“Dancing With the Stars” Cast Features Indy Celebs

A pair of Indy notables are joining the cast of season 23 of Dancing With the Stars. North Central native Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and IndyCar favorite James Hinchcliffe were announced as part of a star-studded cast on Good Morning America today. The fall season of Dancing With the Stars premieres on Monday, September 12, on ABC.

One of the greatest musicians Indiana has ever produced, Edmonds last caught up with us in 2014 as he was preparing for Black Expo’s Summer Celebration. The Indianapolis native will be partnered with professional dancer Allison Holker, who finished second with Riker Lynch in Season 20.

After a season-ending wreck last year, James Hinchcliffe claimed the pole in the 100th Running of the Indy 500 and has been on a tear in 2016. With the IndyCar machine already behind him, look for Hinch to surprise the reality dancing world a la Helio Castroneves in 2007.

The rest of the cast is stacked with stars, including a pair of Rio 2016 gold-medal winners Laurie Hernandez and Ryan Lochte, former Texas Governor Rick Perry, recently retired Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson, and model Amber Rose. The full lineup is below.

1. Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Amber Rose
2. Valentin Chmerkovskiy and Laurie Hernandez
3. Artem Chigvintsev and Maureen McCormick
4. Sasha Farber and Terra Jole
5. Derek Hough and Marilu Henner
6. Witney Carson and Vanilla Ice
7. Lindsay Arnold and Calvin Johnson
8. Jenna Johnson and Jake T. Austin
9. Allison Holker and Babyface
10. Sharna Burgess and James Hinchcliffe
11. Emma Slater and Rick Perry
12. Cheryl Burke and Ryan Lochte
13. Gleb Savchenko and Jana Kramer

Bonus: A preview of Hinch’s moves courtesy of @Nascarcasm.