What do second-place finishers win?

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Q: Who are the contestants on the 2^nd season of “Dancing with the Stars”? —V

A: Surprise summer hit "Dancing with the Stars" is returning to ABC on Jan. 5, with the same ballroom-dancing format that made the goofy show such a hit. Will the second season do as well in the ratings, or was it just a summer fling? We'll find out soon enough, but one thing's for sure: The new contestants are just as C-list as the first group, which included soap star Kelly Monaco, who eventually won; John O'Hurley from "Seinfeld," who came in second; boxer Evander Holyfeld, "Bachelorette" Trista Rehn Sutter, and others.

The second cast has been announced, and with a couple of exceptions, the dancers are straight from the "WHO?" file. I have heard of maybe five of these people. I mean, Jessica Simpson's soon-to-be former brother-in-law? That's a reach.

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The biggest celebrity is probably Oscar-winner Tatum O'Neal. From the world of sports and wrestling come the NFL's Jerry Rice, WWE's Stacy Kiebler, and ESPN's Kenny Mayne. Tia Carrere ("Wayne's World 2," "True Lies") will be dancing, as will oh-so-tan George Hamilton. Others include journalist Giselle Fernandez, Soapnet's Lisa Rinna, and Nick Lachey's brother Drew Lachey. Teen rapper Romeo was going to dance, but due to a basketball injury, he dropped out, and was replaced by his father, hip-hop mogul Master P.

All the "celebs" will be paired with professional dancers, including returners Ashly DelGrosso, Louis van Amstel, Edyta Sliwinska, and Jonathan Roberts. —G.F.C.

Q: Did any of the contestants from "The Biggest Loser" gain back the weight after the show? —Anonymous

A: No. Well, maybe. From the time they appeared at the ranch to the time they appeared on the live reunion, not one of the 13 second-season contestants who showed up to the reunion gained weight. It’s certainly possible that their weights went up or down during that time, though.

Nick, however, refused to appear at the reunion, and also did not give his updated weight when the show checked in on him after he was eliminated, so we don’t know how much he lost or gained. Kathryn came the closest to gaining weight, as she lost only one additional pound since leaving the ranch.

Here’s the breakdown of how much weight the contestants lost from their first day on the ranch to the live weigh in, along with the percentage of weight loss:

Ruben: 278 to 197, 81 pounds lost, 29.14%
Kathyrn: 217 to 201, 16 pounds lost, 7.37%
Ryan: 225 to 147, 78 pounds lost, 34.67%
Suzanne: 229 to 142, 87 pounds lost, 37.99%
Jen: 267 to 176, 91 pounds lost, 34.08%
Pete: 401 to 216, 185 pounds lost, 46.13%
Mark: 358 to 193, 165 pounds lost, 46.09%
Shannon: 257 to 149, 108 pounds lost, 42.02%
Dr. Jeff: 370 to 217, 153 pounds lost, 41.35%
Andrea: 220 to 145, 75 pounds lost, 34.09%
Seth: 291 to 168, 123 pounds lost, 42.27%
Suzy: 227 to 132, 95 pounds lost, 41.85%
Matt: 339 to 182, 157 pounds lost, 46.31% —A.D.

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper is MSNBC.com's Television Editor. Andy Dehnart is a writer and teacher who publishes reality blurred, a daily summary of reality TV news.