother of last year’s professional champion Julianne Hough.

Wayne Newton — He’s the oldest contestant to take the dance floor this year, at age 65. But “Mr. Las Vegas” has a couple advantages. First, he’s paired with two-time pro champ Cheryl Burke, and second, he’s used to performing nightly. (On stage, people, on STAGE. I know where your mind is going.)

Jane Seymour — The former Bond babe and star of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman is an Emmy and Golden Globe winning actress. She’s taken on the frontier, as Dr. Quinn, and plenty of difficult issues in numerous television mini series, so why not the dance floor? Seymour is dancing with Tony Dovolani, who is returning for his fourth season.

Helio Castroneves — This racecar driver is a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner. He likes to go fast, apparently, which is a good thing, considering he’s partnered with last season’s professional winner, Julianne Hough, who is known for her quick and energetic choreography. I’ve never heard of this guy before, but with a name like Helio, he’s got to be cool.

Sabrina Bryan — She’s an actress and a recording artist in the all-girl singing group Cheetah Girls, from the Disney Channel original movie, The Cheetah Girls. She’s young, energetic, and beautiful. Bryan is partnered with newcomer Mark Ballas.

Mark Cuban — He’s a billionaire and the owner of the Dallas Mavericks. So, I’m not sure why Cuban signed on for weeks of torturous dance rehearsals and blistered feet, but perhaps he knows something we don’t: He’s a maverick on the dance floor. Cuban is dancing with adorable Kym Johnson, who is returning for her third season.

Melanie Brown — You know her as Scary Spice and as the mother of Eddie Murphy’s child. As a former girl-band member, she has some dance moves. But will they scare the competition? Brown is partnered with tough-guy Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who is returning for his fourth season.

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. — He’s a pro boxer who is undefeated in 38 pro fights and is the current WBC welterweight champion of the world. I’m scared for the judges already. The gloves could come off at some point because “Pretty Boy Floyd” is partnered with the sometimes hotheaded Karina Smirnoff, who is returning for her third season.

Josie Maran — She’s a model and an actress, having appeared in Van Helsing, The Aviator, Glamour and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Maran is partnered with another pretty face, season one champion, Alec Mazo.

Albert Reed — You’ve seen his face in national ad campaigns for Abercrombie & Fitch, Rayban, Reebok and other clothing lines. He’s also modeled for Chanel, Levis and Michael Kors. Reed is a former award-winning teen surfer, too. He’s hoping to hang a couple 10s in the competition, along with partner Anna Trebunskaya, who returns for her second season.

Marie Osmond — She’s a little bit country, if you remember her from the Donny & Marie Show. Since then, Osmond has performed on Broadway, starred in TV movies, written a best-selling book and created a successful collectible doll line. She’s also the co-founder and co-host of the Children's Miracle Network. She’s partnered with, (not brother Donny for once - but wouldn’t that have been cool?) Jonathan Roberts, who is returning for his fourth season.

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