The Geek Girl's Guide to 'Dancing with the Stars' Season 29 (Part 2)

Strike up the band, stock up the spray tan, sew on the sequins, and get the phone lines ringin'!

Lights, camera, action in the Hollywood fashion! Bust a move, time to groove and see dance routines with passion!

Drama and dancing for eleven weeks straight, starting September 14th, 8 PM; don't be late!

So, who's who in the ballroom for this 29th season? The geek girl knows who and is writing for that reason!

What's new?

The season is underway by the time this gets out because, again, the celebrity and pro rosters were announced separately and the pairings formally announced on premiere night.

Last season's voting system may still be enacted as well. That's just an impression I get though. Nothing new or different has been mentioned up to this point, and at best, it was glossed over in a mid-show announcement explaining the first elimination would be on Tuesday (September 22nd). Another week to know for sure, I suppose.

A general nostalgia trip is my first impression of this year's cast. It's not quite nostalgia for me personally, but I get that's the direction given that among the roster are former Desperate Housewives actors, retired athletes, and musicians with a hey-day twenty years ago. On the flipside, the season must be attempting to maintain relevance/hipness/coolness/etc. with buzz-worthy recruits from Netflix.

A roster this big in number is not quite the first of its kind, but to date its a rare case. Season nine actually had sixteen couples. Maybe its just the size, but I don't think there has ever been so many tv and/or film-oriented celebrities under one ballroom season. I've lumped them all into their own categories of athletes, actors, and musicians for better organization. So whether they're old names or fresh faces to you, here is where everyone is from. (I give a shout to Tyra's and Derek's backgrounds at the end too, just in case.)

Who's who-Athletes

Vernon Davis- Davis is best known in the NFL world as the tight-end player for the San Fransico 49ers, the Denver Broncos, and, most recently, the Washington Redskins. Recently retiring from the game, he is also a business man and has dabbled in acting with credits in the 2017 Baywatch, and recent films, Hell on the Border and Red Winter. Vernon’s pro partner: Peta Murgatroyd

Johnny Weir- Weir is a two-time Olympian figure skater now turned commentator for the sport and other events. He is also involved with LGBTQ activism, having appeared on a documentary for the issue of gay athletes Russia and the U.S. titled To Russia With Love. Johnny’s pro partner: newcoming pro Britt Stewart

Charles Oakley- Oakley is a former NBA player with the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, and Houston Rockets. He’s ranked as the bests rebounder in the league and played with the Knicks during all ten of their playoff seasons. He also plays and coaches for the Killer 3s in the NBA Big3 Basketball League. Charles’ pro partner: Emma Slater

Who's who-Television/acting

Monica Aldama- Aldama is the cheerleading coach for the Navarro College Bulldogs from the Netflix docuseries, Cheer. The series follows Aldama’s efforts in building the school’s program from the ground up and her team’s efforts to win the National Cheerleading Championship. Monica’s pro partner: Val Chmerkovsky

Carole Baskin- Baskin is the founder and CEO of the Big Cat Rescue non-profit animal sanctuary for exotic cats. Baskin and her rescue foundation were central to the Netflix series, Tiger King, as a rival to Joe Exotic and his animal park. Carole’s pro partner: Pasha Pashkov

Kaitlyn Bristowe- Bristowe is from the Bachelor/Bachelorette Universe, having participated on the eleventh season of the Bachelorette and the nineteenth season of the Bachelor with Chris Soules. Kaitlyn’s pro partner: Artem Chigvintsev

Anne Heche- Heche is a seasoned actress with several credits including: Ally McBeal, Superman: Doomsday, Adventure Time, The Legend of Korra, 1998’s Psycho, and most recently, Chicago P.D. Anne’s pro partner: Keo Motsepe

Skai Jackson- Jackson is a young actress and YouTuber, best known for her roles in the Disney Channel shows Jessie and Bunk’d. Skai’s pro partner: Alan Bersten

Justina Machado- Machado has been seen in Desparate Housewives, ER, Jane the Virgin, Superstore, and most recently, One Day at a Time and Scoob! Justina’s pro partner: Sasha Farber

Jeannie Mai- Mai is a talk show host from The Real and a fashion expert who has been featured on Today, Extra TV, Entertainment Tonight, and Insider. Jeanie’s pro partner: Brandon Armstrong

Jesse Metcalfe- Also seen on Desperate Housewives, as well as Smallville, John Tucker Must Die, 2 Broke Girls, and the second God’s Not Dead film. Jesse’s pro partner: Sharna Burgess

Nev Schulman- Schulman is best known for the MTV documentary and television series, Catfish, both of which expose people who utilize false profiles and information on social media. Nev’s pro partner: Jenna Johnson

Chrishell Stause- Stause is currently a real estate agent and host of Netflix’s series Selling Sunset, which revolves around the Los Angeles real estate market. Stause has also been on All My Children, The Young and the Restless, Days of our Lives, and the Netflix thriller, Staged Killer. Chrishell’s pro partner: Gleb Savchenko

Who's who-Musicians

Nelly- a big name in music back in the early 2000’s with songs like “Hot in Herre”, “Country Grammar”, “Ride wit Me”, and “Just a Dream”. He’s also collaborated with many big names in the industry like Justin Timberlake, T-Pain, Chris Brown, Fergie, and even Tim McGraw. Nelly’s pro partner: Daniella Karagach

AJ McLean- a member of the nineties boy band, Backstreet Boys. He’s actually the second Backstreet Boy to participate on the show, after Nick Carter back on the 21st season. AJ’s pro partner: Cheryl Burke

Who's who-Show Cast

Tyra Banks- This season's ballroom host is a supermodel-turned-super-businesswomen with numerous accomplishments and credits, such as:

• the first African-American model featured on the front cover of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue,
• the first female model ever to pose for GQ,
• A Victoria’s Secret Angel,
• The Hollywood Reporter's 100 Most Powerful Women in Entertainment,
• Entertainment Weekly's 25 Smartest in Television,
• Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World (twice!),
• and creator of America’s Next Top Model and host of her own talk show and America’s Got Talent.

Derek Hough- longtime fans and viewers recognize Derek from the early days of DWTS when he was a pro partner (often with his sister, Julianne). If you aren't as familiar with him, Derek has six mirrorball wins to his name, the most out of anybody on the show to date. His winning celeb partners include: Bindi Irwin, Jennifer Grey, Nichole Scherzinger, Kellie Picker, Amber Riley, and Brooke Burke.

Of late, he has judged on NBC's dance show, World of Dance and will sit as a judge for this season of DWTS while “regular” head judge Len Goodman, who is confined in Britain in light of pandemic travel restrictions, will stay connected virtually and in spirit throughout the season.