You can almost smell the funk of spray tans and hear the tap of ballroom dancing shoes as twelve new celebrities don the sequins and prepare to show off their potentially awkward moves as they compete for charities of their choice.
The 2024 season of Dancing with the Stars will premiere on Channel 7 in about a week’s time. This is the show’s 21st season, and the tried true format will again be hosted by Sonia Kruger (who made her mark on the dancefloor back in the day as Tina Sparkle in Strictly Ballroom).
Kruger is joined this time by new co-host, Dr Christ Brown, best known as the Bondi Vet and host of I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
This year’s celeb contestants are the expected mix of Channel 7 talent (like Home and Away actor James Stewart and Better Homes and Gardens presenter Adam Dovile), sports stars (Ben Cousins and Shane Crawford) and chefs (Julie Goodwin and Hayden Quinn), as well as comedians, singers and wildcards like SAS Australia Chief Instructor Ant Middleton.
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The stars are paired, as usual, with professional dancers who work overtime to make them look good, or at least adequate.
Dancing in public when you’re not a professional is stretching the comfort zone for almost all the contestants, and watching that stretch – as well as following the progress achievable with a good teacher – is part of the format’s appeal.
Dancing with the Stars: the 2024 lineup
- Adam Dovile – the Better Homes and Gardens DIY presenter and gardening guru is paired with dancer Jess Raffa and is competing for the Prostate and Breast Cancer Foundation.
- Ant Middleton – an SAS Australia Chief Instructor, is paired with Alex Vladimirov and dancing for Perth Children’s Hospital.
- Ben Cousins – the AFL legend and 7NEWS Sport presenter is paired with dancer Siobhan Power and dancing for Perth Telethon.
- Hayden Quinn – the MasterChef contestant and host of Taste of Australia is paired with dancer Lily Cornish and competing for LifeChanger Foundation.
- James Stewart – the Home and Away and Packed to the Rafters actor is paired with dancer Jorja Freeman and dancing for the McGrath Foundation.
- Julie Goodwin – the original Masterchef winner and cookbook author is is paired with dancer Andrey Gorbonov and competing for charity Beyond Blue.
- Lisa McCune – the Logie winning actor and singer is paired with Ian Waite and dancing for RCD Foundation and the Harrison Reidel Foundation.
- Nadia Bartel – the fashion designer and model is dancing with Lyu Masuda and competing for the charity Fitted For Work.
- Nikki Osborne – the standup comedian is dancing with Aric Yegudkin and competing for The Carers Foundation.
- Nova Peris – the Indigenous Olympic athlete and former senator is paired with Craig Monley and competing for the The Nova Peris Foundation.
- Samantha Jade – the X Factor winner and singer who played Kylie Minogue in miniseries INXS: Never Tear Us Apart is paired with Gustavo Viglio and dancing for Cancer Council.
- Shane Crawford – the AFL legend and TV presenter is dancing with Ash-Leigh Hunter, competing for Breast Cancer Network.
The Judges
Following weeks of rigorous rehearsals, contestants face the eyes of judges Craig Revel Horwood, Helen Richey, Sharna Burgess and Mark Wilson who will determine the winner of the Dancing with the Stars mirror ball trophy.
Last year’s winner was Human Nature singer Phil Burton, and the six-week season was a ratings win for Seven, with 6.14 million Australians watching across Channel 7 and 7 plus during its run.
Dancing With The Stars is produced by BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand from a format created by the BBC and distributed by BBC Studios.
Dancing With The Stars premieres Sunday, 7 July on Channel 7 and 7plus.
