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‘Tiger King’ Star Carole Baskin Ready To Put 'Heart And Soul' Into Competing On ‘Dancing With The Stars’
"I am really hoping for some amazing cat print costumes," Carole Baskin told Oxygen.com after it was announced she'd be featured on the hit reality series.
Big cat activist Carole Baskin is going to be bringing her big cat energy to the dance floor on the upcoming season of “Dancing with the Stars.”
The "Tiger King” star was officially announced as a contestant on the show – which will debut on Sept. 14 – on Good Morning America Wednesday.
Following the announcement, Baskin wrote on her blog that she had originally declined the offer to compete on the show, explaining that she can’t dance. But she noted that a producer from the show convinced her that would change. Baskin said she has been “watching every dance tutorial she could find online” and took ballroom dancing lessons to prepare for the show’s intensive training, which begins this week.
Baskin told Oxygen.com on Wednesday that she expects rehearse four to fiver hours a day.
“I’m going to put my heart and soul into winning the Mirror Ball because the longer I can stay on the show, the more the plight of big cats will be kept in the public eye,” Baskin stated. “We are so close to ending the abuse of captive big cats, through passage of the Big Cat Public Safety Act. We just have to keep in on the minds of our Congressional leaders until it’s brought to the floor for a vote.”
Anne Heche, Nelly, and Backstreet Boys singer AJ McLean are amongst the star-studded cast. It's unclear who Baskin will be paired with.
Baskin is excited to see what her wardrobe will look like on the show. Will it turn the ballroom into a catwalk?
"I am really hoping for some amazing cat print costumes," she told Oxygen.com. "My only caveat to the designers was no fur, feathers or leathers as I strive toward a vegan lifestyle. "
Baskin was known for her cat print wardrobe on "Tiger King," a show which grabbed the nation's attention earlier this year. The show focused primarily on big cat breeder Joe Exotic, who is currently serving 22 years in federal prison for hiring a hitman to kill Baskin, who served as his foil and rival for years. However, it also spent a lot of screen time on Baskin’s personal life. During their rivalry, Exotic repeatedly accused Baskin of killing her former husband, Don Lewis, who vanished mysteriously in 1997. Baskin has repeatedly and vehemently denied having anything to do with his disappearance.
Baskin’s current husband Howard Baskin said he’s excited for the show because it gives his “workaholic” wife a chance “to take a break and just have some fun” and he thinks it will show the public “who she really is rather than the totally false portrayal on ‘Tiger King.’”
