The dancing stars; (l-r) Eli Mathewson, David Letele, Eric Murray, Brodie Kane, Sonia Gray, Alex Vaz, Kerre Woodham, Rhys Mathewson and Jazz Thornton.
After three long years, Dancing with the Stars NZ will hit screens later this month and Spy can reveal the nine familiar faces chosen to have their turn at competing for the mirror ball trophy.
After two false starts due to lockdowns, Spy hears the show has changed up its soon-to-be-announced judges, along with its already-announced co-hosts- Clint Randell is replacing Dai Henwood alongside Sharyn Casey.
With Henwood's infectious humour missing from the show, there are not one, but two award-winning comedians hitting the dance floor, Eli Matthewson, 33 and Rhys Mathewson, 31.
In a first for DWTS NZ, Matthewson will have a male dance partner in show veteran Jonny Williams, whose wife Kristie is paired this season with former boxer and obesity campaigner David Letele, 42, aka Brown Buttabean.
Funny man Matthewson says it's about time boys dance with boys on the show, and he can't believe it's never been done before. Although he says it is daunting, he likes the message it is sending out to gay youth.
Same-sex couplings have happened in Europe on the franchise and in Australia in 2019, where former RuPaul's Drag Race contestant Courtney Act and her partner Joshua Keefe dominated the season. When Act swapped out their drag act and danced as Shane Jenek with Keefe doing the foxtrot, it lit up imaginations across the Tasman and saw the pairing take home second place.
The second funny man, Mathewson, is paired with dancer Phoebe Robb and a week into rehearsals he admits to being unfit but likes how competitive his partner is. He has a trick or two up his sleeve, admitting he was a tap dancer in his younger years and says he likes old-school showbiz and that it feels great to be back in sequin shirts.
In a series that has seen numerous hook-ups between partnerings over the years, audience's imaginations might be piqued by the reality-dating-show addition of 28-year-old Alex Vaz of Heartbreak Island and The Bachelorette fame.
Vaz, who is known to regularly post gym selfies, is bound to change up to dance rehearsal selfies with partner Brittany Coleman, who was paired with Randell in 2019, taking him to third place.
Vaz says he has never danced before and has a storm of emotions about hitting the floor, but he is excited to see the direction Coleman is taking him.
Former Olympian Eric Murray, 39, may have found his golden dancing partner in Loryn Reynolds, like the golden rowing partnership he had with Hamish Bond. The former Miss Universe finalist won the 2019 series with now-disgraced league star Manu Vatuvei.
Murray says because of his sporting career, he is in a privileged position with the New Zealand public, so the show is a win/win as he gets to align the attention with a charity, which he feels is his duty, and he hopes to entertain people along the way.
This season's female cast looks set to sparkle. Our top pick is Lotto presenter Sonia Gray, 47, who might attract votes from punters at home, hoping to add a little bit of luck to their tickets. Gray has DWTS legend Aaron Gilmore as her partner, to teach her the moves. Gilmore has had two memorable wins on DWTS, with Lorraine Downes and Samantha Hayes.
Gray says her twin girls are as excited as she is and admits to being the first on the dance floor at a wedding and the last to leave.
Newstalk ZB's Kerre Woodham, 57, makes a cute couple with Jared Neame, whom she describes as the most handsome dancer on the show as well as beautiful and kind.
While Woodham has shown her stamina in the past by taking on marathons, she says she is terrified. Friends and past contestants Beatrice Faumuina and Rachel Hunter have told her it will be an amazing, uplifting experience.
Broadcaster Brodie Kane, 35, will be another to watch. She cites her time in the army, and work with Surf Life Saving NZ as giving her the necessary fitness.
She hopes to be like a gazelle and knows it will take practice to develop the flair and finesse but trusts partner Enrique Johns to pull her through. She says the pair have already developed a chemistry and reckons they will be the troublemakers of the show.
Last but not least is mental health advocate Jazz Thornton, 27, who says she is not afraid of putting in the hard yards and says developing more flexibility will be her biggest challenge.
She loves that partner Brad Coleman has a background in Latin dance and is pleased he is as determined as her. As for coping with the judges' criticism, Thornton says her work has exposed her to so much already, she thinks she can handle it.