Dancing with the Stars : The Tom DeLay Edition

Yes, Tom DeLay really will be on Dancing with the Stars . Here's the inside story of how — and why

Illustration by Lou Beach for TIME; Delay: Michael Stravato / Getty

Deena Katz, longtime casting director of ABC's reality hit Dancing with the Stars ( DWTS ), is used to rejection. For most big names, reality TV has all the cachet of a rest-stop Wendy's. But Katz doesn't give up easily. She has been wooing one of the upcoming season's contestants, Kelly Osbourne, since early in the show's history. Another, Chuck Liddell of the Ultimate Fighting Championship league, was first scouted when he showed up to watch singer Willa Ford in Season 3. When Katz reached out to former Texas Congressman Tom DeLay via his book agent, she didn't soften...

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