Dancing With The Stars Season 15 boasts an all-star lineup of celebrities who are as good off the dance floor doing work for charitable causes as they are with a quick step. The show’s producers have brought together a wonderful cast and professional dance crew to entertain ballroom dancing fans all across America with their 2012 fall lineup. The two hour premiere is scheduled to air live from Hollywood on September 24 at 8pm. Which green celebrities will you and your family be rooting for to win the most coveted Mirror Ball Trophy next? Keep reading about the good deeds of your favorite star celebs and to read about results from show one of the “All-Star” infused season…
Get ready to watch your laptop computer for the hashtag #DWTS, Dancing With The Stars fans. Season 15 of the hit reality television competition is scheduled to premiere on September 24th and green celebrities like Pamela Anderson (the world-famous vegan and animal rights activist) are ready to dance. Whether competing on the dance floor, starring in movies or on television, singing, or aggressively dominating in sports, all the star celebs featured on this year’s fantastic episode seem to have a great track record of volunteering time and donating resources to charitable causes.
If you are curious about who to cheer for and want to vote to keep people on for their personalities (rather than their superior footwork) the same way Republicans kept on [and know have brought back Bristol Palin], here’s our take on which stars are the most charitable of all as well as predictions about which celebs will be in it to win it. Each of the following star couples deserves praise and attention as follows unless otherwise indicated. Go green, celebs! Scores left to right reflect points earned from celebrity judge Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli.
- Apolo Anton Ohno and Karina Smirnoff: He is the most decorated U.S. Winter Olympian with eight career Olympic medals, Apolo has been the top short-track speed skater in the U.S. and is awfully cute — but Karina has been featured in Playboy magazine. She was the pro who won the Mirror Ball Trophy with J.R. Martinez — the Iraq war veteran who was so badly burned when an I.U.D. exploded. Apolo devotes tons of time to his favorite charity SeeYourImpact.org. He’s likely to head straight into the finals if his dance pro scripts the right choreography work, but it will take seeing their chemistry during the first few shows before we can say whether or not he is a front-runner for sure. Saying he did not come on the show to lose, he told the viewing audience at home that he thinks his training as an Olympian will essentially help him survive training with perfectionist Karina. Len said that he did not perform to a Gold medal level but said he did great. Bruno gave him great praise for the side extensions of his arms and said technically speaking he was terrific. But Carrie Ann said he just got three times more sexy thanks to Karina improving his hip action. Older and wiser, he actually does seem more attractive. He earned a 7.5, 7, and 7.5 — a solid score for their first dance together before a live studio audience.
- Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas: She is the daughter of Sarah Palin, famous for getting pregnant as a teenager and now for having fairly extensive plastic surgery to make her face more attractive. She is a proficient dancer that is not very entertaining to watch, but Mark is one of the best dancers and choreographers on the show who also has the biggest heart. Watching him act like her protector and caretaker as his celeb is mildly touching. It is simply a shame that she is famous for nothing. She advocates for abstinence with pro-life teen organization like “The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy”. Suffice it to say we hope she won’t stay long — but once she goes, everyone in America will miss seeing Mark Ballas dance attempts on Mondays. Carrie Ann was spot on voting her the most improved and welcoming her back. Exuding far more confidence and showing off new lean legs, Len praised her. So did Bruno saying she looked refreshed and revived. They gave her a triple 6.5 but in all reality we actually agree they were not being generous. She actually did the work herself to improve the quality of her performance level and earned it.
- Drew Lachey and Anna Trebunskaya: The darling brother of Nick Lachey (ex-husband of Jessica Simpson and new husband of Vanessa Minnillo) is a member of the boy band 98 Degrees. He’s worked on Broadway and hosted a game show where contestants competed for the change to have their home mortgage paid off in full. Away from his appearances on the DWTS tour, he traded in his dancing shoes for a racing helmet back in 2008 to compete in a motorsports event for charity. The pet friendly celeb (and owner of a German Shepard) even auctioned himself off on eBay once for yet another charity — something we like. Why? Because his actions show not only is he charitable, he’s creative. It’s unlikely he’ll be voted off first — but equally unlikely he’d be the one carrying the Mirror Ball home to his family once the season has passed. The problem for these two is there was absolutely zippo for chemistry and he was totally stiff with dancing with her — but actually, it was her demeanor with him that made them appear rigid. The celeb judges gave them a 7, 7, and 7.5 and Drew cheered. Anna seems completely off this season and unfortunately, it looks like he will be the one to pay for it.
- Emmitt Smith and Cheryl Burke: ABC promotes Smith as, “A respected entrepreneur, sought-after speaker, bestselling author, and dancing’s “king of effortless cool”, Emmitt first rose to prominence via an illustrious football career, most notably winning three Super Bowl championships as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. Emmitt retains the honor of being the only player to have won a Super Bowl MVP, NFL MVP and NFL Rushing Crown in the same season.” but we like him best for his special guest appearances on the show in the Dance Center. He’s a likeable guy with great strengths on the dance floor and Cheryl Burke is known for pushing pro athletes as far as they can go. The football player founded the “Pat & Emmitt Smith Charities”, an organization that gives away college scholarship money to underprivileged youth. Can he win the competition this season? It most likely depends on whether or not his heart is in it. But watching them dance the first night, what was clear is that Emmitt and Cheryl have flair. The judges and the audience all seemed to agree with Carrie Ann that he was born to dance. Looking fun in green, he cut a dashing figure on the dance floor. Her see-through gown was a stunner and it was clear she loves dancing with him probably almost as much as his wife loves when he comes home to practice the Cha Cha. The emerged as the front-runners with an 8, 8.5, and 8 as their starter scores but will need the viewers help to keep them in the lead this competition.
- Gilles Marini and Peta Murgatroyd: The French actor who rose to fame after appearing on the HBO series “Sex and the City” won plenty of admirers when he danced on the show before. Now dancing with Peta– the new dance pro who helped Donald Driver win the Mirror Ball in the previous season — he is expected to bring sexy back to the dance floor. He’s volunteered for charity benefit causes like HELP USA, the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles, and donated time and money to support the Carol M. Baldwin Cancer Research Fund. The former model has certainly used his star power wisely over the years. It will be interesting to see how hard he will work and how far Peta will be able to push him. If she’s chomping at the bit to win like we think she is because she’s competitive, he’s likely to be a contender at least capable of a performance in the semi-finals (barring any injury or unforeseen circumstances). Their chemistry was immediately obvious on and off the dance floor as well, so plan to read a lot more celebrity gossip rumors about this DWTS power couple. Adding Hollywood charm to their Foxtrot, they absolutely won the judges praise and the audience affection. Clear front-runners, expect to see him once again in the finals. He may be the man to beat when it comes right down to it after seeing the instant romance vibe he generated with blonde bombshell Peta. They got an 8, 8, 8 — a spectacular score putting them ahead of the competition on the first night.
- Helio Castroneves and Chelsie Hightower: Clearly, Helio is one of the hottest men and fastest drivers in professional auto racing but no one really anticipated how precise and fast his footwork would be on the dance floor. His former dance partner Julianne Hough will be tough to replace in our hearts, but since she’s started living with American Idol host Ryan Seacrest and become a big time movie star we have not seen her as much on the show. Chelsie is a love, though — so we have high hopes she’ll have some assistance choreographing his dance routines. You can check out his website for more information about the charities Helio endorses. Oddly enough, we wish he’d been paired with sleek and racy Peta — but we’re going to cheer for he and Chelsie (who we refer to in our office as “Her Supreme Cuteness”) as crowd favorites. If he was dancing with Julianne we’d say he’s the man most likely to win this, but with a new partner no one is particularly sure if he’ll be the new super champ until we see the new couple dance more. The viewers at home were surprised to see such a slimmed down Chelsie appear looking like a goddess in a gorgeous and glamorous backless evening gown in soft white and he was clearly pleased with his own performance. Getting a standing ovation before he even began the dance, but he proved to the judges once again that he is a dancer. Len and Bruno noted he messed up his footwork tonight. Carrie Ann asked for more body contact. They scored a respectable 7, 7.5, and 7 but failed to set the dance floor on fire with his performance.
- Joey Fatone and Kym Johnson: Pop music singer Joey Fatone has proved he is a force to be reckoned with on the dance floor and Aussie Kym is simply a darling girl to work with we hear. He’s expected to make it to the semi-finals or very near. His take-down target this season is Apolo Ohno — mainly because he cost him the trophy the last time he competed. His only disadvantage? He’s lost that boy band cuteness. But kicking off the show for what host Tom Bergeron called their, “All-Star Season” he got big applause from the live studio audience. We give him kudos for great manscaping and his work with Lupus LA, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, and The Fatone Family Foundation. Len, Bruno, and Carrie Ann all seemed to agree he is a natural dance star. She praised him for being a consummate showman. Teasing his competitors, he claimed that show rivalries between him and the other guys was just good clean fun. His show one score was a 6.5, 7, and 7.
- Kelly Monaco and Val Chmerkovskiy: Soap opera star meets sexy Russian dance pro. Expect fireworks — but ones that will fizzle out early on the show unless she can keep up with the other professionals and stars. She’s danced well before but so far, hot little Val has not been able to move his stars very far along on the dance roster. For that reason alone, expecting her to be cast off before the trophy ever gets awarded is a logical prediction. But he’s obviously enamored with her petite “Bang Bang” figure which will give them a boost in the ratings. As the season one winner she only danced 6 weeks so the delectable looking vegetarian is at an immediate disadvantage compared to the other couples. There are six dances she’s never done yet but her hot Val injection seems to be serving her well. Len complimented him on the choreography, Carrie Ann praised her for her improvement, and Bruno noted she brought the sexy. It was not a big surprise that they got a fairly great starting score of 7, 7. and 7.5 to help keep them going in the competition. Kelly Monaco may just be the green celebrity underdog to beat in the competition.
- Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy: Television actress and celebrity diet maven Kirstie Alley is a power house whose relationship with big bad Maks was no less epic than Little Red Riding Hood standing up to the Big Bad Wolf. They seem to share a love-hate relationship with one another, that’s for sure. But a celeb reunion show would not be complete without the pair. It is unlikely the two will go as far this time as the last only because competition is fierce. But, since nearly every woman in America can sympathize with her yo-yo diet struggles, all the girls are ready to cheer. But the audience did not seem to go wild for her performance despite a small group of her fans that loudly cheered. Carrie Ann noted that on many levels it was beautiful but that she was not completely fine-tuned. The judges wanted her to lift her rib cage and to refine her dance. The shoulders, the frame, and the footwork all need work — but she gave Tom Bergeron a huge full-on long mouth kiss which will make all the celeb gossip sources talk. Jaunting away with Maksim to get her score she told Tom, “That’s for your Emmy”. They gave the Hollywood Arts Council volunteer a 6.5, 6, and 6.5 for her work on the dance floor.
- Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani: The former Bachelorette contestant turned TV Host has got to bum out Tony — the poor dance pro who gets stuck with all the bummer celebs. She’s great but not likely to be the dance champion. Once the show premiere kicks off, it will be interesting to see who goes home first — the March of Dimes supporter (who is actually a fabulous dancer) or Bristol Palin. But someone has to get voted off quick, right? But Tony says she is arguably the best partner he’s ever had so he thinks they have a legitimate shot at the trophy. Their theatrical Foxtrot was enchanting so one would hope they have a strong enough fan base to keep this thing going. The standing ovation from the audience was a positive bit of encouragement. The judges scored them high for her precise and glorious extensions but chastised him a bit for failing to include enough body contact to meet ballroom criteria. They got a 7, 7, 7 — fairly decent, that ballroom dance score in such a tough competition.
- Pamela Anderson and Tristan MacManus: Clearly, this dynamic duo is our number one celebrity couple favorite — but not because we think they will win it. Pam is an animal rights activist and lovely person who has used her star power so wisely promoting vegetarian diets and living a vegan lifestyle that we can’t help but chose her as our favorite DWTS green celeb. Tristan, well… suffice it to say the tongue thing he does when he’s focused and happy makes him our editor’s personal crush here in the Green Celebrity Network offices. But we digress… we will be voting for them. Lots. No matter what. The Irish dancer exuded class when working with celebrity Nancy Grace as well — which greatly impressed us. But after a really odd and brooding first dance performance and heavy judge criticism, it was clear Pam and Tristan have their work cut out for them if they want to even make it to the middle of the pack. She might be the most downloaded star on the internet and he might be showing off his tattoos, but the routine that included a simulated face smack that scared Sarah Palin’s grandkid was not one of the best. The couple received a generous 5.5, 5.5, and 6 from the judges. Both indicated they appreciated the constructive criticism but seemed to already know they will be one of the first pairs nixed. Actually, it is unlikely she will survive week one of the competition.
- Sabrina Bryan and Louis Van Amstel: Singer Sabrina from The Cheetah Girls is currently starring on-stage in the “Dancing with the Stars: Live in Las Vegas” at The New Tropicana. Her partner Louis is a leading gay marriage advocate who mentored Kelly Osbourne. She was eliminated week 6 of season 5. As the 13th wild card voted in by the viewers, she’s the underdog for sure. But there is no way to know what will happen next. Her elimination after a perfect score shocked the judges so much and the way she handled the rejection made everyone feel impressed. Dancing in a hot pink little mini-dress, her pro had her burning up the dance floor on the first night. Len loved her dance but said she had all the impact of a hammer. Carrie Ann warned she is great but to be careful not to over-dance and lose her balance. Sadly, she’s done the least amount of charity work compared with the rest of the stars — that, or she’s simply not famous enough to have made the headline list at very many red carpet events aside from one charity benefit appearance at a club operated by Jon Lovitz. Her scores on the first night were an impressive 7.5, 7.5, and 7.5 and her dance seemed like it impressed the live studio audience.
- Shawn Johnson and Derek Hough: Derek Hough danging with a gymnast? Can you say final round, here we come? ABC noted, “Shawn is involved in a number of philanthropic activities such as working with animal and children’s charities, working with cancer charities—particularly those that affect women and children—and is a strong advocate of health and wellness initiatives. Shawn is also involved in programs that help build good character amongst youth across the country.” The only thing this celebrity couple is likely to be lacking in is sex appeal — not because they are not sexy. They are both gorgeous and fit celebs. The romantic spark between them is just not likely to be there. Derek should have told that Lewis Hamilton guy to step aside back in the day and married Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls. When he didn’t, he appeared to get romantically involved with Maria Menounos of Extra. Will he be chasing this young girl? Not likely. So, for whatever it is worth, expect a dynamic physical performance from this couple that lacks that natural spark that’s visible between two people who are romantically involved (even if they have never engaged in the physical act). Starting the 2012 dance season saying she felt like she was cheating on former dance partner Mark Ballas with Derek Hough was a cute way to kick the season off. The judges praised her performance and it looks like the only way for the new couple to go is up, up, up! Their scores were weird — 8, 6.5 and 7.5. Judges, what was up with that?
Which celebrity couple do you think will win the competition this season? Sound off in the comments section below and don’t forget to share the good news with friends…