Bristol Palin is getting into the family business by becoming one of the celebrity hoofers on the cast of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” this fall.
The teenager joins mom Sarah, who has a reality series on TLC premiering in November, and Bristol’s baby- daddy Levi Johnston, who is shopping around a reality series in which he runs for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.
Bristol is going to dance circles around Mom and Levi in the ratings: “Dancing” has recently become an “American Idol”-esque ratings behemoth, thanks to some very savvy casting.
ABC made the “Dancing” Season 11 cast announcement last week during two interludes in a two-hour episode of “Bachelor Pad,” in which a bevy of hot men and women make a mockery of the abstinence that Bristol is all about these days in order to win a $250,000 purse.
Bristol has committed to weeks of wearing sparkly outfits to compete for the disco-ball trophy against pop singer Brandy; the all-grown-up “Dirty Dancing” Baby, Jennifer Grey; “Drop Dead Diva” super-assistant Margaret Cho; The Dumb One from “The Hills,” Audrina Patridge; “Brady Bunch” made-for-TV mom Florence Henderson; crooner Michael Bolton; Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino; faded “Baywatch” hunk David Hasselhoff; retired NFL quarterback Kurt Warner; “That’s So Raven” kid brother Kyle Massey; and ex-NBA player (and former Mr. Vanessa Williams) Rick Fox.
” ‘Dancing With the Stars: The Announcement Live! Because we’re all about keeping it low-key!” “Dancing” ringmaster Tom Bergeron cracked as he began revealing the new cast members.
“So, Bristol, I have to ask you: What does your mom think about your being on the show?” asked curvaceously robotic co-host Brooke Burke during the Q&A portion of “Dancing With the Stars: The Announcement.”
“She’s excited for me. She knows that this is going to be hard work, but she’s excited,” Bristol said nervously, while seated next to Henderson, who was seen earlier rubbing Bristol’s back reassuringly.
The teenage mother has been a tabloid fave since her mom ran for vice president on the GOP ticket in 2008. Subsequently, Bristol’s pregnancy — and relationship with the baby’s father, Johnston — became A Big Story.
Since then, her ups and downs have been obsessively chronicled, as when Bristol, Johnston and their baby appeared on the cover of Us Weekly and gushed, “We’re Getting Married!” Less than three weeks later, Bristol told rival magazine People “It’s over” because, she said, Johnston had told her he might have gotten another girl pregnant.
Heck, Bristol Palin is practically reality television royalty already.
