Is Ryan Lochte Joining Season 23 Of ‘Dancing With The Stars’?

Ryan Lochte, the disgraced gold-medaling Olympic swimmer, might seek redemption by competing on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.

Ryan Lochte On DWTS?

Lochte won his 12th Olympic medal while competing at Rio 2016 in the 4×200 meter freestyle relay, making him the second most decorated male Olympic swimmer in history. However, his history-making was undercut by what happened out of the pool.

Lochte made headlines following a night of celebrating Team USA’s medal haul when he claimed that he had been robbed at gunpoint. The dramatic story turned out to be false.

Brazil investigated the story Lochte told – and retold – and uncovered video evidence that told a different story. Videos showed that Lochte and some of his teammates had been intoxicated and belligerent at a gas station stop. Their actions, which included urinating on a door and causing general destruction, apparently instigated a response from a security guard.

Lochte has since publicly apologized for his fabrications, but the contrition has proven to be too little to late. Having lost the goodwill of the country he represented at the Olympics – not to mention all of his major sponsors – the athlete is apparently in search of a way to rehabilitate his public image.

Dancing with the Stars could be the way he redeems himself, sources are telling Us Weekly.

“Doing DWTS will be great for Ryan’s image!” an insider told Us. “He will be able to show America that he’s a good guy who made a mistake. He’s still an Olympic champion! He will be great on the show.”

While the official list of celebrities for season 23 of Dancing with the Stars has yet to be revealed, rumors have picked up about who has been cast. Among those expected to hit the dance floor this fall are JoJo Fletcher, Amber Rose, Jake T. Austin and Simone Biles. The 13 celebrity contestants will be confirmed Aug. 30.

Dancing With the Stars returns to ABC on Monday, September 12.