Entertainment TV Karina Smirnoff: Let the New 'Dancing' Season Begin! DWTS's reigning champion will be blogging from the ballroom for PEOPLE.com By Alison Schwartz Published on February 28, 2012 11:00 AM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Jesse Grant/WireImage Last time she hit the Dancing with the Stars ballroom, Karina Smirnoff walked away with a mirror-ball trophy. This season, she’s paired with pop singer Gavin DeGraw, as was announced Tuesday on Good Morning America, and will be blogging exclusively for PEOPLE.com with the inside scoop on what goes down on and off the parquet. (Past PEOPLE.com celebrity bloggers have included Kristin Cavallari and Chelsea Kane.) “Season 14 is going to be very exciting and entertaining,” Smirnoff, 34, tells PEOPLE. “We have so many diverse personalities and talents this season.” PHOTOS: Meet the New Cast of DWTS Joining Smirnoff and DeGraw on the dance floor: The View co-host Sherri Shepherd, former child star and Screen Actors Guild president Melissa Gilbert, Family Matters star Jaleel White, tennis legend Martina Navratilova, soap star-turned-singer Jack Wagner, Green Bay Packers receiver Donald Driver, Extra host Maria Menounos, Disney Channel’s Roshon Fegan, actor-model William Levy, music legend Gladys Knight and singer Katherine Jenkins. “This is going to be a competitive cast,” adds Smirnoff. “Let the dancing begin!”