'Dancing With the Stars' 2016 Cast: Is This 'Final Five' Olympian Joining Season 23? [VIDEO]
Laurie Hernandez will apparently be competing on the next season of ABC's Dancing With the Stars!
Hernandez, who was part of this year's U.S. women's gymnastics team, is reportedly joining Dancing With the Stars for season 23, according to sources via Entertainment Tonight. At 16 years old, Hernandez would be one of the youngest celebrities to compete on the show in its history.
The possibility of Hernandez competing on Dancing With the Stars was first brought up by one of the show's pro dancers, Mark Ballas, who tweeted excitedly about her during the Olympics:
I absolutely adore @lzhernandez02 just gorgeous #starpower #needadanceteacher? #RioOlympics2016
— Mark Ballas (@MarkBallas) August 10, 2016
Ballas has experience dancing with Olympians, even dancing with Hernandez's "Final Five" teammate, Aly Raisman, in season 16. He also led Olympians Kristi Yamaguchi and Shawn Johnson to victories in seasons 6 and 8, respectively.
There were rumors earlier in the month that Hernandez's teammate Simone Biles might be joining Dancing With the Stars, though she stressed in an interview that she was simply too busy to compete in the upcoming fall season. However, she did indicate that she might be interested for season 24 in the spring.
The full cast of new celebrities and their pro partners will be announced live on ABC's Good Morning America on Tuesday. Other rumored celebrities who could be joining the show include Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, model Amber Rose, actresses Maureen McCormick and Emma Samms, reality star Terra Jole, actor Jake T. Austin and musician Babyface.
As for the pros, it has been confirmed that Lindsay Arnold, Sharna Burgess, Witney Carson, Maks Chmerkovskiy, Val Chmerkovskiy, Sasha Farber, Allison Holker, Jenna Johnson, Gleb Savchenko and Emma Slater are returning. There are also rumors of Derek Hough and Cheryl Burke returning.
Hough's sister, Julianne Hough, is also rumored to be coming back as a permanent judge this season. She would be joining Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli. Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews are returning as hosts.
Dancing With the Stars season 23 premieres Monday, Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
