From Hannah Brown and Alan Bersten to Ray Lewis and Cheryl Burke, fans share who they'd like to see paired up in the ballroom.
Dancing With the Stars is right around the corner, and we're already anticipating a lot of surprises for season 28.
For the first time ever, viewers will have to tune in to the season premiere on Sept. 16 to find out who the celebrities competing for the mirrorball trophy will be paired up with in the ballroom. During the dance competition show's panel at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, on Friday, executive producer Andrew Llinares revealed that, at the time, he was the only one who knew the celeb-pro pairings.
"Well, we wanted to do something a little different this year… We want to keep it fresh for you guys," he explained. "No one knows their partner but they’ll find out within the next few days because they start training soon."
"I know [the pairings]," he added, "but we'll reveal it on premiere night. Everyone keeps coming up to me trying to trick me."
Still, that hasn't stopped the pro dancers from getting fans pumped about the all-new season on social media. Many of them revealed via Twitter that they would be meeting their partners for the first time on Monday. Here at ET, we're just as excited, so we've rounded up all the responses about who YOU guys think should dance together. Take a look at some of our favorite ideas below as we patiently wait to find out the real partnerships next month on ABC.
Hannah Brown and Alan Bersten
It's no secret that America loves showmances, and with Alan and Hannah both being single, it would make sense why the producers would want to pair these two together. "Please be Hannah," one fan wrote on Twitter, with another adding, "Whoever it is, you're going to do an amazing job! But I hope it's Hannah."
"I just want Hannah Brown to find love, so let's hope her partner is single and ready to flamingle," an additional fan suggested.
Lamar Odom and Peta Murgatroyd
While speaking with ET in New York City earlier this month, the former NBA star said he ran into "one tall young lady" whom he could potentially be matched with in the ballroom. "She thinks she might be my partner," he teased. "She was attractive. I forgot her name though."
Fans who watched the interview seemed to think he was talking about Peta Murgatroyd, who is making her highly anticipated return after a few seasons off. Plus, out of all the female pros, Peta is one of the tallest dancers. Standing at 5-foot-7, she'd be a perfect height match for the 6-foot-10 Lamar.
"I just Love that Lamar is dancing," one fan tweeted. "Hope they put him with Peta."
Christie Brinkley and Val Chmerkovskiy
Fans (and the network!) have been wanting Christie to join the show for years, so we're stoked it's finally happening. And if anyone can help her get one step closer to that mirrorball, it's Val! She'd definitely be in good hands with the two-time DWTS champ, even if she doesn't necessarily see herself as the most coordinated person in the cast.
"I'm so excited! I think it's going to be so fun," she told ET earlier this month. "I literally don't know how to dance. Seriously, it's true… I really don't have the moves. So I'm really excited to learn with the pros. It's a wonderful opportunity for me."
"I think whoever I get has his work cut out for him," she continued. "I think they need to give me a really good one because I need a lot of work… All of the dancers on the show are incredible, really amazing."
Kel Mitchell and Witney Carson
With Witney's fun personality and Kel's comedic skills, we think these two would be a perfect match. Plus, Kel told ET earlier this month that he's hoping to incorporate some hip-hop moves into his routines, which Wit does organically from season to season (see: any piece she choreographed for Vanilla Ice during season 23).
"I think Kel has a quality of movement similar to Alfonso Ribeiro from what I have seen," noted one fan, who watched Witney win her first mirrorball with Alfonso during season 19. "I hope he has his dedication and work ethic. Witney can work her magic and hip-hop moves, which Kel is hoping for."
Ally Brooke and Sasha Farber
Standing at 5' 0" the "Low Key" singer is the shortest competitor this season, so many fans are guessing that, due to height alone, she'll be paired with 5' 7" Sasha.
"Ally and Sasha Farber, obviously because of their heights, this is a given, but I'm here for it because she will definitely be a different type of partner for him!" one fan raved. "I'm excited about that."
"If it's not Sasha I think I will cry, not going to lie here," another added.
James Van Der Beek and Emma Slater
If you're familiar with the personalities of these two talented people, then how could you NOT think they're a perfect match? Emma is all about having fun (see: anything she created for John Schneider last season), and we think she'd easily find a way to bring out James' best qualities on the dance floor. Plus, Emma's kind of the queen of epic costumes, so we can already imagine the type of creative ideas she'd come up with for the Dawson's Creek star.
"I love to dance, I love to move. It just seemed like the most fun thing I could possibly do," James told ET earlier this month.
Lauren Alaina and Gleb Savchenko
Gleb took Jana Kramer to fourth place during season 23, so, naturally, we'd love to see him compete with another country star... but this time, taking home the mirrorball. Plus, it looks like he's been hanging out in the country capital of the world -- Nashville, Tennessee -- this week:
Karamo Brown and Jenna Johnson
The Queer Eye star revealed via the DWTS Instagram on Monday that he met his partner and it's "the person that I wanted, that I dreamed of," so fans immediately started putting the pieces together and commenting, "It's Jenna!"
"We have such great chemistry," he teased."We are about to take it all the way to the top!"
"I feel like their energies would match and she would give him the best choreo," Regan, a longtime DWTS fan, shared in ET's Beyond the Ballroom Facebook Group.
Kate Flannery and Brandon Armstrong
Brandon crushed it as a first-time pro last season with Tinashe, but we think it's safe to say the fans are ready to see more of the silly side we saw from him when he was a mentor on DWTS: Juniors. And who better to bring that out than Kate, who made millions of Americans laugh with her role as Meredith on The Office?
"I'm 55. I can't believe I decided it's OK for me to dance," she joked to ET earlier this month. "But you know, a lot of people take themselves out of the race. So I'm just here to say that I'm the poster child for, 'Hang in there.' And maybe you can still do it. And we'll find out together, America."
"No matter what happens, it's going to be fantastic," she continued. "If nothing else, we'll have a drink and laugh over this. We will."
Ray Lewis and Cheryl Burke
If there's anyone that can flawlessly transform a former football star into a professional dancer, it's Cheryl! The longtime pro took Emmitt Smith to mirrorball victory all the way back in season three, and to this day, the running back is still considered one of the most memorable contestants DWTS has ever had. On top of that, she's also competed with Chad Ochocinco (season 10) and Terrell Owens (season 25).
Plus, it sounds like Ray may have accidentally spilled the beans early. The former Baltimore Ravens star was interviewed by Maryland's WMAR-2 news station on Monday and said he was practicing the Cha Cha with his partner, Cheryl. Watch here.
Mary Wilson and Pasha Pashkov
A new pro deserves a grand entrance, and when you're paired with a member of the Supremes, you've already won gold! We think these two could be a dazzling ballroom duo this season. Not to mention, Mary's already got plenty of people rooting for her, including some fans who will be tuning in "for the first time" just to catch the legend in action.
Sean Spicer and Lindsay Arnold
It's no secret that this pairing will be the most controversial of them all, as the former White House press secretary has already received plenty of backlash for doing the show before he even steps foot into the ballroom. But if anyone can handle the negativity with grace, we think it'd be Lindsay.
These popular guesses would leave two other confirmed pros on the table -- Keo Motsepe and Daniella Karagach -- who some fans said they could also see dancing with Kate and Sean, respectively, if Brandon and Lindsay aren't paired with those stars. With 12 celebrities and 14 pros, some fans are wondering whether dancers will be "benched" or perhaps rotate partners throughout the season. As noted before, ABC has yet to reveal the real celeb-pro pairings and how the pairings will work this season.
ABC entertainment president Karey Burke teased earlier this month during the Television Critics Association summer press tour that fans will be introduced to "really fun format changes" this season.
"We have a lot of new people behind the scenes," host Tom Bergeron added while speaking to ET last week. "A new executive producer. There was a fairly widespread feeling among our viewers and among us on the show that we needed to take a look at things and maybe tweak things a bit."
"So, you'll see the results of those deliberations on Sept. 16," he added. "I don't want to give it all away, but the judges will have a little extra oomph this season."
What are YOUR thoughts on the above celeb-pro pairings? Who do you want to see take home the mirrorball trophy this season? Let me know on Twitter (@desireemurphy_) and be sure to tune into Dancing With the Stars on Monday, Sept. 16 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
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