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Dancing with the Stars Season 18 Cast Revealed: The Price Is Right's Drew Carey, EX-GH Night Shift's Billy Dee Williams and Olympians Charlie White & Meryl Davis Among Competitors!

By Michael Fairman

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Courtesy/ABCGMA

Courtesy/ABCGMA

This morning on ABC’s Good Morning America, the official announcement was made of the season 18 cast of Dancing with the  Stars!  The newest ballroom dance competition begins when the couples hit the floor on March 17th (8PMEST two-hour premiere) on ABC!

In a first for DWTS, the competition this season will feature a new game changing twist called “The Switch Up.” America will be given the power to vote and change celebrities and professional dance pairings.  This new rule will affect all couples as they will be required to switch partners at a point in the season.   Never before have dance partnerships been split up during the course of competition.

This change. along with Erin Andrews becoming Tom Bergeron’s new co-host displacing Brooke Burke-Charvet, are just a few of the changed the series is making in an attempt to bolster the ratings! Now on to the competitors …

Courtesy/ABCGMA

A couple of faces familiar to daytime audiences are in the show this season, chief among them The Price is Right’s host, Drew Carey,  and former GH: Night Shift star Billy Dee Williams (Ex-Touissant)!  Drew will be paired with Cheryl Burke, while Billy Dee will dance with Emma Slater!

Other competitors include: newly crowned Olympic Ice Dancing Gold Medalists, Charlie White and Meryl Davis, but they wil,l of course, split up for DWTS!  Charlie will dance with Sharna Burgess, while Meryl will dance with none other than bad boy Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who is returning to the ballroom floor this season!

The Real Housewife of Atlanta’s and Glee star, Nene Leakes will dance with Tony Dovolani, former Pro Hockey Star, Sean Avery gets to hit the floor with Karina Smirnoff, inspirational speaker and author, Candace Cameron Bure will strut her stuff with Mark Ballas, James Maslow of “Big Time Rush” will partner with Peta Murgatroyd, author and actress, Danica McKellar will dance with Val Chmerkovskiy, world record holder and champion swimmer, Diana Nyad will dance with first time pro dancer in the competition, Henry Byalikov, Special Olympics athlete Amy Purdy will dance with Derek Hough, and teen star from Australia, Cody Simpson will perform with Witney Carson!

So what do you think of the line-up? Who do you think by the initial pairings looks like the frontrunners? Looks like a lot of athletes are part of the competition this year, so  let us know your thoughts!

 

 

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Nene Leakes…? She acts(but cant)» as if shes Gods gift to the entertainment world…my least favorite! Billy Dee…like to see him on GH as a relative of Felix and Epihany’s date for the nurses ball!

Yeah, NeNe’s hardly a “star.” I bet she quits the show, in a flamboyant manner, like she did Celebrity Apprentice.

WHAT does this have to do with daytime dramas?

Billy Dee Williams is as much of an ex soap star as is Hillary Clinton.

Billy has appeared on daytime soap Guilding Light and i thought Another World but im not sure about the latter…he also appeared on primetime soap as Dynasty and GHs Nightshift…so i consider him a former soap actor! This site is about daytime and primetime soaps so i feel its ok to mention him here!!!

Absolutely, and Fairman writes that Williams formerly starred on General Hospital.
He also tells his readers that Drew Carey is from a day time game show. Fairman writes about daytime entertainment which includes soaps, game shows and talk shows….oh my!

Um…isnt it called Dancing With the STARS?????

It is ironic that thanks to this show, most of the professional dancers are now bigger stars than the “stars” they are paired with.

Maybe thats what they mean when they say ‘Dancing With The Stars’…the ‘STARS’ are the professional dancers…lol

Why aren’t there any flag-flying banners for Brooke? Ouch!

I’ve wondered what is that show’s definition of a “star”.
The ONLY person on that list that can truly be called a “STAR”
is Billy Dee Williams.

.
Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol Palin was on as a star ! of what?

Cher’s son- Chaz Bono, was on as a star! of what?

and the list goes on of non-stars ..

Drew isn’t a star? He used to have his own long-running sitcom and has been on many things. I’d call a couple others stars, and the two gold medalists were figure skating stars of the Olympics. Must admit I haven’t even heard of a bunch of those folks! LOL

Yep, the rest are all pretty snooze worthy.
I loved Billy Dee Williams in Lady Sings the Blues.

Everything runs its course and dancing with the stars should be layed to rest along with american idol. Both shows are done.

You can add The Bachelor/Bachelorette and Survivor to that list. In MY humble opinion, all these freaking “Reality” shows should be kicked in the ass & right out the door! They have dumbed down America with their ridiculous “reality” that’s as scripted as a regular TV show.

actually Idol is still great- so its just a matter of opinion

At least with Idol there is something at stake…young people can have a chance to break into showbiz. There is nothing at stake and nothing to be gained from Dancing. A mirrorball trophy. Woo-hoo! Lol.

@Mama, that’s a bit unfair. To say Billy Dee Williams isn’t a bonafide soap “star” is fair, but Michael Fairman only said he would be “familiar to daytime viewers,” and didn’t call him as such. He certainly has more daytime credentials than Hillary Clinton, lol, given that I’m sure she didn’t appear on ANOTHER WORLD and GUIDING LIGHT, as Billy Dee has. But, most importantly, he was a contract player on a spin-off of GENERAL HOSPITAL (GH:NIGHT SHIFT) which aired on a channel devoted entirely to soap operas. And given that his ex (Epiphany) is still on GH, and that his character shares a last name with Felix and Taylor, I wouldn’t count him out of the game, yet. So not a bonafide soap “star”? Fair enough, but no one here on MFSoaps is claiming he is. But he certainly has legit daytime/soap connections and way more than Hillary Clinton 🙂

IA. I am voting for him, Nene- just to spite the other RHOA cast, and Candace Cameron Bure. I loved DJ and I respect/admire her faith. I hope she wins in the end.

Toussaint!!! Was hoping Ronn would give Epiphany some love again! Aww…I hope Billy Dee wins, but won’t watch our support ABC/D for anything but GH!

Huh? Billy Dee is an established super star actor why is he branding General Hospital when they wrote him as a janitor GMAB…

He is an American actor, artist, singer, and writer known for his work as a leading man in 1970s African-American cinema, in movies including Mahogany and Lady Sings the Blues, and for playing the character of Lando Calrissian in the movies Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and The Lego Movie. In about 50 movies and extensive TV work…not to mention an international super star artist..

General Hospital? Please.

I agree, but Fairman writes about soaps so he was trying to establish the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon thing.

Billy Dee Williams starred on both THE GUIDING LIGHT, AS THE WORLD TURNS in the 1960s, and the GH spinoff on SOAPNET. I’m sorry, but Pee Pee Leakes and the rest of those silly ‘HOUSEWIVES’ do not qualify as stars. They are nobodys.

Great list.

Who really cares about Billy Dee Williams, nene Leakes I love, she is so funny. Drew Carey is cool too.

Nene Leakes personifies what is wrong with American culture today–she is a mediocre loud mouth who is stupid enough to think she is actually talented.

LOL…..when you’re right, you’re right, Harry!!!! Nene is repulsive, as are most of the “ladies” in those “Housewives” series. Haven’t watched this dancing trainwreck of a show since Kelly Monaco’s repeat stint, but think that the casting of the ice stars could be interesting. They were spectacular at the Olympics, and both are appealing individuals…Charlie is a real cutie and Meryl has the most unique look, so I was thrilled for their victory. Glad to see them able to build on their well-deserved win with further opportunities!

I think Nene will bring lots of personality and vigor to the show. Some soap fans do not think reality show people should be called stars but there are more hours and viewers for reality TV than soaps. I like the cast, especially the Olympic ice dancers. This show is more fun than American Idol In my opinion and some seasons really click with chemistry.

Candace will win! I love her, her faith, and she is just “awesome sauce!”

I recognize three names due to the Drew Carey Show/Price is Right, Lady Sings the Blues, and Wonder Years, and these three fall way below the threshold of “C List Celebrity”. The rest? Who the hell cares? They are definitely NOT “celebrity”.

Will this crap ever END?

Here goes…for the new and upcoming season of DWTS, I want either Drew Carey, Danica McKellar or Billy Dee Williams to win. As for the rest of them…No Thank You. Next……….

General Hospital

‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric

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Dominic Zamprogna

General Hospital’s Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri) opened up about the burgeoning love triangle forming between his Port Charles alter-go, Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst) after recently aired scenes, plus his hopes for the future of a Dante and Liz pairing during his appearance on the Sunday, April 23 edition of the That’s Awesome podcast with Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli).

On last week’s GH Ric has made the decision that he wanted to propose to his ex-wife, only when he showed up at Elizabeth’s front door he misread the scenario he walked in with Liz tending to Dante’s injured leg from the softball game. From there, the legal eagle’s jealous streak is reemerging which may cause him to act out and do something unforgivable, or will he take the high road? Stay tuned,

Speaking with Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson about where Elizabeth stands in the annals of the long-running soap, Zamprogna said, “She’s up there with Steve and Maurice (Maurice Benard) as one of the most legacy-filled people on the show.”

Courtesy/ABC

HOW DANTE AND ELIZABETH CAME ABOUT

Dominic jokes it’s a far cry for where they were previously, “We had some scenes together years ago and we were both laughing. And Becky’s like, ‘Well, I guess we’re not going be paired up anytime soon.’ I remember we laughed immediately after they yelled ‘cut,”‘and said to each other, “Well, so much for that!”

Fast-forward to 2025, and “Elizabeth Korte (co-head writer, GH) came up to me at the General Hospital Christmas party, and I think it was a year and a half ago and she said we’re going to have you in scenes with Elizabeth, My internal monologue is going ‘I’m not with Lulu (Alexa Havins) anymore and Sam’s (Kelly Monaco) gone, so maybe they want to see if this works.’ I didn’t want to get scenes with Becky and try to find the chemistry. I just wanted to play whatever honestly was written and came across for both of us and hope it was what people liked, and I don’t know if it is. or not.”

Knowing how beloved Elizabeth is to the GH faithfuls, Zamprongna added, “She got a big fan base with Ric and a big fan base with with Jason and you know you’re going to piss somebody off. But, didn’t Ric drug Elizabeth and put Carly in a panic room?”

Dom and Liz

Photo: ABC

DANTE AND ELIZABETH PAIRING COULD STIR UP STORY FOR OTHERS IN PORT CHARLES

In closing, Dominic felt that the wide-reaching tentacles of a Dante and Elizabeth relationship is something he is down 100% to play. “The triangle thing; I was happy to hear it was with Ric and her, because I felt it’s important to have her the top of it as opposed to Dante, Lulu and Elizabeth.:

Zamprogna added, “When you get into relationships on a soap, things seem to fizzle out a little bit and the buildup is what’s the fun part, and the getting to know each other. and the people who are affected by this coming together. When with this case it’s going to affect Ric, Sonny, Lulu? So, much more story here. To me, it’s going to be a fun story to play.”

You can check out Dominic’s visit to That’s Awesome with Steve and Bradford below.

Now weigh-in: Are you rooting for Dante and Liz, or Dante and Ric at this juncture of the story, or neither of them for Elizabeth? Let us know your thoughts and picks via the comment section.

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GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)

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Patrick J. Gibbons

At the conclusion of today’s August 21 episode of General Hospital, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) sings a lullaby to baby Dez, that went into a montage to close out the episode as her father Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) reports to Pentonville and winds up in his jail cell.

However, in a fun fact, the song entitled, “A Lonely Heart To Give” was actually written by none other than former One Life to Live and General Hospital actor, Patrick J. Gibbons.

Daytime fans first met Gibbons as Sam Manning on One Life to Live. At the time, when he started on the soap, he was just 5-years-old. Gibbons played the part from 2010-2013 on ABC and Prospect Park’s editions of the show. Fast-forward to 2018, Gibbons shows up on General Hospital as Wyatt Hoover, the scout who seemed always be injured, but in the thick of the drama. Patrick had appeared on GH multiple times as Wyatt including: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023.

Photo: ABC

FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER’S DEATH CAME THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS SONG

Now in 2026, General Hospital fans are getting to learn about another side of Gibbons’ talent as a songwriter and guitar player after “A Lonely Heart to Give” debuted today! Michael Fairman TV caught up with Patrick, who is now a senior at Penn State entering his final year as a finance major, to get the back-story of how his song wound up on GH!

Gibbons explained he wrote the song in honor of his grandmother who passed away a few years ago with whom he was, very, very close with. “Randomly, my grandmother had a downfall and passed away during the second semester of my sophomore year. I was in my dorm a lot and I was just playing with my guitar. And at the time, I was really into finger-style playing. I wrote the lyric and music to it (with a little help from my guitar teacher Lou), and my mom showed the rough demo to Frank Valentini (EP, General Hospital). He’s like an uncle to me. Frank loved it so much he said, “Finish that up. I want to hear the whole thing, and I want it on the show.”

MAKING MUSIC FOR GENERAL HOSPITAL

Gibbons and his parents took the next steps! “So now, all we needed was a female voice, because I thought that would fit the song well,” Patrick shared. “At the golf club we go to my parents were at a dinner. They liked the singer that was performing and spoke to her about the song, and she says she would like to bring it to her ‘boss’ who ended up being Eric Bazilian of the Hooters fame!” (Bazilian also wrote the smash hit song “One of Us” for Joan Osborne).

Next, “We went in the studio and recorded it and the song came together and it was beautiful. We loved it. They loved it at General Hospital and now they’re putting it the show and they are coming in with a piano, instead of a guitar. Paul Glass, the GH musical director, has been keeping us updated over the last six months of how it was coming along, and when it would air, and how GH put their own arrangement to it. I can’t wait to see and hear what they did with it.”

Photo: JPI

PATRICK’S ONE LIFE TO LIVE FAMILY

Everyone knows that the One Life to Live extended family share a very tight bond, and Patrick said he does stay in touch with a few of his former One Life to Live co-stars, especially those from the Manning family! “I stayed in touch with Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair) and sent her little videos here and there. She was like my second mom for five years. We keep in contact with Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) over X the most, and she can’t believe how big I’ve gotten. Like, none of them can! (laughs). I also loved working with Roger Howarth (ex-Todd) and Trevor St. John (ex-Todd and Victor Jr.), and to me since I was so young, they were just my friends, ‘Roger and Trevor,’ not Todd Manning or Victor Jr.”

It was a trip to California and a visit to Port Charles that ultimately led to Gibbons second soap role of Wyatt Hoover. Patrick explains, “In 2016, Frank Valentini invited us out to Los Angeles to visit the set of General Hospital. I think he heard me say, ‘This is so much fun. I miss being on the set.’ He goes, ‘You should come out. I’ll bring you on the show. We can make you a character.'”

A few years later, Patrick’s dream became a reality! “Then, by the summer of 2018, I was playing Wyatt, the scout, and shared scenes with Wes Ramsey (Peter August), and the best was when I shared a scene with Roger Howarth and Michael Easton (ex-John, OLTL and ex-Silas, Finn et al, GH), it was like chemistry from the old days.”

Photo: PGibbons

IT’S ALL IN THE NUMBERS

As to his future aspirations, it’s a career in the finance game that has piqued Gibbons’ real-life interest. But never say never to a return to acting. Patrick explained, “I’ve always enjoyed numbers. And on top of that, one of the biggest parts of finance is being personable and outgoing.”

He continued, “That’s one of the greatest skills I developed growing up. I really love the markets. I’m super interested. I’m never going to close the door to acting. I’m always open to that because I just love it so much. It’s such a great art.”

Take note! If there are any investment bankers or private equity folks among the GH faithful looking for a young analyst next year, Patrick’s DMs are open. You can find him on X at @PatrickJGibbons.

So, what did you think of the song sung by Trina on today’s GH that was written by Patrick J. Gibbons? Did you enjoy Patrick’s performances as One Life’s Sam and GH’s Wyatt? Would you like to see him back on GH at some point? Let us know via the comment section.

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‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Admits That He Didn’t Expect the Role of Michael Corinthos to be Recast, and Would Consider Working on Another Soap (Exclusive)

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Chad Duell, the Daytime Emmy-winning actor, who stepped away from the pivotal role of Michael Corinthos on General Hospital, opened up about: his previous decision to leave the series after nearly 15 years, where’s he’s at now after time away from the demands of a daytime soap opera, and took a stroll down memory lane with some of Michael’s most-acclaimed storyline during his run, during a livestream chat on August 19 on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel.

Viewers last saw Duell on-screen as Michael in January of 2025, and with his successor in the role, Rory Gibson making his debut at the GH Nurses’ Ball in episodes that aired later in May. It was clear that during the conversation, Chad was a bit surprised that the GH brass decided to recast him when he thought he was just taking some much needed time off.

Burn-out of the daily grind of being on a soap was definitely a part of Chad’s decision to take a break. Duell explained “People know when you’re doing something for so long or your character is kind of in the same place for so long or doing the same stuff over and over again, you do get a a little burnt out, you get a little stiff, stale, a little stiff at times. I didn’t want that to be any sort of lasting impression. I have 15 years of a body of work of I’ve done on that show, which is fantastic.”

Chad Duell

Photo: ABC

WHILE CHAD WAS AWAY GH RECAST MICHAEL CORINTHOS WITH RORY GIBSON

Chad shared, his mindset when leaving GH was, “I’m taking some time away, we’ll see what happens.” Then he added, “Obviously, they decided to go in a different direction with Michael when I was gone. I didn’t think they were going to bring somebody back in my place. But you know, it’s the business. You never know what can happen.”

Duell also shared he has not watched a single episode of General Hospital since he left the series, but now feels he reenergized following the loss of his father and stepping away from the GH, “I’m in a place now mentally, where I’m ready to sink my teeth into it again.”

Courtesy/ABC

Even though he is no longer Michael on GH, Chad was very happy with his final storyline where Michael was set on fire when a bomb exploded at Sonny’s (Maurice Benard) penthouse. “It was fun to put him in a dangerous situation, because I was wanting Michael to be in something scary instead of trying to be a hero character or just things happening around him, but to be the center point of tragedy happening to him. (I always saw) Michael as the heart of the (Corinthos) family.”

When Michael was badly burned the show chose not burn his face, which normally a soap does when they are recasting role and switching actors. Chad weighed-in, “They didn’t burn my face because I told Frank Valentini (EP, GH) I’m willing to come back. It was just a little bit of a break. So, I assumed that if they would have burned my face, they could have brought somebody back looking different than me… if that’s what their plan was.”

Courtesy/ABC

MEMORABLE MICHAEL STORYLINES

One of Chad’s most memorable performances was the in the storyline of Michael’s rape while he was sentenced to prison in 2010 and the confession of it in 2011. “It was so well-written and I was very nervous,” recalled Chad. “When I get really nervous about something, it ends up being really good when I do it, because it just means I care a lot about it”

“I have to put a lot of effort and work into it, and I really want it to be good.  I was working with Dominic  Zamprogna (Dante) and Steve Burton (Jason) a lot during those scenes, and Laura Wright (Carly). It was great working with Steve and Dominic, especially, during that storyline.

A NEW SOAP ROLE FOR CHAD?

As to a future soap opera role, Chad is open to the idea and would love to jump back in to a juicy role, “I know people over at The Bold and the Beautiful, and The Young and the Restless. They know that if they’re interested, I would love to come in for a screen test or something, and they can see what I’m doing.”

Meanwhile, Chad has been busy putting out new music under the moniker Duelly and during the interview he explains how he creates his EDM tracks and much more. You can stream his latest single, Static in the Quiet Room on Spotify, Apple Music and You Tube Music.

You can check out the full conversation with Chad Duell below.

Now let us know: what show would you like to see Chad cast on down the line? BTG, DAYS, B&B, Y&R, or a new role on GH? What did you think of his thoughts on the casting switch while he was away in the role of Michael? What was your favorite Michael storyline during Chad’s 15-year run on the ABC soap opera? Let us know via the comment section.

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