Bill Nye ‘The Science Guy’ talks to students on campus May 21, 2012. Nye will appear on ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ premiering Sept. 16. Credit: Lantern file photo
Good thing Bill Nye the Science Guy knows inertia is a property of matter — he’ll need it on the dance floor.
“Bill Nye the Science Guy,” from the ‘90s educational TV program of the same name, was announced Wednesday as one of the 12 contestants on “Dancing with the Stars,” premiering Sept. 16 on ABC.
Already having danced his way into the hearts of children, especially on afternoons when it was video days in science class, Nye strives to do more than self-promoting which, if I may say, is a refreshing change.
“In order for us to carry out our mission to get the world — our world — excited about and supportive of space exploration, we need to engage people everywhere,” Nye said of joining the show on his blog Thursday. “As unusual as this may seem, I believe we can broaden awareness of the (Planetary) Society and thereby humankind’s exploration of the Cosmos one ballroom dance at a time.”
Nye visited Ohio State’s campus in May 2012 and was eminent on “world missions” then as well.
“We are living at this extraordinary time where we can, dare I say it, change the world,” Nye said to students. “I want you to all be part of a more closely-knit human community, and I want you to be part of the future.”
The Emmy Award-winning science educator, who has also appeared on the Weather Channel, CNN and has acted in TV shows such as “Numb3rs” and “Stargate: Atlantis,” is paired with newcomer dancing pro Tyne Stecklein.
The announcement was made on “Good Morning America” by “DWTS” hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke.
Competing against Nye in “DWTS” season 17 is “Saved by the Bell” star Elizabeth Berkley Lauren, “High School Musical” star Corbin Bleu, “Pretty Little Liars” star Brant Daughterty, comedian Bill Engvall, “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” star Valerie Harper, former NFL star Keyshawn Johnson, singer-songwriter Christina Milian, TV personalities Jack Osbourne and Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, “The King of Queens” star Leah Remini and “Glee” star Amber Riley.
Nye said due to his competitiveness, he’s in it to win it.
“I’ll be fighting decades of bad posture, which may prove my undoing,” Nye wrote in a blog post.
Keep an eye out for the man who made learning science fun for us as kids.
