The cast for Season 23 of the hit ABC show 'Dancing with the Stars' is announced, and there are several reasons for us die-hard fans to be excited about this contest.

I have to admit, there are a lot of unfamiliar names (at least, to me) on this list. But as I got closer to the bottom, I started to see a lot of potential for this to be another amazing season.

Let's start with the fact that pro dancer Derek Hough, who was absent last season, WILL be back! And he's paired up with one of the more-familiar contestants -- Marilu Henner, who people my age and older may know best from the hit sitcom 'Taxi.'

Everyone will be yelling, "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!" this season, too...since the woman who played Marcia Brady on "The Brady Bunch" -- Maureen McCormick -- is also competing for the coveted mirror ball trophy. She's paired up with super-hot pro Artem Chigvinsev.

Another name at the top of my Season 23 favorites list is rapper Vanilla Ice (OK, we'll call him Robert Van Winkle). We all know he can dance, right? The big question will be....will ballroom or Latin be more his forte? He'll dance with pro Witney Carson, who is just adorable.

Other notable celebrities this season are R&B superstar Kenny 'Babyface' Edmonds, country artist Jana Kramer (who, if I'm not mistaken, paid our radio stations a visit a while back), Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte (scandal!), and former Texas Governor Rick Perry, who Tweeted that he's doing this to support veterans. Their pros, respectively, are Allison Holker, Gleb Savchenko, Cheryl Burke and Emma Slater.

What else is cool about this season? Another pro who was absent last season, with the exception of being a guest judge one week, is also making a comeback. Maksim Chmerkovskiy is paired up with talk show host/model/actress, and complete unknown to me, Amber Rose.

Other "celebrities" in the contest are NFL wide receiver Calvin Johnson, Jr., Disney star Jake T. Austin, Verizon IndyCar Series driver James Hinchcliffe, Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez, and actress Terra Jole (who's probably half the size of her pro partner, Sasha Farber, which should be interesting to watch). I don't know any of them yet, but I'm excited to find out more and see what they can do on the dance floor.

Season 23 premieres September 12 at 7 p.m., our time, on ABC. CLICK HERE to find out more about the celebs and the pros.

 

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