Before the Disco Ball Lowers and the Sequins Start Shimmying: A Preview of Dancing With the Stars Season 8 - Page 2

Steve-O and Lacey Schwimmer: Known for making himself puke and getting his teeth knocked out through a ridiculous variety of bonehead stunts, Steve-O seems like a punishment for maverick newbie Lacey, who claimed the judges' harsh criticisms last season were her "hazing." However, she defied expectations of this gross-out star when she characterized him as a "workhorse," "a gentleman and "adorable" in a recent People magazine interview. Perhaps this clown school graduate has a few tricks up his sleeve, but I can't picture anything that resembles grace exuding from him. 

Nancy O'Dell and Tony Dovolani: Ah, the mom contestant! How we love them for their multi-tasking and hot post-pregnancy bods! (Or do we hate them for those things?) Nancy's ability to stand up straight and gossip to the camera gives us no indicator of her dancing skills, so we'll just have to wait and see if Teeth, er Tony, can encourage her to I'm-Every-Woman confidence, if not technically perfect dance moves, as he's done with Melissa Jaret Winokur and Susan "The Head" Lucci. 

Lawrence Taylor and Edyta Sliwenska: This NFL Hall-of-Famer better turn out to be an Emmett or Jason Taylor, or I'm going to royally ticked off for our Polish Dancing queen. After getting stuck with a stinker last season, she deserves a chance at the trophy, as the only dancer to compete on all seven seasons. Taylor, who's recovered from public struggles with alcohol and drug addiction, doesn't have the squeaky-clean image of the formerly mentioned NFL stars, but perhaps his status as Hall of Famer New York Jet will win him some fans. 

Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas: Everyone's immediate favorite will no doubt be this adorable gold-medal-winning gymnast. I just hope former winner Ballas, prince of manic facial expressions (his dad Corky being king), can teach his partner that a cute smile and stiff limbs might be appropriate for waving to an Olympic crowd, but not for ballroom. 

Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough: Okay, who here has ever heard of Wicks outside of his status as Julianne's boyfriend? That's what I thought. But in the world of DWTS, a star is a star, no matter how bright of a star now or then, or what reasons have made them stars (see celebutante Kim Kardashian for another famous-by-association star). Anyhoo, this is a bold move on the part of the pair. If I undertook to teach my significant other my life's passion (writing), we would surely both go mad. Here's hoping our blond dynamo and her country sangin' BF don't go up in smoke right before our eyes. 

Article Author: Kimberly Mauck

Kimberly Mauck writes travel and restaurant features for Oklahoma Today, teaches composition to college freshmen, blogs about her family, and often sheds blood, sweat, and tears working on her first novel, a young adult fantasy.

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