!['Dancing with the Stars' returns with an all athletes cast on April 30 [Image: MsMylife91/YouTube screenshot]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2018/4/4/660x290/b_502x220x82/dancing-with-the-stars-returns-with-an-all-athletes-cast-on-april-30-image-msmylife91youtube-screenshot_1923091.jpg "'Dancing with the Stars' returns with an all athletes cast on April 30 [Image: MsMylife91/YouTube screenshot]")
Season 26 of "Dancing with the Stars" will be different. ABC will have its first-ever all-athlete season of the popular dance competition show. The season will be much shorter with only four weeks of competition and only 10 celebrities. So far, the known athletes include three Olympians. The full cast will be announced on "Good Morning America" on Friday, April 13.
Tonya Harding
Tonya Harding is joining the cast. According to Us Weekly, the 47-year-old former Olympian figure skater and professional boxer will join the cast along with other athletes on "Dancing With The Stars." A feud with her rival skater Nancy Kerrigan tarnished Harding's reputation in 1994 when her ex-husband and manager hired a man to hit Kerrigan in the knee with a police baton.
Harding came back into the spotlight when the movie, "I, Tonya," (based on the tragic incident) was released last year.
Tonya Harding will be joining the cast of a special all athlete's edition of ABC Television Network's Dancing with the Stars. Who'se wondering if a couple... https://t.co/5S7cuU0kS7
— 105.9 QWiK Rock (@qwikrock) April 5, 2018
Kerrigan competed in Season 24 of "Dancing with the Stars" and was paired with professional dancer Artem Chigvintsev. They were voted off during a double elimination in the seventh week. Now it is Harding's turn to perform.
Adam Rippon
Adam Rippon became well known during the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea as a figure skater. He won a bronze medal as part of the team event.
He was publicized for being the first openly gay American male athlete to win a medal in a Winter Olympics. Fans fell in love with Rippon's signature moves and believed he should have won a medal higher than the bronze.
The 28-year old told Us Weekly that he would compete on "Dancing with the Stars" if he got the chance. The public saw what he can do in the skating rink, now everyone will see what he can do as a ballroom dancer.
He said he would love to have a partner who will be able to keep up with him on the dance floor.
Jamie Anderson
Jamie Anderson is a professional snowboarder who has won more gold medals than any other female. The 27-year-old athlete has won a total of 11 medals including four gold, five silver, and two bronze. Even though snowboarding is quite different from dancing, Anderson is disciplined enough to do well on the dance floor.
The public will find out on April 13 who the other athletes will be as well as who their partners are. People will get to see how they perform on the dance floor when the reality show returns on Monday, April 30, 2018.
It will indeed be interesting to see how the new format of the upcoming season of "Dancing with the Stars" will be with all athletes. After all, the show has had more athletes win the trophy than any other competitors.
