Dancing with the Stars Season 10 Cast Announcement

This is the first time the lid was kept on so well. Very few names had been bandied about except for the early news that Pamela Anderson had made the roster. In a surprise, the previously hinted at roster of twelve, which was cut from last season was further cut to eleven with no further explanation. Some of the names were a surprise.

Host Tom Bergeron along with former contestant Melissa Rycroft presented the names of the 11 stars for Season 10:

Pamela Anderson - Confirmed several weeks ago as a contestant (see my article), Anderson has a couple of things going for her but we'll have to wait and see if they are enough to carry the fan vote.

Kate Gosselin - The mom of 8 who is still in production on her reality show will have a busy couple of months ahead of her.

Evan Lysacek - The men's figure skating gold medalist at the 2010 winter Olympics

Shannon Dougherty - the former Beverly Hills 90210 and Charmed star follows former cast mates Ian Ziering and Jennie Garth to the ballroom floor. Both lasted till about the midpoint of the season Will Dougherty fare any better?

Chad Ochocinco - The Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver will be filling the African-American athlete slot previously filled by Evander Holyfield, Jerry Rice, Emmet Smith, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Jason Taylor, Warren Sapp, Laila Ali, Lawrence Taylor and Michael Irvin. Only one has ever won though several others have made respectable showings.

Aiden Turner - English actor and soap star from All My Children follows previous cast mates Susan Lucci and Cameron Mathison onto the ballroom floor.

Erin Andrews - An ESPN sportscaster comes to Dancing with the Stars as an unknown entity in terms of her dance skills.

Buzz Aldrin - Astronaut Aldrin fills the older gentleman spot of the season, a spot previously filled by Jerry Springer, Tom DeLay and John Ratzenberger.

Niecy Nash - Actress and comedian best known for her role on Reno 911.

Nicole Scherzinger - The singer, songwriter and actress also has a dance background and is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls.

Jake Pavelka - This season's bachelor himself is the last contestant named, living his life, as he says, for stress.

Returning Professionals

Though the pairings have not been revealed, it is known which professional dancers are returning for the pared-down roster. These were previously announced and it seems clear that with only 11 stars, one of these professionals will also be cut. Stay tuned.

Louie Van Amstel

Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Anna Demidova

Anna Trebunskaya

Cheryl Burke

Derek Hough

Mark Ballas

Chelsie Hightower

Tony Dovolani

Edyta Sliwinska

Damian Whitewood

Karina Smirnoff

The replacement for co-host Samantha Harris has not been named yet. Previous contestants Drew Lachey, Melissa Rycroft, Mel B and others have been suggested. Dancing with the Stars may use a variety of people until they find the right person for the job. Check back to find out the pairings and other news as it becomes available.