Karina Smirnoff (Ukrainian: Карiна Смiрнова; Russian: Кapинa Cмиpнoвa; born Karina Smirnova; January 2, 1978) is a Ukrainian professional ballroom dancer. She is best known for her appearances on Dancing with the Stars, where she held a runner-up title, a semi-final title, and several quarter final titles. Smirnoff finally became the champion professional partner in the thirteenth season, when she was partnered with army veteran and soap opera star J.R. Martinez.
She is also a five-time U.S. National Champion, World Trophy Champion, and Asian Open Champion. Smirnoff has won the title at the UK Open, is a three-time champion at the US Open, two-time champion at the Asian Open, five-time champion at the Dutch Open, and five-time US National Professional Champion. She has taken second at the British Open Blackpool Dance Festival and she is the first woman to also ever make the "British Professional Final" with three different partners.
Smirnoff was born Karina Smirnova in Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union on January 2, 1978. When she was five years old, she began taking ballet lessons, followed by gymnastics, aerobics, figure skating, ballroom dancing and piano. She chose to pursue ballroom dancing. In 1992, Smirnoff immigrated to the United States.
Corbin Bleu Reivers (born February 21, 1989), known professionally as Corbin Bleu, is an American actor, model, dancer, producer, and singer-songwriter. He performed in the High School Musical film series, the Discovery Kids drama series Flight 29 Down, and the Disney Channel Original Movie Jump In!. His first lead role was in the film Catch That Kid (2004).
Guest-starring roles include appearances on Hannah Montana, The Amanda Show, Cover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family, Malcolm & Eddie, and The Good Wife. He appeared on the show Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, and the movie Free Style (2008). In 2009 he was cast as up-and-coming model Isaac Taylor in The CW Television Network drama The Beautiful Life: TBL.
He has also pursued a music career, and released his debut album Another Side on May 1, 2007, which included the single "Push It to the Limit". The album debuted at number thirty-six on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling 18,000 copies in its first week. Bleu released his second album, Speed of Light, on March 10, 2009, in the U.S.
Slavik Kryklyvyy (Vyacheslav Kryklyvyy, Ukrainian: Славік Крикливий, Вячеслав Крикливий) (born Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union) is a professional ballroom dancer specializing in International Latin. Born and raised in Ukraine, he is currently residing in New York, USA.
He and Joanna Leunis were amateur world champions in International Latin. In 2000 the couple took first place in the IDSF World Amateur Championship, the British Open (Blackpool), the ARD Masters Gala (Germany), and the IDSF European Latin Championship.
After becoming a professional dancer, he won a number of competitions with various partners.His longest and therefore most successful partnership was with Karina Smirnoff, who he split with in 2005 to dance with Elena Khvorova.
He was credited in the 2004 film Shall We Dance? as the current Blackpool partner of Paulina (Jennifer Lopez) and as dance instructor.
He won second place in the 2006 and 2007 World Championships with Elena Khvorova.
In 2009, Slavik Kryklyvyy partnered with Anna Melnikova (dancer), representing Russia in the international arena. Slavik and Anna were guest competitors as Show Performers
Randy Duane Couture (pronounced /koʊˈtʊər/; born June 22, 1963) is an actor, retired American mixed martial artist, collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestler. During his tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Couture became a three-time UFC Heavyweight Champion, two-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, an Interim UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, and was the UFC 13 Heavyweight Tournament Winner. Couture is the first fighter to hold two UFC championship titles in two different divisions (heavyweight and light heavyweight). Couture has competed in a record 15 title fights. He holds the most title reigns in the UFC with five. His last fight with Lyoto Machida marked his 24th fight in the UFC, the third most amount of fights in the UFC (Tito Ortiz is first with 26 and Matt Hughes is second with 25). Couture is one of the first members of the UFC Hall of Fame. He is the only person over the age of 40 to have won a UFC championship fight, having done so four times.[citation needed]
Couture was an Olympic wrestling alternate and has lived in Corvallis, Oregon, throughout much of his career, where he served as an assistant wrestling coach and a strength and conditioning coach for Oregon State University. He established Team Quest with Matt Lindland and Dan Henderson, a training camp for fighters, based out of Gresham, Oregon, and headed by coach Robert Folis. In 2005, Couture moved to Las Vegas, where he opened his own extensive chain of gyms under the name Xtreme Couture. He currently trains at his Las Vegas-based gym. Couture partnered with Bas Rutten in the opening of Legends Gym in Hollywood, California.
Jacoby Jones (born July 11, 1984) is an American football wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Lane College.
Jones attended Marion Abramson High School in New Orleans, Louisiana and was a letterman in football, basketball, and track. In basketball, he was an All-Metropolitan selection and an All-Area selection. In track, he was an All-Metropolitan selection and an All-Area selection.
Jones originally enrolled on a track scholarship at Southeastern Louisiana University in 2002, but transferred to the Division II school Lane College in 2003. At Lane College, Jones became a three time All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) player his sophomore, junior and senior seasons as well as an excellent punt/kick returner.
His first TD reception was against the Tennessee Titans in week 2 of the 2009 NFL regular season. He also returned his first punt for a 70 yard TD vs. Miami in week 6 of the 2009-2010 season.