The morning hours held two big surprises for fans eager for "Dancing With The Stars" 2017 cast dish as newly minted parents Peta Murgatroyd and Maksim Chmerkovskiy revealed their plans to return for the hit reality show's spring season. The winsome duo, who welcomed son Shai Aleksander on Jan. 4, made the big announcement during the Feb. 21 edition of "Good Morning America," which will also serve as the vehicle for the "DWTS" season 24 lineup announcement on March 1.
Surprise 'DWTS' 2017 cast reveal
Murgatroyd, 30, and Chmerkovskiy, 37, are the first "Dancing with the Stars" pros to formally confirm their participation in the upcoming season, which will premiere March 20 on ABC.
During the big reveal, Murgatroyd shared that she'd missed her time on the "DWTS" dance floor and wanted a chance to defend her most recent title, which she claimed with "America's Next Top Model" winner Nyle DiMarco at the close of season 22. She said she planned to "take it slowly" and hoped for "an awesome partner" to accompany her on the journey.
Chmerkovskiy, conversely, joked that his plan was to "make [Murgatroyd] coming back and winning as difficult as possible." Although Murgatroyd owns two Mirrorball Trophies (with DiMarco and NFL star Donald Driver) to Chmerkovksiy's one (with ice dancer Meryl Davis), he correctly noted that he emerged the champion the last time the two faced off in the "DWTS" ballroom.
Maksim Chmerkovskiy's change in course?
Although Peta Murgatroyd had not previously addressed the possibility of a season 24 return, her fiance had, and his remarks made today's announcement all the more unexpected. While competing alongside model and activist Amber Rose --who went on to date his brother, fellow "Dancing with the Stars" notable Valentin Chmerkovskiy-- during the show's fall season, he told Bravo's Daily Dish that "there's no money on the planet that can replace me missing out the three, four, five months of my baby's life.
Zero chance." He has yet to address his apparent change in thinking, but both stars said they were working on a plan to have their little one nearby during rehearsals.
To see the entire "Dancing with the Stars" 2017 lineup, tune in to "Good Morning America" on March 1.
