Have these celebrities joined the 'Dancing With the Stars' cast for season 22?
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Molly Driscoll Staff writer
Various pop-culture figures are said to have signed on for the upcoming season of 鈥淒ancing With the Stars鈥� ahead of the official cast announcement on March 8.
Jodie Sweetin of 鈥淔uller House鈥� will be one of the celebrities participating in the ABC reality competition, as will Ginger Zee of 鈥淕ood Morning America,鈥� 鈥淔acts of Life鈥� actress Kim Fields, and 鈥淭he O.C.鈥� actress Mischa Barton, .听
Meanwhile, is reporting that Von Miller of the Denver Broncos will be appearing on the show also.听
Julianne Hough of 鈥淕rease: Live鈥� recently announced that she will not be appearing on the upcoming season of the show as a judge. Hough had previously been a professional dancer on the show and began serving as a judge in 2014.听
鈥淒ancing鈥� remains an anchor of the lineup on ABC. What鈥檚 behind the show鈥檚 appeal? writes that the show is 鈥渕ore earnest, more self-aware, more charming 鈥� the show really does do something unique 鈥� not just for reality TV, but for TV in general: It celebrates the merits of good, old-fashioned hard work.鈥澛�
The show also has an element of familiarity in terms of who will appear on it, writes . 鈥淲e couldn鈥檛 help but notice that the new contestants perfectly fit the profile of the 20 different types of celebrities鈥� you see every season,鈥� Yahr wrote following a cast announcement. Categories of celebrity that seem to pop up on every iteration of 鈥淒ancing鈥� include 鈥渂oy-band member 鈥� pop singer 鈥� social media sensation 鈥� [and] inspiring story,鈥� writes Yahr.
鈥淒ancing鈥� has been a hit for ABC especially with older viewers, with the program ranking at number nine for the 2014-2015 TV season in total viewers.听
But the program is much more popular with an older audience.听In 2014, ABC seemed to be trying to bring in younger watchers 鈥� , "The practical reality is that we have to keep engaging with a younger audience as well as our substantial older one." Changes included a use of more contemporary music and getting viewers more involved, having them have the last word on what dancers would be departing the show.听
But the show actually went down in the rankings for viewers 18-49 the next year, with the show going from number 37 to number 41 for viewers 18-49 for . The show's producers may have now decided to stick with the substantial viewership they already have.
