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‘Dancing with the Stars’ adds former Patriots player to Season 33 cast
Danny Amendola will join Tori Spelling, Dwight Howard, 'Pommel Horse Guy' Stephen Nedoroscik, and more in Season 33 of the ABC competition show.
A Super Bowl champion, two Olympians, and a pair of ’90s TV stars are among the celebrities ready to bust a move on “Dancing with the Stars” Season 33.
After announcing Worcester native and Olympic medalist Stephen Nedoroscik (also known as “pommel horse guy”) as the first competitor back in August, ABC announced the full “Dancing with the Stars” Season 33 cast on “Good Morning America” Wednesday morning.
The competitors putting on their dancing shoes this season include former Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola, former NBA star Dwight Howard, women’s rugby player and fellow Olympian Ilona Maher, “Beverly Hills 90210” actress Tori Spelling, and “Family Matters” star Reginald VelJohnson.
Danny Amendola: TV star?
Amendola, who played for the Patriots from 2013 to 2018, has seemingly caught the TV bug.
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Soon after retiring from the NFL in 2022, Amendola competed on the first season of FOX’s “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test,” which pitted him against several celebrity contestants — including fellow “DWTS” competitor Howard, coincidentally.
The show put celebrities through grueling training exercises meant to mimic the U.S. Special Forces selection courses. In the season finale, Amendola was the final contestant to voluntarily withdraw from the show, leaving U.S soccer legend Carli Lloyd and “The Bachelorette” star Hannah Brown as the only contestants to pass all of the challenges.
‘Pommel Horse Guy’ takes the stage
In an interview with “Good Morning America” host Robin Roberts, Nedoroscik said that viewers can expect the same Olympian flair he brought to the pommel horse when he makes his debut on the dance floor.
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“I want to bring some of that gymnastics,” Nedoroscik said. “Maybe a backflip or handstand. I want to have fun with it.”
During the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Nedoroscik became an internet sensation thanks to his unassuming “Clark Kent” appearance and his deep relaxation techniques (which made him appear to be fast asleep) during the long wait for his turn on the pommel horse.
With his family and his girlfriend cheering him on, Nedoroscik captured an individual bronze in pommel horse and helping the U.S. men’s gymnastics team win a bronze, the team’s first medal since 2008.
Nedoroscik told “Good Morning America” host George Stephanopoulos that he expects to perform a similar relaxation technique to help calm his nerves before performing on “Dancing with the Stars.”
“I do think so,” Nedoroscik said. “It’s kind of what I do to calm myself down. So I will probably be bringing that to the dance floor.”
How to watch “Dancing with the Stars” Season 33
Season 33 of “Dancing with the Stars” premieres Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. on ABC and Disney Plus. It will also be available to stream the next day on Hulu.
Full list of “Dancing with the Stars” Season 33 cast
Super Bowl Champion Danny Amendola (Dancing partner: Witney Carson)
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Scammer Anna “Delvey” Sorokin (Partner: Ezra Sosa)
The Bachelor‘s Joey Graziadei (Partner: Jenna Johnson)
NBA Champion Dwight Howard (Partner: Daniella Karagach)
Actress Chandler Kinney (Partner: Brandon Armstrong)
Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher (Partner: Alan Bersten)
Model Brooks Nader (Partner: Gleb Savchenko)
Reality TV star Phaedra Parks (Partner: Val Chmerkovskiy)
Actor Eric Roberts (Partner: Britt Stewart)
Actress Tori Spelling (Partner: Pasha Pashkov)
The Bachelorette’s Jenn Tran (Partner: Sasha Farber)
Actor Reginald VelJohnson (Partner: Emma Slater)
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