After more than 17 years as a dancing dream team, Olympic gold medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White will compete against each other on season 18 of Dancing With the Stars. Us Weekly
first reported during the 2014 Sochi Olympics last month that the ice
dancing champs wanted to compete on ABC's smash competition series.
"We were talking about [competing on the show] and someone was saying, 'Oh but you wouldn’t be a team,'" White told Us senior reporter Jen Peros at
the P&G Family Home on Feb. 19. "We were like, 'I don’t know, that
might be fun to compete against each other.' I think it would be so
awesome to be able to be on a show like that."
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"I think, as athletes, when you finish a competition typically, even
though theres a little bit of celebrating and media, we're anxious to
get back to training," Davis added.
As it turns out, the dynamic duo worked with Dancing pro Derek Hough on their My Fair Lady-themed
short dance portion of their gold medal-winning routine, after first
being introduced through their agency. "We got to see a little bit of
the behind-the-scenes look," Davis told Us last month of training with
the five-time Mirrorball Trophy winner. "Obviously we have a real love
for dance, and the popularity that that show has brought to dance in the
U.S., we feel [has] helped the case for ice dancing and it's popularity
as well."
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While Davis and White's dreams of working with Derek and Julianne Hough, respectively, did not pan out as desired, the two athletes will be working with dynamic pros Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Sharna Burgess on the upcoming season of the show.
"So excited to be 'Team M&M' with @MaksimC," Davis tweeted after the new cast was revealed on Good Morning America Tuesday. Along with a picture of her new Dancing
partner, Davis followed up, "Let the adventure begin! Weeeee!"
Chmerkovskiy, who returns as a pro after a two year hiatus from the
show, returned the love and wrote, "Don't know what I did 'right' to be
partnered with @Meryl_Davis , but thank you @DancingABC ! Something
tells me this will be fun ;)."
Now vying for the Mirrorball
Trophy as a competitor, White responded to his longtime dancing
partner's tweet with a funny sting: "Don't listen to @Meryl_Davis !" he
pleaded with fans. "It's all about team Shar-Char!!! @SharnaBurgess and I
are ready to rock!"
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But they could even swap partners. Hough announced on GMA that
season 18 of the show comes an interesting twist -- "America will be
given the power to vote and change celebrities and professional dance
pairings," he said. "This new rule will affect all couples as they will
be required to switch partners at a point in the season."
Davis and White join a star-studded cast including Real Housewives of Atlanta's NeNe Leakes and Full House alum Candace Cameron Bure. Season 18 of ABC's Dancing With the Stars debuts Monday, Mar. 17.
