'Dancing With the Stars': Debunking various Jersey-related rumors

It's been a big day for "Dancing With the Stars," which is odd considering the series isn't back until September 20, and casting confirmations generally come on just a few weeks' lead time, in one glorious fell swoop on "Good Morning America" or during commercial breaks of an all-new "Desperate Housewives" episode.

First Troy Aikman announced his deal to join the next cast -- apparently, just sarcasm. Real Housewife of New Jersey Teresa Giudice chimed in on Twitter, revealing she was in talks. Then TMZ reported that Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino was considering competing, which his manager denied.

Something stuck out in that last story. The Situation's reported deal has a negotiations deadline of Monday, which... wait, Monday? Slow your "DWTS" horses, because there's almost two months before the start of the new season.

A show rep confirms to Zap2it that casting is still ongoing in preparation for the new season. In short, there's still plenty of time for eager celebrities who live farther down the alphabetical food chain of fame to put their names in the hat.

On the heels of last season's impressive cast, interest in the new group of contenders seems to be starting even earlier. So don't expect regular speculation and rumors to cool down before the likely late August announcement.

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Photo: MTV