Two things that seem highly unbelievable yet are totally true: Somehow, Dancing with the Stars is about to begin its 17th season, and when it does, one of the dancing competitors will be Bill Nye. Yes, everyone’s favorite television “science guy” (all due respect to Neil deGrasse Tyson) will compete against 11 other celebrities in the popular dancing reality show, and hopefully, he’ll be wearing his trademark bow-ties. As Nye explained in a blog post today, it’s all in the name of science — and for the love of space:

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. The show is watched by millions. I’ll be there as your CEO of The Planetary Society and a student of Carl Sagan. Buzz Aldrin appeared on this show three years ago.

Space evangelism aside, there’s something fantastic about every ’90s kid’s beloved televised science teacher cutting a rug on national TV. Nye fans have known for years the man’s a bit of a cut-up, and now we’ll get to find out if his elastic personality translates to agile dance moves. While not the first science guy to be on the show – as Nye notes, Aldrin appeared on the show in 2010 – he will be the first scientist to compete against Jersey Shore star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson, Saved By the Bell/Showgirls star Elizabeth Berkley, and Ozzy Osbourne’s son, Jack. (Let that sink in.)

Nye, who will be partnered with first-time DWTS professional partner Tyne Stecklein, is 57 years old, but according to his blog post is “a competitive guy; I am in this to win” when it comes to facing off against his fellow celebs. He does, however, have one impediment to his success.

“I’ll be fighting decades of bad posture, which may prove my undoing,” he wrote, adding, “It will be a personal exploration; whenever we explore we make discoveries (like how to stand up straight at last), and we have an adventure. As unusual as this may seem, I believe we can broaden awareness of the Society and thereby humankind’s exploration of the Cosmos one ballroom dance at a time.”

Nye’s season of Dancing with the Stars begins September 16 on ABC.

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