The pro partners have been announced for "Dancing With the Stars" All-Stars season, and it looks like former champ Emmitt Smith may already have a slight edge!
The NFL star -- who won Season 3 of the competition -- is once again paired with pro partner, Cheryl Burke. While several other returning contestants are also paired with their previous partners, Smith is the only former "DWTS" champion to be paired up with his original, Mirror Ball-winning partner.
Who else is reuniting
In addition to Smith's highly anticipated reunion with Cheryl Burke, there will be several other familiar partner pairings.
'NSync singer Joey Fatone will reunite with his Season 4 partner Kym Johnson, while reality star Bristol Palin will return with her pal Mark Ballas. And " The Bachelor" alum Melissa Rycroft (Season 8) will once again dance with Tony Dovolani.
Meanwhile, Season 12 runner-up Kristie Alley will be back with pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy, so get set for plenty of feisty fireworks as the newly svelte Alley shows off her moves -- and hopefully keeps on her shoes!
New couples
Former "DWTS" champs Apolo Anton Ohno and Shawn Johnson may have won with other partners in the past, but this season they will dance with Karina Smirnoff and Derek Hough, respectively. Season 1 winner Kelly Monaco will be partnered with Val Chmerkovskiy, while Helio Castroneves (Season 5 winner) and Chelsie Hightower will now be a couple.
Then there's Drew Lachey, whose famous second season "Save a Horse" freestyle with Cheryl Burke ranks as one of the most memorable "DWTS" moments of all time. This season he'll try to save his winning title with new partner Anna Trebunskaya.
Pamela Anderson is back, but this time it's with pro Tristan McManus instead of one-season wonder Damien Whitewood. And actor Gilles Marini, who finished barely behind Shawn Johnson in Season 8, is now paired with Peta Murgatroyd.
Biggest Battles
In addition to all of the previous winners battling it out to defend their mirror ball titles, there's also a few personal vendettas to contend with.
Gilles Marini may be ready to right an oh-so-close wrong. His Season 8 loss to Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson was by less than one percent of the vote!
Ditto for Val Chmerkovksiy, brother of seasoned pro Maksim, who has playfully pledged to be the first Chmerkovskiy to win the Mirror Ball. "We have a lot of family back home. I have to redeem our name a little bit," Val told "Access Hollywood" of his bro Maks' failure to ever bring home the trophy. (Having the original "DWTS" winner, Kelly Monaco, as his partner certainly won't hurt Val's chances!)
Meanwhile, with all this reuniting and re-partnering, the only winner to stay safely with his winning partner is Emmitt Smith. But that doesn't mean Twinkle Toes thinks he has it in the bag.
Smith recently told ESPN, "I'm a little nervous about it. Look at the names on the list. You see a bunch of great performers, some in the entertainment world and some in the sports world. I said, 'Emmitt, you have your work cut out!'"
"Dancing With the Stars" All-Stars Season 15 premieres September 24 on ABC.
More from this Contributor:
Beauty Secrets from the Ladies of "DWTS"
