Openly-gay former N-Sync boyband singer Lance Bass will be appearing in the American version of Dancing with the Stars – but the producers have decided to team him up with a female dancer.
The 29-year-old will spin around the dancefloor with former So You Think You Can Dance star Lacey Schwimmer.
But the decision to team Bass up with a woman has disappointed some dancing fans.
Chuck Stewart, founder of Out Dancing Ballroom, a same-sex dancing troupe from Los Angeles, says that the show's producerscan do whateverthey want, but may be limited by more conservative expectations.
"Who do I think is afraid? The advertisers," he told New York's Daily News. "I personally think if you got two hot guys together dancing, people will watch."
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation president Neil G. Giuliano says Bass' participation in the show "presents a great opportunity for audiences to see gay people included in pop culture in a matter-of-fact kind of way."
"Could it be great to see two gay dancers paired on a show like this? Absolutely! We know that there are many competitive gay and lesbian dance pairs out there, and that might be something ABC and other networks' dance shows would want to consider including in the future,” he concludes.
"He happens to be gay, but that's not why he's on our show," the dancing show's senior producer Deena Katz explains. "We're not a dating show - although sometimes it ends up that way."
Bass' manager, Cindy Owen, explains that the network "never had the intention" of partnering her client with a man, adding "he's very excited to have Lacey as a partner."
The new series of Dancing With The Stars begins on US TV next month.
