Dancing with the Stars (American season 8)
Season eight of Dancing with the Stars premiered on Monday, March 9, 2009, on the ABC network. The show generally followed the format of previous seasons, with thirteen couples, although there were some changes, including two new dances, the Argentine tango and Lindy Hop, and an occasional dance-off between the bottom two couples, in order to determine who would be eliminated. Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas were crowned the champions, while Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke finished in second place, and Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani finished third. Cast Couples This season featured thirteen celebrity contestants. This season was originally advertised as the first American season where a husband and wife would compete against each other: rodeo champion Ty Murray and singer-songwriter Jewel. However, Jewel fractured both of her tibiae and was unable to compete. She was replaced by Holly Madison. Murray chose to continue on the show, while Jewel appeared during the season as a special musical guest. Nancy O'Dell, then co-host of Access Hollywood, was also originally announced to be on the show, but was forced to withdraw from the competition due to a torn meniscus, which required surgery. She was replaced by Melissa Rycroft, who