Diana Nyad, Woman Who Swam From Cuba to Florida Without a Shark Cage, Will Be Contestant on Dancing With the Stars

Last year, 64-year-old Ft. Lauderdale native Diana Nyad completed her lifetime goal of swimming from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage in just under 50 hours. And now, she's going to be on this season's Dancing With the Stars. Because if swimming 103 miles through treacherous man-eating sharks, while...

By Chris Joseph

March 4, 2014

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Last year, 64-year-old Ft. Lauderdale native Diana Nyad completed her lifetime goal of swimming from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage in just under 50 hours.

And now, she's going to be on this season's Dancing With the Stars.

Because if swimming 103 miles through treacherous man-eating sharks, while battling exhaustion and hypothermia doesn't get you on Dancing With the Stars, NOTHING WILL.

Nyad accomplished her feat last September after she attempted the swim several times before.

In the Summer of 2011, she attempted the same swim without the shark cage twice, maybe because it would motivate her to swim faster (that's the only reason we'd swim in open waters without a shark cage). But asthma and jellyfish stings forced her to end her swim early. So she attempted the swim again in 2012, before being slowed down by a storm, and calling it off.

But in 2013, she finally did it.

Now Nyad will be joining fellow athletes such as Canadian hockey player Sean Avery, and Olympic figure skaters Charlie White, and Meryl Davis on television's annual dance-off.

Nyad will also be competing against "The Price Is Right" host, Drew Carey, "Full House's" Candace Cameron Bure, and Danica McKellar, who played Winnie Cooper on "The Wonder Years."

There's also Australian pop star Cody Simpson, and Nickelodeon star James Maslow.

And then there's Lando Calrisian himself, Billy Dee Williams, rounding out the cast.

Frankly, we have no idea who will win this thing. But it might be tough to topple a 64-year-old woman who braved shark infested water without protection.

Although Lando Calrisian battled against a giant desert creature thing that ate people with tentacles, so you never know

Dancing With the Stars will premiere it's 18th season on ABC on March 24.

Here's a complete list of the cast and their respective dance partners, via NBCMiami:

Billy Dee Williams & Emma Slater Candace Cameron Bure & Mark Ballas Charlie White & Sharna Burgess Cody Simpson & Witney Carson Danica McKellar & Valentin Chmerkovskiy Diana Nyad & Henry Byalikov Drew Carey & Cheryl Burke James Maslow & Peta Murgatroyd Meryl Davis & Maksim Chmerkovskiy NeNe Leakes & Tony Dovolani Sean Avery & Karina Smirnoff Amy Purdy & Derek Hough

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