PureDWTS Season 28 News: Kel Mitchell Reveals He Almost Wasn’t Part of This Season’s Cast

Ahead of the finale tonight, I just thought this was a very, very interesting tidbit from ET – thanks Zoe for sending it my way:

Kel Mitchell‘s Dancing With the Stars stint almost didn’t happen.

ET’s Lauren Zima caught up with the 41-year-old comedian and his partner, Witney Carson, during camera blocking ahead of DWTS‘ Monday finale, and he revealed that he was the last person to be cast on the show this season.

“I was the last one picked for Dancing With the Stars,” the Good Burger star added, much to the shock of his partner. “Somebody dropped out and that’s how I got in this thing.”

Mitchell learned of his last-minute addition to the cast as soon as he agreed to do the show because the producers quickly told him, “You’re gonna have to jump on a plane, like, immediately.”

“I was just like, ‘OK. Alright,'” he recalled. “It was no talks. It was a call out of no where and I was like, ‘Of course I’ll do Dancing With the Stars. This is awesome!'”

Before anyone asks – no, I have no idea who he replaced; if I had to make a guess, I’d go back to my Gronk theory from the preseason, because I can’t imagine his name wasn’t in the mix this season – the timing was just too perfect. But I digress – I just think it’s awfully interesting that a guy who was the last cast member signed (and only because the show’s first choice bailed) ended up in the finals.  This isn’t the first case of a cast member being signed last minute as a replacement – John Ratzenberger stepped in for Vincent Pastore in season 4, Carson Kressley replaced Ryan O’Neal in season 13, and as recently as season 25, Terrell Owens replaced Bobby Brown in the 11th hour. It is, however, a rare case of a replacement celeb making it to the finals – the only other instance I can recall is Rycroft eking out 3rd place after replacing Nancy O’Dell back in season 8.

I’ll definitely be tickled if he manages to win tonight 😉