Rick Perry may have infamously forgotten the third government agency he wanted to abolish in 2011 – but he’ll need to remember his dancing shoes this fall.
The three-term governor of Texas and two-time failed Republican presidential candidate is appearing on the reality show Dancing With The Stars. According to a report from Entertainment Tonight, Perry will join Olympian Ryan Lochte, one-hit rapper Vanilla Ice and former NFL star Calvin Johnson on the televised dance competition.
Although the show has been televised for 23 seasons, Perry will be only the second former elected official to take his turn twirling on stage.
However, he won’t be the first competitor with close ties to the GOP. Past seasons have featured the former House majority leader Tom DeLay, who resigned in 2006 after being charged with campaign finance violations, as well as Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol, and Antonio Sabato Jr, a former soap opera actor who spoke in support of Donald Trump in Cleveland in July.
In the show’s most recent season Marla Maples, Trump’s ex-wife, finished 10th behind former NFL player Doug Flutie and ahead of actor Mischa Barton.
Although several have launched their political careers on reality television, including Wisconsin congressman Sean Duffy, who appeared on the sixth season of MTV’s Real World, and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who hosted NBC’s The Apprentice before running for president, Perry will break new ground in using elected office as a springboard for reality television.
There is one precedent for a former governor going on reality television. In 2010 the former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich appeared with Trump on Celebrity Apprentice after being impeached and removed from office for corruption.
The show was his second choice after the judge overseeing his corruption trial refused to let him travel to Costa Rica to appear on tried to appear on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
Since dropping out of the presidential race, Perry first endorsed Texas senator Ted Cruz on the eve of the Iowa caucuses. However, since Trump clinched the nomination, the former Texas governor has become an active surrogate on the real estate mogul’s behalf.
The new season of Dancing With The Stars is scheduled to premiere on 12 September on ABC.
