DWTS Sports Edition Cast Announcement Information, Casting Director and Co-Executive Producer Talks On The New Season

Casting director and co-executive producer, Deena Katz, talked with 11Alive on the Spring Sports Edition of Dancing With The Stars. Below she talks of what she’s going through currently in putting the season together. Also note that the cast Announcement will take place the week of April 9th. Read on….

When Deena Katz sat down to watch the Olympics, she tried to watch it like everyone else.

The Dancing with the Stars did her research and had an idea of which athletes she needed to keep an eye on: Shaun White, Lindsey Vonn, etc. She also kept her eye on every sport, watching and waiting for those “moments.” The moments where America falls in love with an Olympian regardless of his or her celebrity.

“As I’m watching, I think the best thing to do is watch the fans, because these are the fans that watch our show,” Katz said.

She watched day in and day out, knowing she would likely try and garner one or two Olympians to be part of the reality TV dance contest’s 26th season. It’s an audition of sorts – but not really. It’s not just about Olympic medals and records.

“You can have the best name in the world on this show and they don’t have a personality that’s going to work, then it’s not even worth having that,” Katz said in an interview with 11Alive. “The audience loves to have these people, to watch these people. The point of the show is watching these individuals get out of their comfort zones and taking this amazing journey.”

More at 11Alive.