'Dancing' champ tapped to host ABC contest

ABC is going dance-crazy this season, with another competition, "Dance War," set to fill in between the two cycles of "Dancing with the Stars" at midseason.

That series features two of the "Dancing with the Stars" judges guiding teams of hoofers, and now the network has tapped a former "Dancing" champ, Drew Lachey, as its host.

"Dance War," based on the British show "Dance X," will have "DwtS" judges Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli assemble teams of dancers who compete in choreographed singing-and-dancing face-offs.

Lachey knows a thing or two about singing and dancing, having been part of boy band 98 Degrees in the late 1990s. He won the second season of "Dancing with the Stars" with Cheryl Burke and also has a little bit of hosting experience, emceeing the Miss USA pageant last year.

ABC hasn't set an airdate for "Dance War" yet, but network chief Stephen McPherson said at July's press tour that the show would probably fill the gap between editions of "Dancing with the Stars" in early 2008.