CRAIG SJODIN/ABCBreak out the Spandex, the sequins and the dental floss! In case you haven't heard, a little show called Dancing With the Stars is launching a brand-spanking-new season a week from tonight.
So who's looking like the best cha-cha-challenger? (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
Here's what insiders and the stars themselves tell me about how the competition is shaping up behind the scenes...
"The ladies are slaughtering the guys!"
This is what a source on the set tells me about the latest batch of Dancing competitors, adding, "It's probably going to be a female [winner] again." That would be the third straight season.
Word is, big rapper Lil' Kim and little Olympian Shawn Johnson have impressed DWTS staffers the most so far. "We definitely could have another Kristi Yamaguchi on our hands with Shawn Johnson," one crewmember says.
Gilles Marini, the sexy showerer from the Sex and the City movie and partner to DWTS champ Cheryl Burke echoes that emotion, saying, "I heard that Lil' Kim is doing fantastic, and Shawn [Johnson], obviously, because she does gymnastics."
E!'s own Denise Richards is partnered up with Maksim Chmerkovskiy, or "Maksie-poo" as Denise's girls call him. So will she follow in fellow E! alum Brooke Burke's footsteps? Max tells us, "Let's just say that my work this season is a lot easier than some of the other pro dancers." (I did see some of her moves, and can tell you, she certainly looks like she knows what she's doing.)
So what about Max's new fiancée and fellow DWTS pro, Karina Smirnoff? He puts it plainly: "She's with Steve Wozniak. There's not much dancing."
So if the ladies are as sizzling as I hear, what will the men need to do to stay in the game? Cheryl already has one plan of attack: "Strip-Dancing With the Stars! Every time we get through each week, one piece of clothing comes off. All the women who want to see Gilles' body, vote for us!"
Who are you looking forward to seeing dance this season? Are you on board with Cheryl's strip version? Sound off in the comments below and check back for more DWTS in the coming weeks...