DwtS In-Season Update: 12-15-06

The rumor mill is churning out plenty of gossip regarding Dancing with the Stars 4, and a couple of familiar faces join the DwtS Tour.

Tour News
Dancing with the Stars alums Jerry Springer and Sara Evans will be joining the Tour for select performances. Jerry will perform at the shows in Chicago, Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Nashville, where he'll be joined by Sara, for that show only.

Season 4 Rumors
Earlier this week, it was reported that Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson had been cast for DwtS 4. But representatives at ABC say that quotes attributed to show producer Conrad Green were "completely fabricated," and that no final casting decisions have been made yet.

Apparently Joey Fatone didn't get the memo from ABC, as he announced on a radio show that he will be a part of DwtS 4. The former member of 'NSync would follow a storied tradition of ex-boy banders on Dancing with the Stars, including Joey McIntyre, Drew Lachey, and Joey Lawrence (okay -- Joey was only a solo artist).

At E! Online, Ted Casablanca dished that one member of the Dancing with Stars family will be axed before the start of Season 4. He didn't say who's being replaced, but since the only permanent members of the family are the hosts, judges, and band, the pool of candidates is pretty limited.

Gossip
Shanna Moakler announced at a party that she's dating her DwtS dance partner, Jesse DeSoto. I think that makes their relationship the first, and only, confirmed romance to come out of the show.

Other News
More new TV shows for former DwtS contestants. Stacy Keibler is joining the cast of the ABC drama What About Brian. And Jerry Springer will be a part of a new reality series on VH-1 entitled The Springer Hustle, about the backstage drama that takes place at The Jerry Springer Show.

John O'Hurley recently became a dad for the first time. On December 6, his wife Lisa gave birth to a baby boy, named William Dylan.

Dancing with the Stars was the 10th most searched television show on the internet in 2006. Lycos released its lists of most searched terms in 2006, and DwtS was only bested by American Idol, Smallville, and seven other shows.