'Jersey Shore' star The Situation gets Karina Smirnoff as a partner, but they have not even met days away from the show's premiere.
- Sep 2, 2010
AceShowbiz - Done with the announcement of which celebrities would be on their dance floor this Fall, ABC revealed the pairings of "Dancing with the Stars" on Wednesday, September 1. Bristol Palin, who has said before that she would be the most decent-clothed contestant, is paired with the show's two-time champion Mark Ballas.
Meanwhile, reality star The Situation who claims to be an underdog, will be dancing under the guidance of Karina Smirnoff. To MTV, Smirnoff admitted she hasn't met him as of Wednesday. "I think we're literally the only couple who will only have about five days to get ready for the premiere on national television. Everyone else is going to have three and half weeks. We're gonna have maybe five days, so that part I'm very nervous about," the professional dancer said.
Smirnoff was absent from the show last season but she is now in for Edyta Sliwinska has withdrawn her involvement due to creative differences. Sliwinska's husband Alec Mazo is not in the line-up as well and is replaced by Mark Ballas' father Corky Ballas. The senior Ballas will be dancing with fellow veteran, Florence Henderson.
Elsewhere in the pairings, petite Cheryl Burke will have to coach former basketball star Rick Fox while two-time champion Derek Hough will have a fat chance to win this season for he's partnered with former "Dirty Dancing" star Jennifer Grey.
"Dancing with the Stars" will begin September 20 on ABC.
Professional Pairings of Season 11:
- Michael Bolton and Chelsie Hightower
- Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
- Margaret Cho and Louis Van Amstel
- Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke
- Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough
- David Hasselhoff and Kym Johnson
- Florence Henderson and Corky Ballas
- Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas
- Audrina Patridge and Tony Dovolani
- Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and Karina Smirnoff
- Kurt Warner and Anna Trebunskaya
- Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer
