Tiger King‘s Carole Baskin, Selling Sunset‘s Chrishell Stause and a whole host of other famous faces have been confirmed for the next season of Dancing with the Stars.
The long-running ABC series will return on September 14, with both Stause and Baskin set to capitalise on their newfound fame by taking to the dancefloor.
The reality stars join Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean, Bachelorette star Kaitlyn Bristowe, former NFL player Vernon Davis, Desperate Housewives star Jesse Metcalfe, Cheer star Monica Aldama and actors Anne Heche, Skai Jackson and Justina Machado.
The lineup of season 29 of Dancing with the Stars will also include The Real host Jeannie Mai, rapper Nelly, Catfish host Nev Schulman, NBA star Charles Oakley and Johnny Weir, an Olympic figure skater.
Carole Baskin is doing Dancing with the Stars for her cats.
Speaking to Good Morning America following the announcement, Baskin said she wanted fans to see her in a new light on Dancing with the Stars.
“The biggest thing for me is the longer my partner and I can stay in the running and in the competition it will keep the cats forefront in the viewers’ eye, and to me that was where Tiger King missed the ball,” she said.
“It really should have been focused on the animals and I’m hoping Dancing with the Stars will do that.
The longer my partner and I can stay in the running and in the competition it will keep the cats forefront in the viewers’ eye.
“I am competitive but I am competitive with myself. I just want to do the very best that I can possibly do.”
Baskin has been rumoured with a spot on the show for a while, but fans were shocked that it is actually happening.
Carole Baskin killed her husband & took everything from Joe Exotic and still got cast on Dancing With the Stars??? pic.twitter.com/jI8aCNUrIh
— alex (@AlexUlrichh) September 2, 2020
Carole Baskin when her assigned Dancing with the Stars dancer doesn’t follow her leadpic.twitter.com/g7yJBwbmzF
— María Britto Farías💜 (@MariaBrittoF) September 2, 2020
Carole Baskin after she loses Dancing With the Stars pic.twitter.com/TO1lcE2C8s
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) September 2, 2020
Tiger King made Baskin a household name.
Tiger King gripped the world when it was released to Netflix in March. It threw Carole Baskin, owner of Big Cat Rescue, into the spotlight, as viewers came up with elaborate theories about her missing, presumed to be dead husband, and whether or not Baskin killed him, as Joe Exotic alleged.
Her Tiger King journey might not becoming to an end, either. It was recently reported that Netflix want to make a second season – but Baskin reportedly wants a $1 million payout to take part.
“It’s around the £1 million mark. She wants to plough it into her Florida sanctuary, Big Cat Rescue,” an unnamed insider told The Sun earlier this month.
“Taking part in Tiger King opened up her private life and she wants to make sure it’s worth her while.”