Lochte, Calvin Johnson also set to compete
On Aug. 22, U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte lost all of his sponsorships. Several days later, he landed a prime spot on one of reality television’s longest-running hits.
The 12-time Olympic medalist, who fabricated a story about being robbed during the Rio Games, is among the celebrities joining the 23rd season of “Dancing with the Stars.” Ex-Detroit Lions wideout Calvin Johnson and American gymnast Laurie Hernandez are also slated to vie for the Mirror Ball trophy.
When the music commences in a week, however, such standouts from the athletic world could face stiff competition from those in other entertainment mediums. Hernandez (+300) represents online sports book Bovada.lv’s early favorite, but model/actress Amber Rose (+600) and ‘90s rapper Vanilla Ice (+600) present formidable threats to the Final Five darling.
Johnson, who officially retired from the NFL in March, receives odds of +750 to come out on top, while singer Jana Kramer (+800) and one-time sitcom scene-stealer Marilu Henner (+800) reside in the middle of the pack. As for Lochte, he’s a +1000 longshot to go the whole way.
The full pairings for the program:
Former child star Jake T. Austin (+1000) and Jenna Johnson
Producer/recording artist Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds (+1200) and Allison Holker
Marilu Henner and Derek Hough
Laurie Hernandez and Valentin Chmerkovskiy
Race car driver James Hinchcliffe (+1200) and Sharna Burgess
Calvin Johnson and Lindsay Arnold
“Little Women: LA” star Terra Jole (+1600) and Sasha Farber
Jana Kramer and Gleb Savchenko
Ryan Lochte and Cheryl Burke
Former “Brady Bunch” star Maureen McCormick (+2500) and Artem Chigvintsev
Former Texas governor Rick Perry (+3300) and Emma Slater
Amber Rose and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Vanilla Ice and Witney Carson