Alright everyone, guess what is coming up super super soon!? The new season of Dancing with the Stars - and it's time to get excited about it! This morning, the new cast was announced and boy do I have some opinions about it. Growing up, it has always been my dream to be a contestant on DWTS - even though I possess zero dancing skills and I am the farthest thing from being a celebrity. But oh well, a girl can dream. Therefore, due to my intense adoration for the show, I take these casting decisions very seriously. So here are my thoughts so far

First off, some of my favorite professional dancers are FINALLY making their way back to the ballroom and I am super pumped about it. More specifically, Cheryl Burke, Derek Hough, and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are coming back for season 23. Each of these professionals have won the mirror ball trophy - so they all possess great talent and any celebrity would be lucky to have them.

However, there is one major flaw concerning the professional dancers this season and I am very curious about it. WHERE IS MARK BALLAS? Mark is one of the pros that has been a part of this show for years. He is one of my favorites and to see his name not pop up on the cast list this morning was disappointing to say the least. What bothers me most is that he hasn't spoken as to why he isn't on the show. All I need are some answers Mark, that's all. Then I will be okay (maybe). It's possible that he's just taking a season off, so hopefully he isn't done for good,

Concerning the celebrities, there are a few that really caught my eye. First off, I think that Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez is going to be amazing on the show. I remember voicing that she should be on the show before the Olympics even started - solely based on her floor routine. The girl has great rhythm and an infectious personality. So I have a feeling that she is going to do extremely well. Jake T. Austin is also someone who I feel will succeed on Dancing with the Stars. He seems to be athletic and someone who would be a great dancer. This is just a pure gut feeling so I could be wrong about this, but I have a good feeling about him. One DWTS casting choice that I find the most interesting, is Ryan Lochte. I have been a fan of this Olympic swimmer for years, however given his recent scandal that happened during the Rio Olympics I am not sure about his character. I am also a little surprised that he was casted given the legal drama surrounding him - but then again, maybe that's why he was casted in the first place. DWTS does love a little bit of drama. But hey, maybe this show will be good for him. This could be exactly what he needs to be back on the right track.

All in all, I am VERY excited for the new season of Dancing with the Stars. I'm sure it will be a great season and I am interested to see how everything plays out.