For the past decade, I’ve sat down to watch every season of “Dancing with the Stars” with one goal in mind: predicting who will walk away with the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.
I am a “Dancing with the Stars” connoisseur, and my predictions have never been wrong. I may sound a little cocky, but my eyes see the potential.
Mirrorball champion
From the 14 contestants on this new season, my prediction is that Robert Irwin will walk away with the Mirrorball trophy. His sister, Bindi Irwin, won 10 years ago, and he came out on that stage and blew everyone away. It intrigues viewers more when someone who has never danced comes out and shows off.
For example, Joey Graziadei won last season with absolutely no dance experience. He brought fun and motivation to the dance floor, which makes these dancers so interesting to watch.
Irwin has grown a huge fanbase over the last couple of years, which is another reason I can see him making it to the end. Generation Z is also very passionate when it comes to pushing their idols to the very end.
Not only did Irwin score a 15/20 in the first week, but he and his partner were the last couple to dance at the premiere. Could you imagine the nerves he felt while waiting to go? Well, he went right on that stage and showed everyone who is boss.
Irwin shocked many because he didn’t have any dance experience, but came out on the dance floor and moved effortlessly. I was so intrigued by the way he was able to move his body despite it being his first time professionally dancing.
Irwin obviously has talent, but his pro partner Witney Carson always blows me away with her choreography. She pushes her partners to their fullest potential, and she almost always makes it to the final five. This combo is dangerous, and you can tell they did not come to play.
Crowd favorites
This is what makes it so hard to pick between these celebrities. They all have talent, and bring different experiences to the table. Now here’s the thing, I have a favorite top three, but I don’t think they will be the final three.
My favorites this season are Robert Irwin, Elaine Hendrix and Jordan Chiles. They were so fun to watch and surprised me in the end. Chiles has potential to grow, especially with her partner Ezra Sosa.
Can we talk about Hendrix? She did not come to play. For being 54 years old, she really showed that her competitors should be worried, especially since she’s partnered with Alan Bersten, who took second place with Ilona Maher last season.
Final three
Irwin has the potential to take it all the way. Whitney Leavitt will definitely be in the final three. The third finalist will be Alix Earle.
Leavitt came into the show with some dance experience and also scored a 15/20 on Premiere Night. Can we also talk about how she is partnered with THE Mark Ballas? He has won the show three times and was nominated for an Emmy in 2011 for his choreography. She also has a huge fanbase, which I can see taking her all the way.
When it comes to Earle, I had a hard time picking her as the final three. You can see she has extreme potential, but to me, I see her fanbase pulling her through. She has approximately 4.5 million followers on Instagram and around 7.5 million followers on TikTok.
Fanbases the last few years have really pulled through for people. Harry Jowsey was awful two seasons ago, but because everyone loved Rylee Arnold and the pair’s chemistry, they got pretty far.
That is what the show has come to, which I don’t agree with it. Fanbases are doing too much. I liked it when the judges chose who went home out of the bottom two at eliminations. Fanbases don’t care if who they’re rooting for is bad; they just want to see them win, which takes away the fun from the show. We want to see people improve, but if they aren’t, send them home.
I’m not afraid to admit that the favorite celebrities deserve to go home if you aren’t seeing any improvement from them, especially later on in the show. A celebrity who will create a fanbase this season is Lauren Jauregui, who is partnered with Brandon Armstrong. Their TikToks are hilarious, and she’s also a really good dancer. She was one of my potential choices for the final three.
The first elimination is tonight, and the two who are going home are Corey Feldman and Andy Richter. I’m confident that I’m right. These two are older, and in typical seasons, the older people go home first. Especially when their dancing isn’t amazing.
I love predicting this show, especially when the themes come out. Irwin and Carson will be doing “Dancing Through Life” on “Wicked” Night. Dylan Efron’s performance on Disney Night has got to be something “High School Musical” related.
I’m pumped to see these celebrities kill it. I am also eager to see if I eat my words in the long run.
