Special Photo Blog Exclusive #18: Marissa Jaret Winokur 'Dancing With The Stars' - YOU SAVED ME!!!

Tony Award-winning star of Hairspray, Marissa Jaret Winokur, will be one of the contestants this season on "Dancing with the Stars."  When news broke of her involvement, she couldn't wait to share that experience with BroadwayWorld.com and its readers.  Marissa will be checking in from now until she wins (YAY!) or is eliminated (BOO!) with exclusive photos and a glimpse into what's going on as she takes on the other celebrities in the ultimate "dance off!"

Marissa says: "OKAY SOOOOOOO I THOUGHT  I WAS GETTING VOTED OFF! THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH FOR SAVING MY BUTT! These are photos I took thinking I was getting the BOOT!!!! Hope you enjoy! I can't believe how crazy this has been! It's the best time off my life! Thank you for helping it continue!

To vote for Marissa, Call: 1800-868-3409

"Dancing with the Stars" pairs twelve celebrities – six men and six women – with acclaimed dancers, and pits them against each other in attempts to outshine one another. Last season, viewers got a chance to size up the male vs. the female stars, as each gender hit the dance floor on separate nights during the first week of competition. Each week, one couple's fate is determined the following night.

Marissa Jaret Winokur is best known for creating the role of "Tracy Turnblad" in the hit Broadway musical Hairspray, a performance for which she won a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress. Winokur has since been seen in the Farrelly Brothers film Fever Pitch and the television series Stacked. She just finished filming the series lead in a new pilot called Fugly, for 20th Century Fox and CBS and is currently working as one of the leads in the Lifetime movie Betrayals.