One is known for being tough.
The other is known for being limber.
But both will soon be known for something they have in common:
A burning desire to win the Mirrorball Trophy on Season 24 of Dancing with the Stars.
Indeed, Entertainment Tonight has confirmed the first two cast members for the upcoming season of everyone’s favorite reality competition.
And the first will be… Mr. T!
The former A-Team star and movie star has not been on any type of screen since 2014.
He’s remained relatively quiet on social media as well, but an insider tells ET that “production has been trying to get Mr. T for years,” adding:
“He will be a great contestant this season.”
The 64-year old certainly fits the mold: he’s a mostly washed-up Z-Listers with name recognition and no other real entertainment options these days.
By which we mean no offense! Those are just mostly facts. We think Mr. T is a terrific choice.
The second confirmed contestant, meanwhile, has been identified as… Simone Biles!
The Gold Medal-winning gymnast from the 2016 Summer Olympics told ET in August that she wasn’t able to join the program last year due to her schedule.
However, she made it clear that she “would love” to participate in a future season, even picking out her dream partner in an interview with the outlet.
“If I could do the spring season, I would love to do that,” Biles said at the time, meaning her dream is now coming true.
She added:
“I think [I’d like to dance with] Sasha [Farber]. I think it would be cool to be with Sasha.”
The pressure will be on for Biles, too, because her Olympic teammate Laurie Hernandez took home the DWTS gold just a few months ago.
The new Dancing with the Stars season premieres on March 20 on ABC.
No other celebrities have been announced for the cast yet, but expect plenty of rumors over the next few weeks, along with the eventual casting of some Real Housewife, some athlete and and some ex-Playboy centerfold.
Those are at least a few of the boxes producers try to check each season.
On Tuesday, pros Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd announced they’ll be returning for season 24, after welcoming their son, Shai, in January.
“I’m definitely a little bit nervous but I’m very excited to get back,” Murgatroyd said on Good Morning America. “I’ve definitely missed the dance floor. I haven’t been able to defend my title with Nyle [DiMarco].”
Added Chmerkovskiy, joking about his fiancee:
“I just want to make her coming back and winning as difficult as possible. Yeah, somebody has to pose some competition.”
Which other stars do YOU want to see take part on the show this spring?