Watch Dancing with the stars DWTS final four

GET TO KNOW

Three opinionated judges, eleven professional dancers, eleven celebrities, tons of glitter and spray tans, and Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke. That's the basic formula for Dancing with the Stars, but, really, there's nothing formulaic or predictable about the series because it's our show. We call the shots. We determine who stays and who goes each week.

No, we'll never be able to dance like Chelsie Hightower, Maksim Chmerkovskiy or Cheryl Burke, and that's exactly why we watch. We can totally relate to the stars competing on the show and it's pretty cool to know they're just like us. These actors, athletes, musicians, reality stars, astronauts(!!) and where-are-they-now personalities start out as lumbering Frankensteins with two left feet, and they slowly transform (we hope) into graceful twinkle-toed Baryshnikovs. OK, our weekly phone and online votes aren't powerful enough to help them that much, but we do have the power to determine the show's outcome.
You'd think the stars were competing for more than just a mirrored disco ball, the way the celebs risk torn ligaments, poked eyes, fainting spells and wardrobe malfunctions to earn a perfect 30 from judges Carrie Anne Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli. We'd never want to face their wrath, but it sure is fun to see them unleash it on the stars. That's probably the one time we wouldn't want to be in the stars' shoes, no matter how shiny and glittery they might be.
Meet this season's stars and pro dancers who are eager to put on their shoes and begin learning the steps:
Soap star Aiden Turner and Edyta Sliwinkska
Legendary astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Ashly Costa
NFL star Chad Ochocinco and Cheryl Burke
ESPN host Erin Andrews and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Olympic skating champion Evan Lysacek and Anna Trebunskaya
Bachelor star Jake Pavelka and Chelsie Hightower
TLC star Kate Gosselin and Tony Dovolani
Pop star Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough
Comedienne and host Niecy Nash and Louis Van Amstel
Actress and model Pamela Anderson and Damian Whitewood
Actress Shannen Doherty and Mark Ballas