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[03/09/09 - 10:03 PM]
ABC Announced Two New Celebrity Contestants Live on "Dancing with the Stars," Monday, March 9
"The Bachelor's" Melissa Rycroft and "The Girls Next Door's" Holly Madison took over for "fallen stars" Nancy O'Dell and Jewel.

[via press release from ABC]

ABC ANNOUNCED TWO NEW CELEBRITY CONTESTANTS LIVE ON "DANCING WITH THE STARS," MONDAY, MARCH 9

"The Bachelor's" Melissa Rycroft and TV Star Holly Madison Join the Cast with Less Than a Week to Train, Replacing the Injured Jewel and Nancy O'Dell

In the most highly anticipated season premiere of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars," MONDAY, MARCH 9 (8:00-10:02 p.m., ET), two new participants were unveiled, gallantly replacing "fallen stars" Nancy O'Dell (host of "Access Hollywood") and multi-platinum singer/songwriter Jewel. Holly Madison ("The Girls Next Door") and Melissa Rycroft ("The Bachelor") stepped onto the dance floor in heroic fashion with just days to prepare for their nationally televised ballroom dancing debut. Both women displayed true character and strength, overcoming nerves, anxiety and the pressure to perform in front of a live audience.

Just one week after the most shocking and talked about season finale of ABC's "The Bachelor," Melissa, the woman who "waltzed" her way into America's hearts after being betrayed by Bachelor Jason Mesnick, danced her way onto the ballroom floor tonight, mustering up the courage to move on. Melissa is paired with professional dancer Tony Dovolani, who was previously with Nancy O'Dell.

With Jewel's former partner, Dmitry Chaplin, by her side, Holly wore her heart on her sleeve and laid it all out on the floor. The studio audience gave her a warm welcome and showed their appreciation for the courage she personified by answering the call to action at a moment's notice.

Nancy and Jewel appeared during the live show to address their injuries and bid farewell. The two women were diagnosed with a torn meniscus and fractured tibia in both legs, respectively.

Holly and Melissa join the following cast members and their partners to compete for the coveted mirror ball trophy:

Belinda Carlisle (lead singer of the Go-Go's) and partner Jonathan Roberts

David Alan Grier (comedian and actor) and partner Kym Johnson

Shawn Johnson (Olympic gymnastics medalist) and partner Mark Ballas

Lil' Kim (Grammy Award winning rapper) and partner, reigning champion Derek Hough

Gilles Marini (model and actor) and partner Cheryl Burke

Ty Murray ("King of Cowboys") and partner, newcomer Chelsie Hightower

Steve-O (star of "Jackass" and "Wildboyz") and partner Lacey Schwimmer

Denise Richards (actress) and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Lawrence Taylor (National Football League Hall of Famer, a.k.a. "LT") and partner Edyta Sliwinska

Chuck Wicks (country music star) and partner Julianne Hough

Steve Wozniak (co-founder of Apple, a.k.a. "The Woz) and partner Karina Smirnoff

Hosted by Tom Bergeron ("America's Funniest Home Videos") and Samantha Harris ("The Insider"), "Dancing with the Stars" is the U.S. version of the international smash hit series, "Strictly Come Dancing." This version is produced by BBC Worldwide Productions. Conrad Green serves as executive producer and Rob Wade and Matilda Zoltowski are co-executive producers. Alex Rudzinski directs. "Dancing with the Stars" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound and Spanish audio via SAP.





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· ACCESS HOLLYWOOD (SYNDICATION)
· AMERICA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS (ABC)
· BACHELOR, THE (ABC)
· DANCING WITH THE STARS (ABC)
· GIRLS NEXT DOOR, THE (E)
· INSIDER, THE (SYNDICATION)
· JACKASS (MTV)
· WILDBOYZ (MTV2)





[03/07/25 - 11:49 PM]
Development Update: Week of March 3-7
Updates include: CBS cancels veterans "FBI: International," "FBI: Most Wanted," and "S.W.A.T."; Janet McTeer, Paapa Essiedu in talks for HBO's "Harry Potter" series; and Netflix nixes "The Recruit" after two seasons.

[03/07/25 - 04:16 PM]
WWE's "Saturday Night's Main Event" Extravaganza Arrives May 24 Live on NBC and Peacock
Superstar John Cena will make his first "Saturday Night's Main Event" appearance in more than a decade.

[03/07/25 - 10:34 AM]
"Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage" Hits Series High Thursday Night
CBS was the #1 broadcast network last night with 5.63 million viewers, up +6% from last week and +25% more viewers than ABC and NBC combined last night (4.50 million).

[03/07/25 - 10:01 AM]
Netflix's "Nobody Wants This" Season 2 Is Now in Production
Guest stars this season include Leighton Meester, Miles Fowler, Alex Karpovsky and Arian Moayed.

[03/07/25 - 09:49 AM]
AMC Networks' "Future of Film" Initiative Launches Future of Film: Athena Rising Stars Collection on AMC+ in Partnership with Athena Film Festival
Streaming exclusively on AMC+ beginning March 14, the collection is available for one month in celebration of Women's History Month, joining the streamer's Featured Collection: Women Who Dare, which also spotlights women-led stories across series, films and documentaries.

[03/07/25 - 09:06 AM]
Michelle Monaghan and Adam Scott Join Robert De Niro in James Ashcroft's Crime Thriller "The Whisper Man"
The Netflix film is based on the New York Times bestselling novel by Alex North.

[03/07/25 - 09:01 AM]
Season 2 of "With Love, Meghan" Debuting This Fall
Season one debuted on Netflix this week and the second season has already completed filming.

[03/07/25 - 07:03 AM]
"The Summer I Turned Pretty" Returns with Its Final Season This July
Season three will have 11 episodes and premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories around the world.

[03/07/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: Apple TV+ Unveils Trailer for the Highly Anticipated Comedy "The Studio"
Starring Rogen and a star-studded ensemble cast with A-list cameos in every episode, the 10-episode comedy will premiere globally on Wednesday, March 26 with the first two episodes, followed by one episode every Wednesday through May 21.

[03/07/25 - 06:38 AM]
ESPN Signs Stephen A. Smith to Multi-Year Contract Renewal
"I'm happy and honored to remain a member of the Disney/ESPN family for, at least, the next five years," Smith said. "There's only bigger and bigger things ahead. It starts with continuing to put in that work. See y'all soon."

[03/07/25 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Love Is Blind: The Reunion" - Season 8 Official Trailer - Netflix
Fan favorites gather for a reunion with Nick and Vanessa to answer burning questions about their relationships this season.

[03/07/25 - 12:01 AM]
Japanese Sci-Fi Animated Series "Moonrise" Premieres April 10
Directed by Masashi Koizuka and produced by WIT Studio, this brand-new sci-fi series features stunning character concepts by manga artist Hiromu Arakawa.

[03/06/25 - 03:01 PM]
Prime Video Announces Global Premiere of Highly Anticipated Anime Series "Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX"
The series will stream simultaneously with Japan across more than 240 countries and territories worldwide on Tuesday, April 8.

[03/06/25 - 02:59 PM]
Hallmark Media Orders Fourth Season of "The Way Home"
Cast members confirmed the news on social media this afternoon.

[03/06/25 - 12:02 PM]
Video: Sneak Peek - Luke Roman Returns for a Haunting Third Season of "Surrealestate" - Syfy
Luke Roman and associates are back for Season 3, premiering April 3 on Syfy.