Audrina Patridge: We’ve watched her bare her soul in front of the camera for years. Now reality gets even more real as we watch her learn to dance and face possible elimination.
After starring in six seasons of the hit series The Hills, Audrina Patridge has joined the ranks of young Hollywood as one of the most sought-after and talked about talents on television. Patridge, who aspired to become an actress from a very early age, has been honing her skills with regarded coaches and private acting classes. She made her debut on the big screen last fall in the thriller Sorority Row. Other film credits include the action-adventure film Into the Blue 2 and Honey 2.
Patridge has also tested her hand at comedy, appearing on an episode of the sitcom Do Not Disturb, and in a hilarious skit for MAD TV. Last summer, Patridge made headlines steaming up TV screens in a commercial for Carl’s Jr. This July, she became the latest Bongo girl, shooting the fall advertising campaign with famed photographer Tony Duran.
Brandy: We’ve seen her grow up. And now we’re excited to see this multi-talented accomplished artist hit the dance floor. We just hope she doesn’t try to dance in her Cinderella glass slippers.
Brandy is a platinum-selling R&B and pop singer, actress, songwriter, and record/television producer. In 1994, at the age of fifteen, Brandy released her eponymous debut album selling over 6 million copies. Following a major success with "The Boy Is Mine," a duet with singer Monica which spent 13 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart, she won a Grammy® Award for Best R&B performance by a duo or group. The accompanying album Never Say Never in 1998 sold over 16 million copies worldwide. A series of hit CD's followed, including Full Moon, Afrodisiac and Human bringing the star’s sales over 30 million records to date.
While maintaining a recording career, Brandy also gained fame as an actress, starring in several film and TV projects including the popular UPN sitcom, Moesha (1996-2001), the 1997 version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Double Platinum, a miniseries co-starring Diana Ross, and the movie I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. Brandy has also been spokesmodel for Cover Girl, Candies Shoes, DKNY, Sketchers Shoes and Ultima/Kaneka brand by Brandy.
Her civic and charity interests include the Make-A-Wish Foundation and The Norwood Kids Foundation which supports music and the performing arts in public schools. She is currently filming season 2 of the hit VH1 reality show Brandy and Ray J: a Family Business which she stars in and is Executive Producer. She is also in studio recording a new CD for release in 2011.Photo credit: Chris Hebert
Bristol Palin: It was only two years ago that we first met Bristol Palin, former first daughter of Alaska. We know she’s tough enough to survive rough Alaskan winters, but is she ready to face Bruno, Carrie Ann, and Len?
Bristol first entered the national spotlight when her mother, former Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin was selected to be John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 Presidential election. Bristol traveled the country alongside her mother, father and siblings on the campaign trail.
After giving birth to her son Tripp, and becoming a single teen mother in 2008, Palin became a spokesperson for the prevention of teen pregnancy and other teen issues. As an advocate for the protection of life, Palin wanted to share her story with other teens who may one day face a similar situation. Palin also acts as Teen Ambassador for The Candie’s Foundation, to prevent teen and unplanned pregnancy. As part of her campaign, Palin recently guest starred as herself on an episode of ABC Family’s teenage drama The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Palin resides in Alaska with her son and family.
David Hasselhoff: We all know that David Hasselhoff is an international superstar across all genres of music, television and film. But, how will he do on the dancefloor?
Listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as "The Most Watched TV Star in the World," Hasselhoff got his start in entertainment on the popular soap opera The Young and the Restless and was quickly pursued to play the lead role of the 1980’s cult favorite Knight Rider. But his rise to fame catapulted when he starred in the television phenomenon Baywatch. The series ran for 11 years and is still viewed in 140 countries by over one billion viewers every week.
Throughout his extraordinary television career, Hasselhoff has also appeared in feature films such as Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and Adam Sandler’s Click. Off screen, he has recorded multiple albums, one that has gone triple platinum, starred in the Broadway musical Jekyll & Hyde, in London’s West End production of Chicago, and The Producers in Las Vegas. Most recently, Hasselhoff was honored by Comedy Central with The Comedy Central Roast of David Hasselhoff which premiered as one of the top-rated comedy roasts on the network.
Not only is Hasselhoff a multi-faceted talent but he is also a writer of an autobiography titled Don’t Hassel The Hoff, which made the UK Best Seller list re-titled as Making Waves and debuted at #8 in Austria on the non-fiction charts. Beyond his entertainment contributions, Hasselhoff is the co-founder of "Race for Life" and an active participant in Wounded Warriors and Wheels for Humanity.Photo credit: Paul Gregory
Florence Henderson: We know she’s a multi-talented actress, talk show host, recording artist, author, Broadway veteran and philanthropist. But all we keep screaming excitedly in our heads is: "It’s Mrs. Brady!!!!!"
Florence Henderson’s career is as active today as when she first appeared as the "Today Girl" on NBC’s Today Show and the first woman to host The Tonight Show. Florence has appeared on such popular prime time programs and made for television specials as the critically acclaimed movie of the week for Hallmark entitled Ladies of the House and the popular RLTV Network’s Florence Henderson Show. she will always be best known in syndication worldwide as "America’s Favorite Mom" and matriarch Carol Brady, on the classic hit TV series The Brady Bunch, which aired for five seasons (1969-1974), has never been off the air in this country, and currently airs in 122 countries around the world.
Acknowledged as one of the top leading spokespersons in the U.S., Florence has been a celebrity spokeswoman for Oldsmobile, Tang, Polident, Rain Soft, Pepsi Light and Wesson Oil. In fact, she maintains a busy schedule as one of the most popular and sought after motivational speakers as well as performing her one-woman show entitled All the Lives of Me.. A Musical Journey. Her first role on stage was in Joshua Logan’s musical, Wish You Were Here, and shortly thereafter she was cast in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s last national tour of Oklahoma!
Ms. Henderson’s long list of stage credits includes the starring role in The Great Waltz for the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, the starring role of Fanny, the lead role of "Maria" in The Sound of Music, the lead in The Girl Who Came to Supper, the role of Nellie Forbush in Noel Coward’s South Pacific, and the starring role of "Anna," opposite Ricardo Montalban, in The King and I. Her first feature film credit was in The Song of Norway.
As a producer and a talk-show host, her credits also include The Nashville Network’s cooking and comedy series Country Kitchen. The experiences inspired her to write a cookbook, A Little Cooking, A Little Talking and A Whole Lot Of Fun.Photo Credit: Jenn Kennedy
Jennifer Grey: We wonder...when she dirty danced with Patrick Swayze was she secretly imagining it being a Viennese Waltz?
A beloved actress of both film and television, Jennifer Grey is best known for her starring roles in the iconic movies Dirty Dancing and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Grey starred as Frances "Baby" Houseman in the award-winning, box office hit Dirty Dancing, which is widely considered one of the best dance movies of all time.
Some of Grey’s other films include the Ben Affleck movie Bounce, Red Dawn, and The Cotton Club. Grey starred in the television sitcom, It’s Like, You Know.. and has made memorable television appearances on such shows as Friends, John from Cincinnati, The New Adventures of Old Christine, and an upcoming episode of the medical drama House. She has also starred in various television movies, including A Case for Murder, CBS’s The West Side Waltz, and a Lifetime original movie Road to Christmas.
Jennifer is the daughter of Tony® and Academy Award® winner, Joel Grey, and resides in Los Angeles with her family, actor/director Clark Gregg and daughter. Photo credit: Theo & Juliet
Kurt Warner: He’s the first quarterback ever to participate in Dancing with the Stars. Clearly he’s fast on his feet. But how’s is he without his cleats on?
In 1999, Kurt Warner emerged from obscurity to lead the St. Louis Rams to a victory in Super Bowl XXXIV. In that same year, Warner was named the NFL and Super Bowl Most Valuable Player. As the ringleader of the "Greatest Show on Turf," he led the Rams to two additional playoff appearances - including another Super Bowl - and received Pro Bowl honors for three consecutive years (1999-2001). He also earned his second NFL MVP in 2001. Injuries led Warner to move from the Rams to the Giants, and finally the Arizona Cardinals in 2005. In 2007, he led the Cardinals to their first ever Super Bowl berth, was voted to his fourth Pro Bowl, and surpassed several Cardinals’ franchise records including touchdowns, attempts, completions, completion percentage and passer rating.
Warner’s gridiron accomplishments pale in comparison to the dedication he devotes to the community. In 2001, Kurt and his wife Brenda established the First Things First Foundation, a non-profit public charity dedicated to impacting lives by promoting Christian values, sharing experiences and providing opportunities to encourage everyone that all things are possible when people seek to put first things first.
Warner was born and raised in Iowa and played college football at the University of Northern Iowa. He lives in Arizona with his wife Brenda and seven children.
Kyle Massey: We’re looking forward to seeing Kyle, the youngest competitor this season, bring his hip-hop style to the dance floor. But the question that’s on all of our minds: How Raven is he?
Kyle Orlando Massey stars as Cory Baxter in Disney Channel's #1 hit sitcom, Cory in the House, Disney Channel’s first-ever spin-off. He originated the role of Cory in Disney's That's So Raven, the first show in Disney's history to produce over 100 episodes. For his work on Raven and Cory in the House, he received an NAACP Image Award nomination.
In addition to appearing in numerous commercials, he starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie, Life is Ruff. He has a recurring role on the animated series American Dragon: Jake Long and sings the main title theme songs on Cory In The House, Yin! Yang! Yo! and performed the title track for Walt Disney Picture’s Underdog. Currently, Kyle is starring as the voice of Milo on the Disney Channel’s upcoming animated series Fish Hooks.
For his prowess in golf, he won first place in the National Minority Junior Golf Tournament in 2003. Kyle has participated in several celebrity golf tournaments, placing 3rd in a recent White House Golf Tournament.
Together with brother Christopher, Kyle has worked on projects to benefit the charity organization Feed the Children and traveled to Africa for the network primetime television special Eyes on Kenya. They have also performed their rap music in Heroes Among Us: the 2009 Hero Awards and in MyNetworkTV’s The Spirit of Christmas. Currently they are co-hosting and starring in the comedy series World’s Funniest Moments.
Margaret Cho: She’s hilarious and she challenges the status quo. But will the ballroom dance floor be her biggest challenge yet?
One of the most successful stand-up comediennes of today, Margaret Cho’s performances have been seen by millions around the world. Having first performed stand-up in her native San Francisco at the age of 16, Cho’s best-selling tours include the off-Broadway hit/concert film I’m the One That I Want, Notorious C.H.O., Revolution, and Beautiful. Cho is also a regular cast member of the hit Lifetime series Drop Dead Diva. Her other acting work includes her starring role in the sitcom All-American Girl, Face/Off and several guest star appearances including Sex and the City and Ghost Whisperer.
Cho is also a best-selling author whose work includes the book I’m The One That I Want and a collection of essays entitled I Have Chosen To Stay and Fight. A passionate advocate for equal rights, Margaret has received honors from GLAAD, the National Gay and Lesbian task Force, National Organization for Women, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Victory Fund, and many others. Cho is currently touring with Cho Dependent which features both stand-up and songs from her new music comedy album of the same name.
Michael Bolton: How many of us have danced to this man’s songs? Now it’s his turn to tango!
Michael Bolton has sold more than 53 million records, released 18 studio albums, won multiple Grammys for Best Male Vocalist and countless other honors, all while selling out arenas worldwide. In 2002, the singer-songwriter earned a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. He has sung with Luciano Pavarotti and Ray Charles, written songs with Bob Dylan, Ne-Yo and Lady Gaga, penned hits for a diverse range of artists including Barbra Streisand and KISS, played guitar with B.B. King and had his music recorded on a track by hip-hop superstar Kanye West (featuring megastar Jay-Z).
Earlier this year, Bolton released his latest album One World One Love featuring his current single, "Murder My Heart" which he co-wrote with Lady Gaga and is currently on a worldwide concert tour.
Of all that he has accomplished, perhaps nothing is more important to Bolton than the foundation he founded in1993, The Michael Bolton Charities, Inc. Based in his home state of Connecticut, the major focus of The MBC is the critical issue of violence against women. Since its inception, The MBC has dispersed over $6 million in grants to various organizations that support children and women at risk of poverty, abuse, neglect, homelessness and domestic violence.
Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino: His mantra back in Jersey is "Gym, tan, laundry." We’re wondering if he’ll be able to alter that a little for the DWTS dance floor... maybe "Rehearse, spray tan, sequins"?
Mike Sorrentino is quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s emerging talents. Born in Staten Island, New York and raised in Manalapan, New Jersey he is most known for starring on the hit show The Jersey Shore now in its 2nd season on MTV. He graduated from Manalapan High School and went on to college in NJ where he graduated in 2004. After graduation, he tried his hand at personal training, fitness modeling and soon after was scouted for an upcoming reality show which would eventually become The Jersey Shore.
The popularity of the show caught fire becoming one of the highest rated shows in MTV history and propelled "The Situation" into pop culture phenomenon. As The Jersey Shore continues in its unrivaled success, Mike also continues to gain in popularity nationally as well as internationally. He was nominated this year at the Teen Choice Awards for "Choice TV: Male Reality Star." Upcoming projects for Mike include a book'Here’s the Situation'which be out in stores on November 2nd, a vitamin line with nationwide store GNC that will launch in the fall, and a fitness DVD which will be out in December.
Tagged in Dancing With The Stars