'Dancing With the Stars' 20th season cast features Suzanne Somers, Michael Sam, Patti LaBelle

By RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com, originally filed Tuesday, February 24, 2015

"Dancing With the Stars" announced most of it 20th cast this morning and it was decidedly blah. A "surprise" 12th cast member will be named next month.

So far, there are no comedians to lighten the spirits, no soap stars, no Atlantans to get me jazzed and a single reality show star: "The Bachelor" Chris Soule. (ABC is not shy about synergizing its properties.)

On the bright side, "Dancing With the Stars" managed to convince its most popular dancer Derek Hough to come back despite previous announcements that he wouldn't. Last season's winning dancer Witney Carson , who was paired with Alfonso Ribeiro, is taking the season off.

The show returns March 16 with the same judges' panel as last season (Julianne Hough, Len Goodman in supposedly his finale year, Bruno Tonioli, Carrie Ann Inaba) and the same hosts (Tom Bergeron and former Atlantan Erin Andrews).

Here are the 11 ABC named this morning and a link to a photo gallery of the contestants. Plus, the 12th contestant named later: Soules:

For Gen Xer who loved 'Three's Company":  68-year-old Suzanne Somers, who was part of that "jiggle" parade of the mid-1970s on that iconic comedy and later made a name for herself as a workout queen. She's paired with Tony Dovolani.

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 04: Patti LaBelle performs at PBS's 2014 A CAPITOL FOURTH at U.S. Capitol, West Lawn on July 4, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Capital Concerts) WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 04: Patti LaBelle performs at PBS's 2014 A CAPITOL FOURTH at U.S. Capitol, West Lawn on July 4, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Capital Concerts)

For  old-school R&B fans: 70-year-old Patti LaBelle, who has dozens of hits, from "New Attitude" to "Lady Marmalade" to "On My Own."

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 09: Riker Lynch of R5 poses at Pop/Rock Sensation R5 and Ring Pop Premiere #RockThatRock Music Video at Gramercy Theatre on June 9, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Bazooka Candy Brands) NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 09: Riker Lynch of R5 poses at Pop/Rock Sensation R5 and Ring Pop Premiere #RockThatRock Music Video at Gramercy Theatre on June 9, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Bazooka Candy Brands)

For the tweens: boy group R5's Riker Lynch, who had also appeared in "Glee."

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 17: Actress Willow Shields attends the premiere of Lionsgate's "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1" at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on November 17, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 17: Actress Willow Shields attends the premiere of Lionsgate's "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1" at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on November 17, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

More for YA crowd: 14-year-old Willow Shields, who was part of "The Hunger Games" franchise. She's the youngest person ever to compete on the show. My favorite dancer Mark Ballas gets to work with another young'un after getting Sadie Robertson to second place last season.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 17: Model Charlotte McKinney attends BVLGARI and Save the children STOP. THINK. GIVE. Pre-Oscar Event at Spago on February 17, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by David Buchan/Getty Images) BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 17: Model Charlotte McKinney attends BVLGARI and Save the children STOP. THINK. GIVE. Pre-Oscar Event at Spago on February 17, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by David Buchan/Getty Images)

For eye candy purposes: 22-year-old model Charlotte McKinney. She did those sexy Carls Jr. ads seen on the Super Bowl.

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 06: NFL player Michael Sam attends the SEC Championship game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Missouri Tigers at the Georgia Dome on December 6, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Football players are wild cards on the show. Some do great, some don't. CREDIT: Getty Images

For headline purposes: 25-year-old Michael Sam, the first openly gay football player who almost made it to the NFL. He gets to dance with Peta Murgatroyd.

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 17: Gymnast Nastia Liukin attends the Naeem Khan fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2015 Theatre at Lincoln Center on February 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week) NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 17: Gymnast Nastia Liukin attends the Naeem Khan fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2015 Theatre at Lincoln Center on February 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week)

For those who complain that it's unfair to have Olympic champs on the show: 25-year-old Nastia Liukin, who is an artistic gymnast who won gold in 2008. She is paired with Hough, who usually gets someone "DWTS" thinks has a shot at winning.

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 23: TV personality Robert Herjavec attends the 2014 American Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on November 23, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images) LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 23: TV personality Robert Herjavec attends the 2014 American Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on November 23, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

For ABC cross-promotional purposes: 51-year-old  "Shark Tank" cast member Robert Herjavec. Poor Kym Johnson returns and has her work cut out for her.