The new season of "Dancing Season with the Stars" is about to open on the 9^th of March at 8 ET/PT, featuring many celebrity couples.

 

The contest starts with pop singer Jewel facing off against her husband, professional rodeo champion Ty Murray. They will make the show's first celebrity couple competing in the same season for bragging rights. In the meanwhile, DWTSpopular dance professional and two-time "Dancing with the Stars" champion Julianne Hough will take the floor with her boyfriend, country singer Chuck Wicks.

 

Another important couple that will be waltzing in the arms of others is made of professional dancers and series regulars Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Karina Smirnoff, who recently got engaged.

 

The 13 celebrities who will compete on the ABC series' eighth season also include Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.

 

According to ABC, the youngest competitor to date is the Olympic gold-medal gymnast Shawn Johnson who said she hoped that her athletic training offsets any dance angst.

 

But apparently she is not the only star athlete in the field. The former 50-year-old New York Giant and Hall of Famer, Lawrence Taylor is also in the race. In the 1990’s he pleaded guilty to income tax evasion and was also charged with possessing cocaine.

 

Other celebrity hoofers who are scheduled to perform as well are Go-Go's lead singer Belinda Carlisle, rapper Lil' Kim, actress Denise Richards, actor-comedian David Alan Grier (Comedy Central's "Chocolate News"), Gilles Marini, TV host Nancy O'Dell of "Access Hollywood."

 

The 34-year-old reality TV prankster Steve-O, from MTV’s “Wildboyz” was placed on probation last year after admitting to possessing cocaine. Lil’ Kim got even luckier, as she was in jail for 11 months on a 2005 federal perjury charge.

 

Conrad Green, the executive producer of the show, said that this season they focused on inviting some unpredictable people. He added that once you have someone with one leg like Heather Mills, someone deaf like Marlee Matlin or 82-year-old Cloris Leachman, boundaries become quite difficult to push, besides he is convinced of the fact that a little wildness will not hurt.

 

The "Dancing with the Stars" show is hosted by Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris, while Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba will be judging the contestants.