It’s another season of dancing, alleged romances and bad spray tans.
“Dancing with the Stars” is back for season 21, airing a two-hour live premiere at 8 p.m. Monday, followed by Tuesday’s new “Dancing with the Stars: First Dances” — a two-hour recap of day one, plus extended footage.
No couples will be eliminated during the first week.
The premiere promises “the biggest number in DWTS history shot on Hollywood Boulevard,” according to ABC.
Before a new wave of dancers hit the dance floor — including Paula Deen, Gary Busey and Nick Carter — here are some fun facts about the show:
History
The show marked its tenth year in June and has completed 20 seasons.
The idea was based off British hit, “Stricly Come Dancing.”
The first season, with only six dancing teams, was the number one show during summer 2005.
The last season premiere was viewed by about 14 million people, according to U.S. Nielsen Ratings.
Revamp
The show underwent a major overhaul in 2014, replacing, the Harold Wheeler Band, the show’s orchestra of 17 seasons, with a small electronic band and pre-recorded songs.
They also gave the axe to Brooke Burke-Charvet, who had been a co-host for eight seasons. She tweeted that she was informed of her firing at the last-minute.
She was replaced with the younger Erin Andrews.
Youngest and Oldest Stars
Age doesn’t matter on the dance floor.
The youngest contestant on the show was “Hunger Games” actress Willow Shields, at the age of 14. She came in seventh place.
Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson is the youngest champion, winning the competition in 2009 at 17-years-old. Both Johnson and Shields were partnered with professional Mark Ballas.
Meanwhile, the oldest contestant was actress Cloris Leachman at the age of 82. Leachman lasted six rounds before being eliminated.
Donny Osmond — two weeks shy of his 52nd birthday — is the oldest champion of the show’s history.
Athletes
Scores of athletes have laced up their dancing shoes, and some have been quite successful.
The over 40 athletes that have tried for the Mirror Ball are: NFL legends Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith; boxers Evander Holyfield and Floyd Mayweather; NBA player Rick Fox; and Olympic gymnasts Aly Raisman and Nastia Liukin.
Athletes have won eight seasons. Among the winners were Hines Ward, Donald Driver and Meryl Davis.
Longest-running professional
Professional dancer Tony Dovolani has been with the show since season two.
He will be paired with reality TV star, Kim Zolciak, for season 21.
He won one season, with “The Bachelor” star, Melissa Rycroft.
Most watched
“The Carlton” exploded again in 2014.
The most popular Dancing with the Stars video on YouTube is “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” star, Alfonso Ribeiro, doing “The Carlton” during his Jazz number with partner Witney Carson.
The dance has been viewed over 7 million times.
Ribeiro won the competition in 2014.
Most wins
Professional dancer Derek Hough, 30, takes the trophy for most wins on the show.
He helped his partners take the Mirror Ball home a record of five times. He is also the only contestant to have back-to-back wins twice.
This season, he is paired with daughter of the late Steve Irwin, Bindi Irwin .
Highest Scores
Leading the 223 celebs who have appeared on the show is Olympic skater Meryl Davis with an average score of 28.4.
The only other celebs to have an average over 28 are: season six winner and fellow Olympic skater, Kristi Yamagugchi; reality starlet Melissa Rycroft, who won the All-Stars season; and actor Gilles Marini, who lost season eight with less than 1% of the vote.
Lowest ranked
Some celebs had two left feet when it came to ballroom dancing.
The lowest ranked score in the show’s history was Master P’s Paso Doble which earned 8 points out of 30. The highest score he would earn was a 16.
The rapper was a last-minute replacement after his son Lil Romeo was injured, so maybe he’s not entirely at fault for his bad moves.
Other bottom-dwellers were Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak who earned a 10 on of one his dances and comedian D.L. Hughley with 12 points on his cha-cha-cha.
Romances
Sparks often fly on the dance floor.
While many dancing duos have played up their chemistry or have only been rumored flings, some confirmed pairings have blossomed on set.
Pro Karina Smirnoff is known for her string of breakups, having had three engagements end. She dated her season three partner, Mario Lopez, for two years before splitting in 2008. She was then engaged to fellow dancer Makism Chmerkovsky but they ended their engagement in 2009.
Sabrina Bryan and Mark Ballas also struck up a romance but it only lasted a couple of months.
Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough lasted one year and tweeted about the demise of their romance. Fun fact: Elizabeth is 12 years older than Hough.
Currently, pro Kym Johnson is still dating her partner from last season, Robert Herjavec, star of “Shark Tank.”
