We're Already Placing Bets on Who Will Win Dancing With the Stars
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On Thursday, ABC announced the new round of celebrity contestants for the 19th season of Dancing With the Stars, and we're already placing our bets on who will win. To make things simpler, we've broken down this year's cast by type (the athlete, the curveball, etc.) and used our expert DWTS knowledge to not only suss out who will win but also try to guess when people will get voted off. Not to brag, but our predictions from last year were pretty much spot-on. Keep reading for our analysis of this year's cast.
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The Nostalgia Contestants
- Who: Tommy Chong, Alfonso Ribeiro (pictured), Lea Thompson
- How It Will Play Out: Nostalgia contestants rarely walk home with the top prize. (The only nostalgia winner has been Jennifer Grey, who won during the Fall 2010 season.) However, many of the "remember them?" type of stars use the show as a way to relaunch themselves into the public sphere. If there's one thing that is for certain, it's that DWTS is a great way to revive a career.
- Prediction: Unless Lea and Tommy have serious moves, Alfonso will likely last the longest out of the three. If he can mix the right amount of charm and dance moves, he will likely make it to the semifinals.
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The Athletes
- Who: Lolo Jones (pictured), Randy Couture, Michael Waltrip
- How It Will Play Out: Athletes — Olympians in particular — tend to do very well on DWTS, thanks to their physical ability and focus on winning the Mirror Ball trophy. (Seven athletes total have won the top prize in seasons past, with the most recent win going to ice dancer Meryl Davis.) However, while Olympians typically do well on the show, non-Olympian athletes aren't typically a sure thing, especially if they aren't football players. This will make things harder on MMA fighter Randy Couture and NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip.
- Prediction: Barring some freakishly bad dancing skills, this game is Lolo's to lose. Viewers will also likely love her fun personality (which has already won her fans on Twitter), and her dedication to Christian values will likely be a hit with the show's overwhelmingly conservative fan base.
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The Curveballs
- Who: Bethany Mota, Betsey Johnson (pictured), Tavis Smiley
- How It Will Play Out: While contestants on DWTS tend to be anything but A-listers, the show likes to sometimes mix things up with a curveball contestant — the kind of star who isn't a household name or whose participation leaves you scratching your head. However, barring the sensational win from motivational speaker J.R. Martinez during the show's Fall 2011 season, they rarely get a chance to take home the top prize. This is more about giving their careers a boost or fulfilling a lifelong dream.
- Prediction: Betsey is arguably the most recognizable name of the three, so she will likely fare the best. Plus, she is paired with fan favorite Tony Dovolani, who will likely mesh well with her fun personality. Hopefully she can break out some serious moves, like the splits she showcased above! On another note, Tavis will probably go first. (Sorry, dude.)
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The Hotties
- Who: Janel Parrish (pictured), Jonathan Bennett
- How It Will Play Out: While DWTS isn't shy about showcasing eye candy, the young, good-looking celebrity contestants rarely come out on top. (The exceptions being perhaps Winter 2006's Drew Lachey, Spring 2010's Nicole Scherzinger, and Fall 2012's Melissa Rycroft.) In recent years, the hot stars have had to prove that they are more than an attractive face, and considering that both Jonathan and Janel are more recognizable to people under the age of 35 — and thus firmly outside DWTS's target audience — their journeys will be an uphill battle.
- Prediction: Both of these stars need to find a storyline that will appeal to the wider DWTS audience if they hope to make it into the semifinals. (See Fall 2013 winner Amber Riley, who worked hard to show immense improvement over the course of the show.) Jonathan may have an easier chance with creating this story, as he's been out of the public eye for a while and everyone loves a good comeback story.
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The Typical DWTS Contestants
- Who: Antonio Sabato Jr., Sadie Robertson (pictured)
- How It Will Play Out: These stars both fill two categories that appeal to the core DWTS audience — soap opera star (Antonio) and conservative (Sadie Robertson). As we've seen in the past with Kelly Monaco, Gilles Marini, and William Levy, Soap Opera Nation loves to rally in support of one of its own. Duck Dynasty's Sadie will likely have an easy time drawing support from her family's conservative fan base, at least when it comes to drumming up initial votes.
- Prediction: While these two may seem like obvious choices for DWTS, they still need to prove themselves where it counts — on the dance floor. Sadie has the benefit of age to hopefully make her more of a natural dancer, but Antonio could surprise us here. Don't be surprised if one of these contestants ends up in the final three.