Well, time for me to shoot an arrow in the dark. After doing some research on our celebrities this season, watching a few rehearsal videos, and knowing a bit about the show in general, I will try to come up with a pre-premiere power list. Think of it as my way of looking back come finale night to see how right (or more likely, wrong) I turned out to be. At the very least, it will be fun to see how this all plays out and I look forward to seeing what some of you think as we are one day away from the start of season 21.
13th- Kim & Tony
I just can’t see anyone but Kim being the first boot. Gary is going to bring the laughs and Paula, regardless of her past scandal, will not be the first boot. But Kim screams first to go. Unless she ends up being a marvelous dancer, at signs point to no on that, I don’t see any segment of the audience going crazy to vote for her. She’s no NeNe Leakes in the personality department. A pretty clear first elimination.
12th- Victor & Karina
I know… a bit of a bold move putting Victor as such an early elimination but it doesn’t seem like he is going to be a very strong dancer at all. This is Karina’s return to the show, which could muster some fan support. Despite his achievments in the horse racing world, I don’t think that audience is going to really translate to this show. And the bigger personalites (even if they aren’t better dancers) will be too much for him to overcome.
11th- Paula & Louis
I see 11th as a good prediction for her. Chaka is going to end up getting the vote from those who enjoy watching someone of an older age improve week to week. Plus, I imagine Chaka will actually be a better dancer. Think Patti LaBelle meets Gladys Knight in the ballroom. Paula will do just okay but it won’t be enough to survive past this point in the competition.
10th- Gary & Anna
Gary lasting through four eliminations? Yeah, sounds about right. I think the laughs and good will only take him this far. If there’s anyone I see being that one contestant that ends up sticking aronund way past their time, with better dancers being eliminated, it is Gary. But I am going to hold out hope that America gives up on the joke (or the sympathy) and let’s him go relatively early.
9th- Alek & Lindsay
I had a really tough time deciding on Alek going out 9th or the person who I will list in 8th. But at the end of the day, I don’t think Alek is going to be a very good dancer. But I do think people are going to really like him. He may surprise and have a decent week here and there but from what I have seen, he looks a bit shy and lost.
8th- Chaka & Keo
This will be the longest Keo has been able to stay in the competition- a good thing because I like him. Chaka is going to go all out and give this her all. It will be rewarded as she ends up sticking around through 5 other eliminations. I think she will have a nice niche of votes all to herself and will work hard to improve as best as she can.
Now it gets really tough.. I really feel like 13th-8th are the dancers who are basically fodder and the real competition gets going once they are all gone. The possible elimination order of the rest is tricky.
7th- Hayes & Emma
I know some folks think he will go out even earlier than this but I do think he is going to be able to last quite a while. He is young, will more than likely get a “most improved” arc and he does have quite the following. Sure, his fans are not the typical DWTS audience but I didn’t think James Maslow or Riker Lynch had the type of following that would translate to this show either.
6th- Tamar & Val
Val isn’t going to win a second trophy with Tamar. She just screams drama and I don’t see her being able to bring it the way Rumer did. Plus, I doubt very much the powers that be are going to go out of their way to push a Val win like they did last season. She will more than likely be decent and Val has a nice enough following to carry them to sixth.
5th- Andy & Allison
I see Andy’s biggest competition being Nick and Carlos. Both come from the same world and I think both will be stellar in the ballroom. Andy will probably be the weakest of the three and while Allison will bring out some great routines for him, I think a 5th place exit is a fair prediction.
4th- Carlos & Witney
I was so torn here between Carlos and his wife Alexa. Witney is a fabulous choreographer and Carlos is more than likely going to really excel at Latin dances. But I think Mark and Alexa are going to be the true underdogs of the season in terms of anyone being able to beat Bindi and/or Nick.
3rd- Bindi & Derek
*Shocker* of the season? Yeah, I know. 3rd is not really a shocker but for Derek, it kind of is. Bindi will do well throughout, though I can already see the judges harping on her all season for not being mature or sexy or confident enough in some dances. But Derek will pull out all the stops to give her some great routines.
2nd- Alexa & Mark
An underdog sometimes wins because everyone sure does love an underdog story. But even with some fantastic dancing, the votes from Carlos’ fans once he is eliminated, and a great partner in Mark (as long as he doesn’t return to the mugging Mark from season’s past) won’t be enough to defeat the obvious champion of season 21…
1st- Nick & Sharna
Yep, I am calling it now. Nick is the winner. Even though I see the show being really competitive between the final five, I can’t see anyone but Nick walking away with the trophy. It will be Sharna’s first win (she gained so many fans from last season when she was paired with Noah) and you could just tell even now that Nick is going to excel at just about everything he is asked to do. I would truly be surprised if he didn’t win this season.
So, that’s my thoughts before they even dance for the first time. What do you guys think? Is my order crazy? Right on? If you had to come up with a power list and possible boot order at this stage, what would it be? Take the following two polls if you want and sound off in the comments. And remember, join me right here at MJ’s on Monday night as we begin season 21 of Dancing with the Stars. Thanks so much for reading.
