All About the Stars: Meet the Celebs Competing on Season 33 of DWTS

Nearly 35 years after the premiere of Family Matters, Carl Winslow is returning to our televisions. Reginald VelJohnson, the actor behind America’s favorite TV dad, will be hitting the dance floor as he joins the Season 33 DWTS cast. The Die Hard actor is paired with pro Emma Slater, a self-proclaimed fan who was overcome with emotion when she first met VelJohnson. “I couldn’t help but cry a little bit when I saw him,” Slater told Us Weekly. Slater also revealed that VelJohnson has made great progress in rehearsals so far. The actor hinted that the duo might pay tribute to Family Matters in one of their upcoming performances.

One of the most controversial contestants on this season’s cast, Anna Delvey’s claim to fame is a bit different than that of the typical DWTS cast member. Through the falsification of financial documents, forged wire transfers and fake checks, Delvey forced her way into the upper-crust of New York City’s arts scene, claiming to be a Russian heiress and scamming banks and friends alike out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in the meantime. In 2019, Delvey was found guilty on eight charges, including three charges of grand larceny, by a Manhattan jury and subsequently served nearly four years in prison. Out on house arrest, Delvey has received special permission to appear on DWTS – her ankle monitor is even visible in her promo photo.

Better known as Pommel Horse Guy, American gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik recently won the internet’s heart with his bronze-worthy performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics. A Massachusetts native, the 25-year-old’s gymnastics career spans over two decades, though he only began specializing in pommel horse in high school. The four-time U.S. national champion and self-described “nerd” is paired with pro Rylee Arnold, a fan-favorite cast member known for her bubbly personality.

After 18 seasons in the NBA, eight-time All-Star Dwight Howard is ready to give a new sport a try. The highly-lauded defensive player was bursting with excitement as he announced his participation in Season 33 on Good Morning America, even giving viewers a taste of his non-ballroom dance moves. His game plan for DWTS?  “Just go out there and just have as much fun as possible.”

Attention Beverly Hills: 90201 fans – Donna Martin is making her ballroom debut! Tori Spelling was confirmed as one of the 13 contestants on this season’s star-studded cast. The VH1actress and author is no stranger to reality TV; from 2007-2012, Spelling starred alongside her then-husband Dean McDermott in the Oxygen original Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood, which followed the couple as they operated a bed-and-breakfast. Spelling later appeared on Season 13 of Big Brother and several episodes of The Masked Singer.

The tennis coach and former Bachelor lead is trading roses for dancing shoes as he joins the Season 33 cast. Coming in as runner-up on season 20 of The Bachelorette and subsequently finding love on season 28 of The Bachelor, Joey Graziadei joins the long list of Bachelor franchise alumni to appear on DWTS. In an Instagram post, Graziadei shared that learning to dance was an item on his “30 before i turn 30” bucket list. With pro Jenna Johnson by his side, it’s certain he’ll check that one off before the season ends.

Phaedra Parks has already established herself as a reality TV icon and successful attorney. Now, the Real Housewives star is ready to impress audiences with her skills on the dance floor. Parks spent seven seasons on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and recently starred on the second season of Peacock’s The Traitors. In an interview with Extra, Parks said that adding DWTS to her filmography required no second thought. “I love Dancing with the Stars,” she said.  “So when I got the call I was like, ‘Yes ma'am! I’m here!’”

TikTok’s favorite Olympian Ilona Maher is moving from our phones to our television screens as she makes her mark on this season’s DWTS cast. Maher is an Olympic-medal-winning rugby player from the U.S. who gained popularity online for videos that gave viewers a glimpse behind-the-scenes at the Olympic Village. While Maher is beloved for her goofy TikToks, she’s also appreciated as an outspoken proponent of the body positivity movement. “My new goal for this is to show that all body types can dance … and feel sexy and beautiful while you’re out on the dance floor,” Maher told GMA.

Oscar-nominated actor Eric Roberts is stepping “a mile and a half” outside of his comfort zone to join DWTS this season. With a career spanning over five decades, the American actor is best known for his lead roles in King of the Gypsies, Star 80, and Runaway Train. In a social media post announcing his DWTS debut, Roberts shared that he and his wife are major fans of the show “so to participate is super exciting.” We can only imagine that Roberts’ sister Julia Roberts and daughter Emma Roberts will be cheering him on as he takes the dance floor.

Back in July, Jenn Tran made history as the first Asian-American woman to lead The Bachelor franchise. After a heartbreaking end to her season, the New Jersey native and PA student is ready for a new chapter. “When one door closes…the next door suddenly has dancing shoes behind them,” Tran wrote on Instagram. “So incredibly excited and grateful for this opportunity to do something I’ve always dreamed of doing!”

Actress Chandler Kinney is the youngest addition to this season’s cast. The 24-year-old is best known for her roles as Willa in Disney’s Zombies franchise and Tabitha in Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin and Pretty Little Liars: Summer School on Max. “I’m overwhelmed with gratitude to be invited into the ballroom,” Kinney shared on Instagram after the cast announcement. “Little bb chan who wouldn’t stop dancing in the aisles of the grocery store would be losing her mind right now,” she added.

Former NFL player Danny Amendola has perfected his touchdown dance – but will that be enough to take home the mirrorball? The former wide receiver spent 13 seasons in the NFL, winning two Super Bowls while on the New England Patriots. Former teammate Rob Gronkowski gave Amendola his vote of confidence, assuring the 38-year-old that he can “dominate” this season.

Sports Illustrated model Brooks Nader will also be joining the DWTS cast this season. Nader’s career took off when the 27-year-old won the Swim Search open casting call back in 2019. Since then, the Louisiana native has been featured in the magazine several times and even became a SI covergirl in 2023. Nader says that she has some dance experience, but is excited to tackle a new challenge alongside pro Gleb Savchencko this season.