The competition begins with 12 new celebrities who will brave the dance floor for their very first time.
The contestants are:
-"Jersey Shore" star Nicole "Snookie" Polizzi
- Former NFL star Keyshawn Johnson
- Actress Valerie Harper
- "Pretty Little Liars" star Brant Daugherty
- Singer/dancer/actress/entrepreneur Christina Milian
- Bill Nye the Science Guy
- "Saved by the Bell" star Elizabeth Berkley
- "High School Musical" and Broadway star Corbin Bleu
- "Glee" star Amber Riley
- Comedian Bill Engvall
- Jack Osbourne
- "King of Queens" star Leah Remini
Each week these celebrities will leave their comfort zones and endure hours of grueling rehearsals to master technical choreography and entertaining performances. In the end, only one star will rise above the rest to be crowned champion and win the coveted Mirror Ball trophy.
Dancing with the Stars returns for Season 17 and shakes things up by transitioning to a one night, two-hour format beginning Monday, September 16 at 8 p.m. Combining the best elements of the show every Monday, Dancing with the Stars will continue to feature competitive dance, dynamic group performances and musical guests, all while climaxing to a dramatic elimination.
Each week viewers vote for their favorite dancing performance. Each couple will be eliminated at the end of each episode by combining the judges' scores of that night with the public votes from the previous week which will determine who gets eliminated every Monday night.