Whenever a new Dancing With The Stars kicks off a new season, which is about to happen, a lot of the media buzzes about the latest round of celebrities.

The Eighth Season of Dancing With The Stars is about to start and already there is buzzing about Jewel who was scheduled to compete against her new husband, rodeo star Ty Murray. The word on the street is that Jewel may not be able to continue due to a recent practice injury.

(Image of Dancing With The Stars professional dancer – Karina Smirnoff – DailyCeleb.com – All Rights Reserved).

Yes, there is also buzz about the Professional Dancers who make up the other half of the DTWS teams and if truth be told, carry a lot of the weight for the show.

Not only are they required to train their Celebrity partners, they are often expected to dance during group dances and in between competition spots. Whew.  A lot of pressure.

The pro dancers also need to be on their best behaviors because if they don’t do a great job, they will not be invited back.  They also need to turn up the chemistry for their partnerships, look great, watch their weight, work out, stay in shape and help build the show’s popularity.  A big task indeed.

(Image of Karina Smirnoff – DailyCeleb.com – All Rights reserved).

I think sometimes the viewers take the Professional Dancers for granted while trying to see what will happen with the various celebrities who show up to the party.

One of the Professional Dancers who has been on the DWTS show since the 3rd Season in the Fall of 2006 (September 12, 2006 – November 2006) is the gorgeous Karina Smirnoff.  I am a huge fan of Karina’s and think she does an incredible job.

The lovely Karina kicked off Season Three with a big bang.  Not only did she sizzle with celebrity dance partner Mario López, they fell in love and became a real off-the-air couple.  The media went crazy with lots of buzz on their public and private relationship.

They also appeared close to winning although the trophy went to football great Emmitt Smith ane Cheryl Burke.  Second place was not first of course but Karina had such a great season she became a fan favorite, Mario’s hot love and was invited back for the next DWTS season.

(Image of LR – Karina Smirnoff, Mario Lopez – Dancing With The Stars – DailyCeleb.com – All Rights Reserved).

Karina returned on the show on March 19, 2007 for Season 4, this time partnered with Billy Ray Cyrus, country singer and Hannah Montana star. The couple were the eighth to be eliminated from the competition on May 8, 2007. Karina’s off-air romance with Mario continued and she became a media darling as she appeared on the arm of her former DWTS partner at many celebrity events.

Karina’s partner for Season 5 of DWTS was five-division world champion boxer, Floyd Mayweather Jr. On October 16th, 2007, Karina and Floyd were the fourth couple eliminated from competition and came in 9th place.

Returning for Season 6, Karina was partnered with singer Mario and finished in 5th place.

In the Fall of 2008 for Season 7, she was partnered with chef Rocco DiSpirito and they were the fourth couple to be eliminated with a finish of 9th place for the second time having been at 9th with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Season 5.

(Image of Karina Smirnoff – DWTS Professional Dancer – DailyCeleb.com – All Rights Reserved).

Season 8 finds Karina partnered with Apple computer co-founder Steve Wozniak who is in his 50s.

While it’s possible Karina will whip non-dancer Steve Wozniak, known as The Woz or Woz, into shape and make a run for the title, most DWTS watchers and expert expect a strong showing from Nancy O’Dell and Tony Dovolani. Olympic Gold Medalist Shawn Johnson who is partnered with Mark Johnson is also considered a front runner due Shawn’s training and young age (she is the youngest to ever compete).

Although Karina has never won the DWTS competition with her celeb partners, she did win Perfect 30 scores on three different occasions with her first partner Mario Lopez.  They won a perfect 30 for The Tango, The Freestyle and The Paso Doble.  It should also be noted that Karina, before joining DWTS has won many dance championships in the world of professional dance competitions.

Karina has also suffered from physical injuries from her participation on the show and on the various DWTS tours.  Her most recent involved her knee.

(Image of Karina Smirnoff DWTS Professional Dancer – DailyCeleb.com – All Rights Reserved).

Does Karina get to pick her partner for each DWTS season?  According to show insiders while the professionals may have some input, ultimately they do not.  The choice is made by the DWTS producers and the matching of the pairs is based on a wide selection criteria including several factors.

Here’s hoping Karina and The Woz tear up the floor and Karina makes it to the top.  She deserves it.  Karina is an amazing dancer and deserves to come in the #1 spot.

Related posts:

1. Karina Smirnoff Dancing Bride In 2009
2. Nancy O’Dell Already Loses Six Pounds On Dancing
3. Kim Kardashian Gives Advice To New DWTS Contestants

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 1st, 2009 at 8:53 am and is filed under Celebrity Bites, Celebrity Hairstyles, Celebrity News, Dancing With The Stars, Hollywood & Mane. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.