It is that time of the year once again: Tuesday nights are exciting, and my friends and I are hosting our annual girls’ night dedicated to Dancing with the Stars. Each year, our favourite thing to do is guess which of the 16 couples will take home the Mirrorball trophy.
Looking at the first two weeks alone, there are already some clear frontrunners and couples who may be riding the fan votes all the way to the finale.
For a show full of glitter and large men in uncomfortably tight pants, it has sparked many opinions from online viewers. Unfortunately, I can’t say that I am any different.
If everyone’s favourite sports betting apps ever came to their senses and created a Dancing with the Stars section, I would have some bets. Not because I’m qualified, but because I have watched two weeks of dance and apparently am very opinionated.
Each year there is always one couple who are the “TikTok champions.” This couple creates funny videos throughout the season, making them a season darling. Actor Julia Styles and dance pro Ezra Sosa are my pick for this role.
This couple will not cha-cha by using their online presence alone. There is serious potential here that I’m sure will lead to some outstanding performances. However, this couple will definitely play to their biggest strength: fan votes. They know how to make people want to watch them outside of Tuesday nights. In a competition where votes from the audience can be just as important as a perfect score, being entertaining outside of the dance floor matters.
Amber Glenn and pro Pasha Pashkov are another couple I am keeping an eye on. Being an Olympic figure skater, Glenn has all the power when it comes to performance. I think there is a large chance we will be seeing this couple in the finale. For me, the dancing is there, and I’m excited for the improvements.
As far as my bets go, this couple has the score but will lack fan votes. While being a very likeable pair, I am not convinced they have the built-in fanbase that some of the other couples are bringing to the ballroom.
Then there is Tyler Cameron and pro Sharna Burgess. This couple has gotten some great critiques in the past two weeks and has the ability to go far. They are definitely using Cameron’s strengths and banking on his sexual appeal to go far. This is not the first couple to do this and definitely won’t be the last, but I must say I hope they lean away from this.
While the lifts and ripping of his shirt make for viral moments, it also makes it seem like they’re trying to distract from their dance technique. Once Cameron gets more comfortable in the ballroom and Burgess makes some choreography changes, I think he will have my vote for most improved dancer of the season.
Comedian Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson are my bet for what I call the “television titans.” Is Guillermo going to win based solely on technical precision? I would not start engravingengrave his name on the trophy just yet. But does he have enough personality to make me forget about the technical precision for three minutes?
Absolutely.
Every season there is always a couple that is simply heartwarming and becomes a fan favourite, m. Making the audience laugh and really buy into the effort they are putting forth will take them far.
Similarly, model Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas are incredibly fun to watch. This couple should be awarded “the surprise of the century.” They had me actively talking to my television as if I had an audience asking, “You’re telling me she’s never danced before?”
Comedian and podcaster Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold, meanwhile, have something that cannot be taught in a ballroom: chemistry.
For best pairing as a whole, they have my vote. A couple can have the best choreography in the world, but if the connection is not there, the audience notices. Connor and Rylee have the kind of partnership that looks like they’ve been friends for years, making each dance incredibly entertaining.
There is also a special category reserved for couples who have it all: the fanbase, comedic aspect and the dancing. Actor Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson are currently occupying that spot.
They are good. Annoyingly good.
You know the type. The couple finishes a routine, the judges stand up and everyone online starts screaming about how robbed they were by a 9.5.
However, they are not my pick for season 35’s Mirrorball Champions.
Before I get into that, I have to give my opinions on actor Jenna Dewan — who, I have to add, used to be a professional dancer — and pro Val Chmerkovskiy. She is not the first professional dancer celebrity on the show; however, having that background comes with some high expectations.
There is a difference between watching a dance and watching a dance that makes you immediately turn to your friends and say, “Did you SEE that?”
Right now, I am waiting for the latter.
Their chemistry as partners is not there yet, and I think they are being outdanced as of now. It is only week two so there is lots of room for improvement, and this couple may just make me eat (or erase) these words.
Finally, the couple I’m putting my money on for this year’s champions is Paralympian Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach.
Karagach has a habit of making her partners look like stars, and sometimes, being so powerful, she takes over the performance.
This has not happened.
He is dancing with the confidence of a seasoned ballroom professional. Each week, I find myself sitting up in my chair when their dance comes on. Not to mention, the choreography of these dances has been a clear standout for me so far.
Of course, it is only week two. There are still plenty of dances left, plenty of scores to be debated and plenty of opportunities for me to completely abandon every prediction I just made.
But that is the beauty of Dancing with the Stars: Every Tuesday, I get to sit on my couch, judge celebrities who are significantly more talented than I am and pretend my voting strategy is based on anything other than vibes.