Month: September 2025

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.

The comforting fall season is just around the corner, but in St. George, we have a different way to live it compared to social media.

Most of us know the feeling of drinking a warm coffee while watching a movie on a rainy, foggy day around this time of year. But why is it that we tend to get excited about it?

A group of scientists from Germany has researched the reason why the lively colors of the coming season are so heartwarming and beautiful to people. They found out that the less saturated colors, like the faded oranges we can see on the leaves, can make people feel calmer. This explains why I find the colors of the leaves so beautiful.

Another study shows that the weather getting chilly also has an effect on us. When the temperature decreases, it is a common trait for people to start feeling lonely or sad. So, in order to feel better, taking hot baths, drinking hot drinks and getting under a blanket are actions that create comfort and improve our mood in this situation.

It is a common decision for all of us to do anything to keep us warm once the cold starts kicking in. I certainly feel better after a hot shower when my room starts getting as cold as a fridge and covering myself under my sheets doesn’t work.

The social media trends that follow the fall are commonly associated with a cheerful, nostalgic feeling: staying at home in the warmth of our couch or bed, drinking hot chocolate with people, or preparing for Halloween, among other memories.

This is different compared to summer, where we see people going out to the beach, traveling and shopping. We can consider this the time of the year when we spend the most, except for when we pay our college tuition.

Comparing this to autumn, our plans revolve around doing activities around town or at home. We don’t have the need to pay for a hotel, takeout food (hopefully), flights or expensive restaurants.

One thing that is hard to get excited for, though, is fall in St. George, mainly if you expect to see what you find in the videos that pop up on Instagram or TikTok.

Here, it feels like the only change is the decrease in temperature. The ethereal, cloudy and foggy vibe that we see all over social media is not present in this town.

Why do we make a fuss about it then? To stay in favor of the great season that is autumn, the weather change allows us to go out more and enjoy the places we have around campus like Snow Canyon State Park and Red Hills Desert Garden, or other parks that Utah has to offer.

With almost a year of living here, St. George has a certain way for one to experience autumn. Fall here is not the same as fall in other places. What we see on our feed doesn’t compare to what we get in this time of the year, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad quality.

The fall weather in southern Utah allows us to go out more since the unbearable heat that we usually have drops down to a nicer temperature, which makes me like this season more than the summer here.

Fall is not overrated; it’s just that for us, Utah Tech University students, this next season is different compared to outside people.

This fall should be full of adventure, discovery and beautiful landscapes, not spent staying in our room watching TV shows or movies.

St. George invites us to bring our adventurous outside to have fun, explore its surroundings and trying new activities.

Not only we can go on hikes or camping, we also have bowling, laser tag, arcades or even go-karts outside campus. So, if the weather is not right, then a fun time with your friends at one of these places will sure be.

Dutch Bros Coffee’s new food sparked plenty of excitement, but after trying it, I would tell them to stick to the drinks.

Dutch Bros is a well-known chain that offers a variety of customizable drinks from coffee to energy drinks. The food menu originally had muffin tops. 

The food menu has recently expanded. Some of the new items include muffins, bread, breakfast sandwiches and wraps. Overall, the quality of the food was good. The food had good flavors and textures, but it was lacking in portion size, ultimately not making it worth the money.

If I had to compromise, I would pick a bakery item over hot food. The hot food was good, but the bakery items felt like better value due to the flavors, textures and portion size. 

I tried the sausage slider, maple waffle and banana bread. The slider reminded me of a McDonald’s Egg McMuffin and cost $3.25 (or 2 for $6). The size of it was not worth the price. The slider is roughly the size of a Post-it note, the only part that tasted good was the sausage. The sausage had a hint of spice to it, which was really good. The rest of the slider was bland and lukewarm. I’d rather go to McDonald’s. The maple waffle was nothing extraordinary. The flavor of the waffle wasn’t cohesive, and some bites were extremely sweet while other bites were bland.

Out of the three items I tried, I would get the banana bread again. While it was the most expensive item I tried, it was worth it. The bread was $3.75, but it was the best item even though it was pricey. I wanted more afterwards because it was so good. The quality of it topped the other two items. It was the perfect flavor. The banana wasn’t too overpowering and it had a crumb coating on the crust that added some sweetness to the bread. The bread was served cold but was still soft and moist.

I saw the potential in the items. They had the variety, but the quality was lacking. I was most excited for the sliders, and they need the most improvement before I would be willing to spend $3.25 again.  

The menu feels like Dutch Bros is slowly turning into Starbucks. The food items are almost identical to what Starbucks has been offering for years, and at the same price point. If I can get the same food for the same price elsewhere, why would I choose Dutch Bros, where the portions are smaller? What makes their food so special?  

The food menu feels thrown together like a last-minute thought. It doesn’t match the brand. Drinks at Dutch Bros are creative and fun, while the food is the forgotten middle child. It makes the company feel like they are becoming more focused on competing with Starbucks than on customer satisfaction. 

As much as I enjoy Dutch Bros, the food is not worth it. Unless it’s banana bread, skip it.

Charlie Kirk’s death was not the first of its kind, and it will not be the last if we do not work together to stop gun violence in America. 

Each year, more than 48,000 people in the United States die from gun violence. This means, on average, over 100 people are killed by firearms in the U.S. every day. We cannot stand idly by while fellow citizens of our country continue to lose their lives.

While I may not have agreed with many of Kirk’s statements, his death is not something to be celebrated. It is a moment where democracy at its very core is being threatened. To be killed for sharing your political beliefs, no matter how controversial, will never be right. 

As someone whose political beliefs lean toward the left, I cannot advocate for a decrease in gun violence and then cheer when someone I disagree with dies from it. The division in our country and its political parties is devastating and continues to bring us further away from freedom.

When I was in fifth grade, I participated in a music program called “Hope of America.” There, I sang the lyrics “United we stand / Divided we fall / This is our country / She needs us all.” This was the moment I understood the importance of a country united in purpose, plan and focus.

The continued division of political parties and their different views in our country allows for gun violence to blaze through the nation. School shootings are happening at an alarming rate. Melissa Hortman, a democratic politician, and her husband were murdered in June.

And yet, there was no outcry, no call for change. How can we as a nation cherry-pick who matters? Decide who gets empathy and who doesn’t? No child should have to hide under a desk, praying they don’t die, while politicians debate whether their life is more important than our Second Amendment rights.

Bills regarding gun control continue to be introduced in Congress and are either denied or voted against. The House of Representatives proposed a bill in 2023 that would require obtaining a license to own a gun. To gain a license, various tests, training and a background checks would be required. If you really believe in the Second Amendment, if you truly believe you should own a gun, then you should be willing to get a license. The bill died without a vote.

There are people on social media who claim that this is not a gun problem; it is a mental health and hate problem. If that is truly the case, then let’s do something about it.

Let’s stop accusing the left or right party for everything going wrong in our country. Let’s stop demonizing those who disagree with us. Let’s stop defunding programs that will help those who suffer from mental illness. 

While working to solve those problems may help, it is merely the beginning of the solution. We live in a world where hate never seems to end. We can’t put a Band-Aid on this problem. We need real laws that get violence under control. 

Instead of taking action, President Donald Trump has pinned Kirk’s assassination on the “radical left,” creating even more division in our country. If we really want to solve this problem, if we truly want to make a change, we have to stop blaming our enemies. We cannot silence one side and expect peace. We cannot throw around threats and expect change.

When tragedies have previously occurred in our country, leaders of our nation didn’t accuse the other party of violence. They didn’t place blame on the right or the left. Instead, they emphasized having empathy for those who were affected and coming together to prevent violence.

After several acts of violence involving guns during former President Barack Obama’s presidency, he said, “If there is even one step we can take to save another child, or another parent, or another town, from grief… then surely we have an obligation to try.”

He didn’t place blame on an entire political party; he chose to take action. He created a plan to reduce gun violence, though to no avail. The plan failed in Congress.

Right now is our time to take action. It is time to be better than our current president and choose to love our neighbors, despite their beliefs. It is time to have empathy for those who suffer from gun violence. It is time to advocate for mandated background checks, training and licenses to obtain guns.

Take time to understand why laws implementing gun control are important. Take time to write to your representatives, to petition for new laws about gun control. Take time to share your experiences. It is too late to say, “I’m not sure how I feel about guns,” or “It doesn’t really matter to me.”

In a press conference after the assassination, Utah Governor Spencer Cox shared that this is our “opportunity to build a culture that is very different than what we are suffering through right now.” 

Right now is our chance to come together as a nation and change our future — to decide that we will not let violence reign any longer. Now is the time to end gun violence.