Dancing with the Stars is no stranger to controversy.

And the people responsible for inviting eyebrow-raising contestants like Bristol Palin and Kate Gosselin to participate on the show haven't made apologies for their casting choices. This season's most buzzed-about competitor Chaz Bono, 42, is no exception.

"We've always invited a really broad range of people onto the show," the program's executive producer Conrad Green told E! Online. "We've had people from every sort of edge of the political spectrum. We've had people from all types of professions within show business."

Explaining why Bono is particularly "compelling," Green says it is the combination of his "Hollywood royalty" background and "the personal changes [he's undergone] in his life."

"We think he's about as interesting a person to have on the show," Green says, acknowledging that "a bit of a fuss" has been made over inviting a transgender contestant onto the show.

"He's a remarkably strong character," Green says. "I think once the show's underway, people will either root for Chaz because of his dancing or not. I think one of the joys of our show is … you see a different side of people. You see them struggling to try and achieve something positive. You get to know them differently."

"We always try to make it [so] there's someone for everybody on our cast," adds Green. "And people you can discover along the way."