'DWTS' Season 17 Premiere Date Plus 5 More Things We Know About the Show

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
by Mary Fischer 3 hours ago

The wait is over! A premiere date for Dancing With the Stars season 17 has been announced, and you'll be happy to know we only have a couple months to go, as it will air on Monday, September 16, 2013 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.

It's always fun to watch a brand new cast take the ballroom floor each season, but there will also be some other changes to DWTS this time around that have the potential to make the show a bigger hit than ever.

Here's the scoop we have on season 17 so far.

Only one judge is confirmed -- Carrie Ann Inaba will definitely be back, but as of now, there's no word on whether Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli will return to the party. There's also a possibility that a fourth judge could be added. (Paula Abdul, if I had to take a wild guess.)No more results show -- For season 17, DWTS will only air on Monday nights, though we're not quite sure how that is going to affect the voting procedures. Maybe contestants will be voted off at the beginning of each show, after the previous week's performances have been judged by viewers? Guess we'll just have to wait and see. But it will probably be better this way, because sometimes those results shows are nothing but an hour of pure fluff.A controversial cast? -- As far as DWTS casting rumors go, Paula Deen and Jon Gosselin are two names that have gotten a bit of buzz, along with Indy car racer Tony Kanaan. At this point, anyone could wind up making the roster, but odds are good they're going to try and cast some pretty great characters this season.Younger target audience -- Apparently ABC hopes to draw in a more diverse group of viewers. Translation: they want people other than old fogies like me tuning in. But if they want the young "kids" to be glued to their TV sets, they're going to have to find a few good spring chickens to test out their dancing skills.Which pros are in? -- I can't lie, I was pretty bummed out when Maskim Chmerkovskiy didn't come back for DWTS season 16, and I'd love it if he decided to return. I know some of these pros get so famous that they move on to bigger things, but they're part of what makes the show great. As of now, Cheryl Burke is definitely coming back, and supposedly Louis Van Amstel, Karina Smirnoff, Peta Murgatroyd, and Sharna Burgess are too. But if by some chance Derek Hough or (gasp!) Val Chmerkovskiy decide to make an exit, I might have to boycott season 17 altogether.

What are you hoping will be different on the new season of DWTS?

Image via ABC

Click the "Like" button below if you're a fan of Dancing With The Stars. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mary Fischer

is the writer behind The Mommyologist, and the mom of a future famous comedian. Her current loves include cosmopolitans, reality TV, and shoes that don't pinch her feet.

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