SAN DIEGO, August 28, 2012 – Actress and singer Sabrina Bryan was named winner of the first ever viewer’s choice award vote today, joining the cast of ABC-TV’s “Dancing With The Stars: All-Stars” as the thirteenth contestant.
Bryan will dance with popular professional dancer and choreographer Louis Van Amstel. Bryan, 27, beat out fashion expert and TV personality Carson Kressley from Season 13, and Disney Channel actor Kyle Massey from Season 11. The three had campaigned hard for the final spot with YouTube video campaigns and Twitter posts. All three of the viewer’s choice competitors spent several months performing in the live stage edition of “Dancing With The Stars” in Las Vegas, which ended in July.
Bryan was eliminated in week six of Season 5, much to the shock of the judges and many fans, who considered her a favorite to make the finals and to win. Bryan and her partner at the time, Mark Ballas, had received high scores including a perfect 30 for their week four paso doble. Bryan said in her campaign video, “I have unfinished business on Dancing With The Stars. Vote for me and I’ll make you proud.”
Sabrina Bryan gets her shot at redemption after leaving much earlier than expected from Season 5. Photo: ABC.
Bryan said today on “Good Morning America” after the results were made public, “It was a fight…we all three really wanted it. I’m the lucky one with some amazing, incredible fans that have really stuck behind me.”
“It’s a lot of pressure now. This is the first time the fans have ever had a say in the casting of a season. They’ve asked for it… they finally got their chance to do it. Being the viewer’s choice is a lot of pressure. Now we’ve got to give them every reason they voted for us to be on it,” said Bryan.
Van Amstel is equally excited about coming back for an eighth season. He said that he knew if Bryan won the fan vote, he would be her partner, but he couldn’t tell her or anyone else. “Not to be able to tell anyone, not to be able to tweet it… Finally the word is out and we can scream it!” Van Amstel.
“America voted her in, now I’m in. I’ve got one of the best dancers of the entire season,” said Van Amstel. He said his mind is racing with ideas for choreography.
The competition won’t be easy. Bryan and Amstel join a cast with six retuning champions: Kelly Monaco and pro Val Chmerkokvskiy; Drew Lachey and pro Anna Trebunskaya; Emmitt Smith and pro Cheryl Burke; Apolo Anton Ohno and pro Karina Smirnoff; Helio Castrovenes and pro Chelsie Hightower; and Shawn Johnson and pro Derek Hough.
Also competing in the All-Stars season are second place finishers Gilles Marini with pro Peta Murgatroyd, who won last season with partner Donald Driver; Kirstie Alley reunited with Maks Chmerkovskiy; and Joey Fatone and pro Kym Johnson
Rounding out the cast are third place winners Bristol Palin with pro Mark Ballas and Melissa Rycroft and pro Tony Dovoloni; along with Pamela Anderson and pro Tristan McManus.
“Dancing With the Stars” debuts Monday night, September 24, at 8 p.m. Eastern/Pacific Time, and airs on Monday and Tuesday nights on the ABC Television Network. Be sure to join the first of our season long Communities live chats during the show!
Gayle Lynn Falkenthal, APR, is President/Owner of the Falcon Valley Group in San Diego, California. Read more Media Migraine in the Communities at The Washington Times. Follow Gayle on Facebook and on Twitter @PRProSanDiego.
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