The Peloton Takeover Is Almost Complete

In every Peloton user’s journey, there comes the life-changing moment in which they discover that they are in love with instructor Cody Rigsby. Mine came during a 30-minute bike-boot camp in which he looked directly into the camera and said, “bitch I’m sweating too,” as if he could truly see me and empathize with my disgusting sweatiness. Despite his omnipresence on social media, I still cannot get enough of Rigsby and his fun sayings, and now the ABC gods have seen fit to bestow upon us all a great gift: Cody Rigsby will be making his debut as a celebrity contestant on the next season of Dancing With the Stars.

While this is fantastic news for all of Cody’s loyal apostles, it’s even better news for the expanding empire that is Peloton. Some of the company’s top instructors have managed to transcend the New York fitness scene bubble—namely Robin Arzón—by dipping their toes into the Instagram influencer pond and appearing in co-branded projects, both building their own personal brands while spreading the gospel of Peloton.

Rigsby’s appearance on DWTS brings Peloton one step closer to shedding its reputation as a mere fitness brand—it now verges on a full-on production force, complete with its own stable of talent. Each instructor has a unique background that makes them prized assets to the brand as well as perfectly moldable spokespeople for other endeavors. Arzón was a lawyer and now works on the corporate side of Peloton; Rigsby is a former dancer obsessed with all things Disney, the parent company of the network that airs DWTS. A star will literally be born.

Rigsby already has a pseudo-talkshow on the Peloton app in the form of his “xoxo, Cody” rides, during which he doles out sage advice all while riding his Peloton bike to nowhere. Similarly, Ally Love has her own cycling series, “Sundays With Love,” which is akin to going to church every week for some riders. So the blueprint has already been laid out for Peloton and its stars to make the transition into entertainment.

Rigsby’s DWTS run will likely serve as a test run for expanding Peloton even further. Should it be successful, and I can’t see a reason it wouldn’t—please remember that you read it here first: Peloton will be the HGTV of fitness obsessives within the next five years.