The more popular the show gets, the more diverse its “stars”. This season, the biggest surprise to me is Jerry Springer. I can’t imagine him being that good, but I may be surprised.

Here is the lineup of the other dancers:

Tucker Carlson– Bowtie wearing news commentator. I would love to see him dance jive or the rumba. He seems so buttoned down. It will be interesting to see how he does with the “groovier” styles of music, if he survives that long.

Vivica Fox– Star of movies, such as Independence Day and Kill Bill. I would imagine she’d be really good. At least she’ll look good in the outfits.

Sara Evans– I didn’t have a clue who she was. She’s a country music singer. The only song that rang a bell with me was “Suds in the Bucket”, which I knew because Kellie Pickler sang it (to not great reviews) on American Idol.

Harry Hamlin– Actor (L.A. Law and Clash of the Titans) and wife to Lisa Renna, former contestant.

Joe Lawrence– I have to assume that this refers to actor “Joey” Lawrence, rather than baseball player Joe Lawrence, but I could be mistaken. I think he could turn out to be another Drew Lachey.

Mario Lopez– He’s one of those stars about whom I think “Oh, yeah… that guy” but couldn’t tell you a thing he’s been in. It’s Saved By the Bell– that’s where you know him from (in case you were wondering). How will he be as a dancer? Hopefully more memorable than as an actor.

Willa Ford– Another “who?” for me. She’s a pop singer, for those (like me) who are clueless, so she ought to at least have some sense of rhythm. And she’s a blonde bombshell, so that might garner her some votes.

Monique Coleman– Again, I didn’t have a clue who she was. She’s a young actress who has worked quite a bit in non-starring roles, everything from Gilmore Girls to High School Musical.

Shanna Moakler– No, I didn’t know who she was, either. Turns out, she’s no stranger to reality television, since she has starred with her soon-to-be-ex husband Travis Barker on MTV’s “Meet the Barkers” (maybe somebody should get a clue that putting your marriage on t.v. may be great for your career but not for your marriage). She’s also a former Miss USA and sometimes actress.

And finally–

Emmitt Smith– Super bowl champion. Will he be able to live up to Jerry Rice’s success? I don’t know. Does he have Jerry Rice’s personality? Because, let’s face it, he primarily advanced as far as he did because he continued to improve, and he seemed like he was such a nice guy– not because he was THAT good.

Who do you think will stand out? Who will go home first? Who are you most excited about? Inquiring minds want to know.