Gearing up for 'DWTS' season 25

The 25th season of "Dancing with the Stars" will begin next month on ABC. Let that sink in for a sec: twenty-five seasons. During that spate of time, fans have had a front row seat to plenty of hijinks from Tom Bergeron and a veritable parade of talented (and sometimes testy) pro hoofers and celebrity Mirrorball Trophy hopefuls. We've seen should-be winners lose, watched as romances bloomed and faded, cried over tales of loss and sorrow, and cheered over unexpected --and sometimes even miraculous-- comebacks.

I'm definitely a critic of the show; I don't like seeing ringers cast, and I definitely don't like it when production tries to manipulate the vote by shedding negative --or unduly positive-- light on a single competitor. But I'm still a fan. I love a good story of redemption, so season 25, I'm ready for you, no matter who shows up to strut their stuff for my votes.