The new cast of the ABC reality television competition show “Dancing With The Stars” was revealed on Wednesday morning, and fans were left shocked when Carole Baskin of “Tiger King” fame was included on the cast.

Baskin became a household name overnight earlier this year when she was highlighted as the nemesis of Joe Exotic in the Netflix documentary series phenomenon “Tiger King.” Her inclusion on the cast will undoubtedly be controversial in the eyes of some, as many fans are convinced that she was involved in the death of her first husband, who mysteriously disappeared years ago.

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“The biggest thing for me is the longer my partner and I can stay in the running and in the competition it will keep the cats forefront in the viewers’ eye, and to me that was where ‘Tiger King’ missed the ball,” Baskin told PEOPLE magazine of joining the cast. “It really should have been focused on the animals and I’m hoping dancing with the Stars will do that. I am competitive but I am competitive with myself. I want to do the very best that I can possibly do.”

Variety reported that Baskin will be joined on the cast by stars like rapper Nelly and “One Day at a Time” star Justina Machado. The rest of the cast includes:

“Backstreet Boys” member AJ McLean, Netflix’s “Cheer” head coach Monica Aldama, “Bachelorette” star Kaitlyn Bristowe, Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir, Super Bowl champion Vernon Davis, Disney Channel star Skai Jackson, “Catfish” host Nev Schulman, NBA player Charles Oakley, actress Anne Heche, “The Real” host Jeannie Mai, and “Selling Sunset” real estate agent Chrishell Stause.

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The lineup of professional dancers this season is:

Brandon Armstrong, Alan Bersten, Sharna Burgess, Cheryl Burke, Artem Chigvintsev, Val Chmerkovskiy, Sasha Farber, Jenna Johnson, Daniella Karagach, Keo Motsepe, Peta Murgatroyd, Pasha Pashkov, Gleb Savchenko, Emma Slater and Britt Stewart

The actual pairings of celebrities and pro-dancers will be revealed when the new season premieres on Monday, September 14. It will be hosted by the supermodel Tyra Banks, who was given the gig after longtime hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews were abruptly fired earlier in the summer. Bergeron’s firing was particularly shocking, given the fact that he had hosted the show since it premiered back in 2005.

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This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.

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