Put on your ‘Dancing’ shoes

All-athlete competition promises lots of action.

With all athletes on this season of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, the competition is going to be more fierce than ever. And more efficient.

“We’re doing something we’ve never done on the show,” says DWTS executive producer Andrew Llinares. “Two couples will be eliminated within the first show” after real-time fan voting. “It’s going to be a lot more brutal (and) less forgiving.” The ballroom dance competition’s four-week, eight-hour 26th season premieres Monday (8 ET/PT).

In the truncated season, 10 current and former athletes, as diverse as Olympics figure skater Adam Rippon and basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, will be pared to one mirrorball trophy winner. “And as the weeks go on, there will be more twists and turns,” Llinares teases.

Ahead of Monday’s first dances, we look at the athletes getting ready to lace up their dancing shoes.

Tonya Harding, 47

How you know her: The former figure skater, partnering with pro Sasha Farber, famously became the first woman to triple-axel in competition and infamously was banned from the U.S. Figure Skating Association after her ex-husband planned an attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan.

Thoughts on the competition: “Just being out there (after) no one seeing me on the ice for so long (is) an overwhelming feeling,” Harding tells USA TODAY.

Adam Rippon, 28

How you know him: Rippon, the first openly gay U.S. figure skater to compete in the Olympics, was a breakout star during the Games. He’s paired with Jenna Johnson.

Thoughts on the competition: “I’ve never danced with anyone before, (but) I’m gonna train as hard as I can,” Rippon tells USA TODAY.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 70

How you know him: The retired NBA player, widely considered one of the greatest, was a six-time MVP who finished as the Los Angeles Lakers’ alltime scorer.

Thoughts on the competition: “He’s the tallest person to ever do the show (at 7-foot-2), so that’s going to be challenging,” Llinares says. Jabbar’s partner, Lindsay Arnold, is 5-foot-6.

Mirai Nagasu, 24

How you know her: A Team USA figure skater, Nagasu joked that her challenging free skate was “an audition” for DWTS. Her pro partner is Alan Bersten.

Thoughts on the competition: “She and Adam Rippon are very close and have a very friendly rivalry,” Llinares says. “She wants to win, and also to beat Adam.”

Johnny Damon, 44

How you know him: He won the 2004 World Series with the Boston Red Sox — and his long hair and beard. Then, with the rival New York Yankees, he wowed the 2009 World Series with a clean-cut look.

Thoughts on the competition: “It’s always interesting with someone like Johnny, because he’s a man’s man throwing himself into it,” Llinares says. He and pro partner Emma Slater “have been working tirelessly.”

Chris Mazdzer, 29

How you know him: He became the first American to medal in luge at the Pyeongchang Olympics this year, after a Russian athlete let him borrow his sled. His partner is Witney Carson.

Thoughts on the competition: “He is very used to wearing those tight (outfits), and he is used to pointing his feet — strangely, he has to do that in luge,” Llinares says.

Arike Ogunbowale, 21

How you know her: She made buzzer-beating baskets in the last two games of the NCAA tournament to earn Notre Dame the national title. Her dancing pro is Gleb Savchenko.

Thoughts on the competition: “She’s someone that everyone was talking about a couple of weeks ago,” Llinares says. “She has a fun personality, very engaging.”

Jennie Finch Daigle, 37

How you know her: The softball pitcher led Team USA to gold in 2004 at the Athens Olympics. She’s partnering with Keo Motsepe.

Thoughts on the competition: “She’s someone who we had talked about for a little while,” Llinares says. “It’ll be super-challenging to do something completely out of her comfort zone.”

Josh Norman, 30

How you know him: The Washington Redskins football star previously played with the Carolina Panthers. He’s reportedly the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback.

Thoughts on the competition: “He seems to be having a really fun time,” Llinares says. Norman is competing with Sharna Burgess.

Jamie Anderson, 27

How you know her: The two-time Olympic snowboarder has two gold medals and one silver in slopestyle.

Thoughts on the competition: “She’s a fan of the show,” Llinares says. Anderson’s partner is Artem Chigvintsev.