SYNOPSIS:

An all new cast of celebrities hits the dance floor on ABC's Dancing with the Stars with the highly anticipated two-hour season premiere MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2009 (8:00-10:02 p.m., ET) on ABC. Season Eight introduces us to 13 new stars including the youngest competitor to date, an NFL legend, a computer icon, a female rapper, three music artists, and a Wildboy. Additionally, "love is a battlefield," when for the first time, real-life couples take the ballroom floor. Newly engaged professional dancers, Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Karina Smirnoff, go head-to-head with their partners. To top it off, country crooner, Chuck Wicks teams with girlfriend and two-time Dancing with the Stars champ, Julianne Hough.