Mischa Barton & Artem Chigvintsev
Potential Assets: Mischa is 30 years old and is best known for playing Marissa Cooper on the teen drama The O.C. back in the 2000's. (Fun fact: Mischa's partner, Artem, once made a guest experience on the show, and tried to seduce her character's mother!) Mischa has also acted in various other projects both on screen and stage, and I think having experience performing live in front of an audience might help her be better prepared for dancing live in front of a crowd on this show. Mischa's only known dance experience is taking some ballet classes as a child, but being relatively young and fit should be an asset to her. As for Artem, I think has proven himself as a good dance partner and teacher, both on Dancing With the Stars and Strictly Come Dancing (the latter of which he won a season of).
Potential Weaknesses: This cast has a log of BIG personalities; people who will likely grab the audience's attention very quickly. In contrast, Mischa and Artem seem quiet and reserved in comparison. I know Mischa has had a rough few years (including DUI charges and psychiatric confinement) but with few, if any, exceptions, in order to be successful on Dancing With the Stars, contestants must not be too afraid to be vulnerable, and right now, Mischa seems very shy and.or guarded. Usually there is a bit of leeway for this if you are a good dancer, but in this season I predict eliminations are going to get tough very fast and people will have to get the audience on their side right from the get go if they want to last more than a couple weeks. So it looks like Artem is going to have to Mischa come out of her shell a bit if they want to stick around.
My Thoughts: Right now I'm thinking that this couple will be an early out. They're just sort of forgettable to me in comparison to the majority of the Season 22 lineup. In order to avoid this, they'll either have to look be so good with the dances that everyone else looks terrible in comparison (and with the amount of potential we have this season I just don't see that happening) or Mischa is going to have to open up to the viewers a bit more and show some confidence both in the packages and on the floor.
And as a side note, I believe Mischa & Artem are the only couple this season in which both parties are currently single...anyone else think we might end up having a "showmance" here?
Antonio Brown & Sharna Burgess
Potential Assets: Antonio is a 27-year old NFL wide-receiver. He plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers, a very popular team which has previously produced one Mirrorball Trophy winner: Hines Ward, who won Season 12 of Dancing With the Stars with partner Kym Johnson. This couple will undoubtedly have "Steeler Nation"-aka one of the biggest and most diehard fanbases of any NFL team-backing them, so they will probably get a lot of votes. Antonio's partner is Sharna Burgess, and they seem to get along quite well. Sharna being on this team could also prove to rack up a lot of votes for them since she is the show's current longest-running pro in consecutive recent seasons who has yet to win a season and a lot of viewers seem to be anxiously awaiting her first time as a MBT champion. I'm not sure whether or not Antonio has a big dance background beyond his little victory dances on the football field, but he seems VERY enthusiastic about being on DWTS, and we've seen that attitude take people a long way on this show regardless of their dance ability.
Potential Weaknesses: There are a grand total of THREE people from the NFL competing in this season, which is unprecedented on Dancing With the Stars. I don't think this will be an issue of splitting votes, since these men have not been on the same football team so it's not like they are suddenly being put against each other after working together for so long like some previous contestants have experienced (a prime example being Olympic ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White in Season 18 of the show). But while each of them have very separate fanbases, they all have very PASSIONATE fanbases, so if one of the others turns out to have an even stronger backing than Antonio is expected to, he and Sharna could find themselves in trouble. Another challenge it seems like these two might have to face is frequent travel. I'm not entirely sure where their main rehearsal spot will be, but I know they have spent some time in Pittsburgh lately. If this turns out to be a regular thing, they'll have to deal with travel time potentially eating up some of their precious rehearsal hours, as well as the potential jet lag from crossing several timezones. Apart from all that, at this point these two just aren't standing out to me all that much. I could be alone on this, but based on what we've seen of Antonio in the context of DWTS, I don't feel like I really know anything about him yet. This could very well change once the season begins, but for now this couple hasn't really grabbed my attention like some of the others have.
My Thoughts: A lot of people seem to be behind this couple already, possibly including the Dancing With the Stars producers. Last season they paired Sharna with Nick Carter, a contestant who had a lot of potential as a dancer as well as one of the biggest and most hardcore fanbases out of all the celebrities in that group, and now she's with Antonio, who likely has similar assets. I'm expecting this couple to do very well in the competition, and would not be surprised to see them as finalists or even winners at the end of it all. In order to get there, they will have to train very hard to ensure they deliver top-notch dances for us on Mondays and find a way to stand out from the rest of the cast.
Nyle DiMarco & Peta Murgatroyd
Potential Assets: Nyle is a model and actor, and is best known for winning Cycle 22 of the competitive reality show America's Next Top Model last year, as well as appearing in a recurring role on the show Switched at Birth S. He is also the first contestant in Dancing With the Stars history to be completely deaf. (Fun fact: Back in 2008, actress Maralee Matlin, who was almost completely deaf, competed on the show and came in 7th place. And another fun fact: Former DWTS troupe member and So You Think You Can Dance contestant Brittany Cherry is completely deaf in one ear.) Being deaf will definitely cause this team a lot of challenges on the show, but as we've seen several times in the recent history of the show, if Nyle & Peta manage to thrive in the face of adversity-and based on Peta's ability to adapt well to her partners it seems like there's a good chance they will-it could get them a lot of votes and take them far in the competition. Nyle seems to have a warm and loveable personality and a very positive attitude which will probably also help them in this department, as well as seemingly being the designated "eye candy" out of the male contestants this season. It's probably also worth noting that since Peta got engaged at the end of last year, she has gotten noticeably more media coverage in recent months than she did previously, and the increase of "buzz" surrounding her could also be an asset to this couple in getting people to pay attention to (and potentially vote for) them.
Potential Weaknesses: As previously stated, having a contestant who is completely deaf is uncharted territory for Dancing With the Stars, so it will be up to Nyle & Peta to create a whole new system of learning and performing the dances in order to overcome the challenges that come with this situation, and they will have had only a few short weeks to do so before the season premiere. Also, Nyle is kind of new on the scene, and as such he has not had as much time to gain a following as most of the other contestants this season. As proven before, a large amount of pre-existing support is not always required to go far on Dancing With the Stars, but the lineup for this season in particular has so many people with fanbases that fit right into the core demographic of the show that it might be an uphill battle of sorts for those who don't necessarily have that to gain enough support to stick around for awhile.
My Thoughts: Nyle seems like a very sweet and likeable person, so if he and Peta manage to come up with a way for him to perform at least decently, they'll probably last a decent amount of time. I'd say at worst they'll be a middle-of-the-pack elimination and at best they'll be finalists. With all the big and passionate fanbases being thrown into the mix this season I don't see them winning, but if they manage to stand out and win over the hearts of enough of the audience they could prove me wrong.
Kim Fields & Sasha Farber
Potential Assets: Kim is 46 years old and has appeared on several different television programs, most notably as a regular on the sitcoms The Facts of Life and Living Single and as a cast member on the most recent season of the reality show The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Being known for several different projects should help Kim be recognizable to a good amount of viewers. Kim seems quite fit and energetic for her age which will probably help her with dance ability and stamina. I don't know anything about Kim's dance background or abilities, but she has also had dancers in her family, so it could be possibly that some things like coordination and natural dance talent could run in her family. I also think it might be worth mentioning that out of all the contestants on this season, Kim seems to be the most openly religious. I believe she is a Christian, which is something she seems to have in common with a lot of the core demographic of DWTS. As we've seen on this show several times before, particularly in recent seasons, contestants who make it a priority to share their faith with the viewers tend to get a lot of votes, so if this is something Kim chooses to discuss on the show she could wind up with a whole crop of additional voters behind her. Kim is partnered with Sasha Farber, who is making his return as a pro this season for the first time in awhile, and seems to have a lot of support in this from people associated with the show (former pro Derek Hough recently mentioned his desire to see this happen during an appearance on a talk show, and Season 21 contestant Hayes Grier got a twitter hashtag on the subject trending a couple of months ago). Kim & Sasha seem to have a great relationship so far. In fact, I'm already inclined to label them as one of the most well-matched pairs of Season 22 of Dancing With the Stars, and, as we have seen in the past, having an endearing partnership can take a couple far on this show.
Potential Weaknesses: Kim's family resides in Atlanta, Georgia, so this will be one of several teams that will be travelling back and forth from LA to another part of the country and back again every week they manage to stay in the competition. Time spent travelling can eat up a lot of time that could be spent on rehearsing if the travel was not happening, and crossing time zones can lead to things like jet lag, which can also result in precious rehearsal time being lost. Kim is one of the older contestants on this season of Dancing With the Stars, and while I did mention that she seems pretty fit for her age, she might be at a slight disadvantage in this regard when compared to most of her celebrity competition due to being a bit on the older side. Another thing that is kind of a question mark right now in regards to Kim is her fanbase. There will definitely be fans of her various projects watching the show (and possibly voting for Kim) but the thing is she is one of several "nostalgic figures" (aka people who were best known for a project that peaked in popularity in a previous decade, in Kim's case being prominently featured on sitcoms than ran during the 1980's and 1990's) competing on this season, and unlike the football players who have their own separate fan followings for the most part due to being on different teams, the nostalgic celebrities are much more likely to have a lot of fanbase overlap and their fans are therefore more likely to either spilt their votes between them or choose one to throw all of their support behind, leaving others out in the cold. In terms of the pro on this team, Sasha has been on DWTS for quite awhile now, but his only experience as a pro thus far was during Season 17 when he was partnered with Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, and Season 20 when he acted as a temporary partner and teaching assistant for Nastia Liukin while her original partner, Derek Hough, was injured. So while I know some fans have been waiting for his grand return as a pro for quite some time now, I don't think he has been prominent enough in the eyes of the general audience to build up a fanbase that can tough the likes of certain other pros.
My Thoughts: Based on what I know about Kim & Sasha as well as this season of Dancing With the Stars in general, I'm guessing this couple will last a few weeks, maybe to about the halfway point or so, and then be eliminated. If Kim turns out to be a good dancer and she and/or Sasha has a more passionate fanbase than I am expecting either of them to then they could possibly make it a little further than that.
Doug Flutie & Karina Smirnoff
Potential Assets: Doug is 53 years old and is a retired NFL quarterback who was part of seeveral different teams in the league throughout his career, including the Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, and San Diego Chargers. Despite not currently playing on any of these teams, I've been told he was a popular player and so he could get some support and votes from fans who remember him from when he played. Doug is also an advocate for autism awareness, having a son with the condition. His professional partner is Karina Smirnoff, who he seems to get along well with and if they're compelling enough as a pair, it could garner them a decent number of votes.
Potential Weaknesses: While Doug's fanbase may be widespread amongst various NFL, USFL, and CFL teams, it also might not be as "hardcore" as those of either of the other NFL stars on this season, since they are both currently playing for the league and Doug has retired. He is also the second-oldest celebrity in the Season 22 cast, and as a result may not have as much physical aptitude as some of the younger contestants. However, the main thing that makes me worry for these two is the fact that they are the only pair that I didn't really get an impression from during the Dancing With the Stars cast announcement on Good Morning America. I could be alone in that regard, but I haven't seen a lot of people talking about these two like they have been when it comes to other couples this season.
My Thoughts: I really don't have a clear sense of what Doug & Karina's partnership will be like right now. Unless they manage to make a great impression and stand out in some way when the season begins, I predict they will be one of the first couples eliminated.
Marla Maples & Tony Dovolani
Potential Assets: Marla is a 52-year-old actress, philanthropist, and radio personality, but she is probably best known as the second ex-wife of businessman and current US presidential candidate Donald Trump. Marla seems very fit, especially for someone of her age. She has also appeared on Broadway, which could be an advantage in terms of comfort level when performing in front of a live audience. Marla & Tony have been friends for years and he has apparently been trying to convince her to do Dancing With the Stars for quite awhile now. I think their longtime friendship will help their chemistry on the dance floor, and will also make for a fun, relaxed vibe for their partnership. I think this season is probably a good time for Marla to finally compete on the show, since Trump is one of the most-talked about people in the media right now, this could aid Marla in getting buzz surrounding her, which could translate into more supporters and votes for this couple.
Potential Weaknesses: Marla is the oldest female celebrity on this season of Dancing With the Stars, and the third-oldest overall, so there's a chance that she might not have the same level of stamina/flexibility as some of the others. I also think the fact that she is mainly associated with someone heavily involved in politics could be a detriment. I think a lot of the anti-Trump people will be rooting against her from the get-go, since even though they are divorced they will likely dislike her previous association with him (which is potentially still current as they seem fine with each other and Donald has said he is cool with her being on DWTS). Pro-Trump people who know the two of them are fine with each other might support her, but Marla being his ex-wife might create a negative view of her in the minds of some of his supporters. Marla & Tony are also another couple who will be travelling across the country and back every week (in their case between Los Angeles and New York City). This could cause some stress and aforementioned issues like having less rehearsal time than LA-based pairs and potential jet lag. There's also the issue of Marla seemingly having next to no fanbase compared to several others this season, so she might get lost in the shuffle a bit unless she turns out to be an amazing dancer.
My Thoughts: While I feel like these two are a good match and might be enjoyable to watch, I have a feeling they're not going to last too long in the competition unless Marla has really good moves. They might not be the first couple eliminated but my guess is they'll be an early out or at best make it to somewhere around the halfway point of the season.
Von Miller & Witney Carson
Potential Assets: Von is a 26-year-old NFL outside linebacker, who just won Super Bowl 50 back in February as part of the Denver Broncos. He was subsequently named MVP of the game, which has put him in the spotlight recently. Because of this, it seems likely that he will be the most familiar face out of our three NFL stars to viewers who are not football fans. He also seems to have the most wild and outgoing personality of the three (including a unique fascination with chickens) which I'm sure will help him stand out amongst the cast. Von also seems to be a natural mover. If he manages to get Broncos fans to vote as well as a decent amount of the other viewers on his side, he could very well win the Mirrorball trophy. Von is going to be dancing with Witney Carson, who seems to have garnered quite the following of her own during her time so far on Dancing With the Stars as well as when she was a contestant on Season 9 of the FOX series So You Think You Can Dance, so that should also help them get even more votes this season.
Potential Weaknesses: While I have no doubt Von & Witney will have a lot of Broncos fans behind them all the way, I have no idea how the rest of the viewers will react to Von's wacky personality. I was thinking a lot of them might like it, but then I remembered what happened with Redfoo when he was a contestant on Dancing With the Stars back in Season 20 last spring. I highly doubt that Von will be the first one eliminated like Redfoo was, but if people find him more annoying than endearing he could be-much like Redfoo-out earlier than some people are expecting. I'm also getting the feeling that Von & Witney might be kind of an awkward match, especially compared to a lot of the other partnership of Season 22. Witney doesn't really seem to know how to react to Von, which could be a problem when she has to teach him and keep him in control on the show.
My Thoughts: I think Von & Witney could go all the way on Dancing With the Stars, but in order for that to happen Witney will need to figure out how to play off his personality to make their team dynamic fun for the audience to watch and harness his energy so he can be a top-notch performer on the dance floor. If she doesn't manage to do these things well enough, I can definitely see them being eliminated in the middle of the season.
Wanya Morris & Lindsay Arnold
Potential Assets: Wanya is 42 years old and is a member of the R&B group Boyz II Men, which experienced its peak in popularity back in the 1990's. While the group was never as "big" as the likes of *NSYNC or the Backstreet Boys, they did have a fairly large fanbase of their own, and recently slipped back onto the scene when all three members collectively played the role of "Teen Angel" on FOX's Grease: Live! back in January. It seems that Wanya has always been the most popular member of the group and probably will have at least part of the "nostalgic vote" this season. I think there is also a good chance that he will gain some new fans from the Dancing With the Stars crowd, since I have already gotten the impression that he is a positive and upbeat person who is very enthusiastic about this experience. I'm not sure how well Wanya can dance yet, but he seems like he'll be willing to put in the work in order to do well which should help him in that regard. Wanya is paired with Lindsay Arnold, who has previously held a pro slot on two seasons of DWTS, was a member of the troupe for four others, and competed on Season 9 of So You Think You Can Dance. The biggest thing this two seem to have going for themselves so far is that they both have a lot of charisma. While watching the Season 22 cast reveal on Good Morning America, Wanya & Lindsay stood out to me right away because while most other teams seemed timid and apprehensive at first, this couple was animated from the get-go and I was able to get excited about them immediately. If they continue like this on DWTS itself, I'm sure they will get a good chunk of the show's viewership on their side very quickly.
Potential Weaknesses: One challenge it seems this team may be facing this season is frequent travel. I believe Wanya resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which is on the other side of the country from the Dancing With the Stars studio in Los Angeles, California. If this is the case, they might be looking at some reduced rehearsal time and/or jet lag. It's also worth noting that Wanya is another one of those "nostalgic figures" that I mentioned earlier who will be competing on the show this season, which could lead to things like vote splitting and/or some tough choices for fans. In addition to all of this, as I said before, I'm not sure how strong Wanya's dance abilities will be yet, and if his are not up to par with some of the other contestants it might spell trouble for this team.
My Thoughts: It's kind of hard to predict how Wanya and Lindsay will do right now. I'm guessing they'll last to around the midway point at worst due to their charisma and energy and the Boyz II Men fanbase backing them with votes, but a lot will hinge on how well Wanya does with his dances. As of right now I don't see them winning, but they could get far if Wanya turns out to be a good dancer. And if it turns out he's not the best dancer but is a great entertainer (much like the likes of Kirstie Alley, Bill Engvall, and Tommy Chong) I think he'll be the most likely to become this season's "audience's darling" this season, meaning a person who doesn't usually have particularly high scores but is a hit with the crowd due to being a fun presence on the show and delivering and entertaining performances, even if they are not great on a technical level.
Geraldo Rivera & Edyta Sliwinska
Potential Assets: Geraldo is a 72-year-old reporter and television personality who is best known for his work on FOX News. He likely has some fans in a good number of people who are part of the general demographic of Dancing With the Stars, and seems to be a charismatic and fun presence. Geraldo is paired with Edyta Sliwinska, who competed as a pro on the first 10 seasons of DWTS and is now returning for Season 22 after an 11-season absence, so viewers who have missed seeing her on the show may be inclined to vote for her so she can stick around for awhile. So far, Geraldo & Edyta seem to enjoy being a team, which is an asset for sure because a good dynamic between partners tends to be a key factor in a couple's success on DWTS.
Potential Weaknesses: At 72, Geraldo is the oldest celebrity contestant in the cast this season by almost two full decades, and is likely to have some limitations in movement compared to younger cast members. While I do think his fanbase going into this competition is bigger than those of at least a few of the other celebrities this season, I'm not sure how many people who are not already fans of him he will be able to get support in the form of votes from if his moves are not up to par with those of the other contestants. In addition to this, I'm not really sure how big of a following Edyta has. She hasn't been on the show for awhile, so I think some people will be happy to see her back but others may not remember her or might not have seen her at all if they did not begin watching Dancing With the Stars until sometime after Season 10.
My Thoughts: It seems like this team is at a very big disadvantage, because compared to the other contestants, Geraldo is quite old and might have some trouble precisely hitting the dance moves he will have to do as part of his routines on the show. So unless Geraldo & Edyta manage to make the audience fall in love with their personalities and team dynamic, I think that they will be eliminated very early on in the season.
Jodie Sweetin & Keo Motsepe
Potential Assets: Jodie is 34 years old and is best known for playing Stephanie Tanner on the long-running ABC sitcom Full House and its Netflix-produced sequel series Fuller House. She seems very fit and has previous dance experience, having taken classes when she was a child. She has also stated that she is a fan of Dancing With the Stars and has openly wanted to go on the show for a long time now. (She even wanted to begin rehearsing on the day of her first meeting with her partner, which is apparently an uncommon thing for DWTS couples to do.) Jodie is another "nostalgic figure" competing on DWTS this season, but she may have some advantages over the other people who fall into this category. For one thing, she has been all over the media lately along with the rest of the Full House cast due to the recent release of the first season of Fuller House on Netflix. Also, even before Jodie joined the cast of Season 22 there have already been a few connections between the two sitcoms and DWTS. Jodie's co-star Candace Cameron Bure competed on the 18th season of the show, and finished in third place despite having lower average and cumulative scores than several other contestants that season, including fellow nostalgic figure Danica McKellar, who appeared on the show The Wonder Years, who she managed to surpass in votes and finish three spots above in the end. While that season was two years ago, Full House has likely back in the minds of many Dancing fans lately with the advent of some guest appearances of a few familiar faces in an episode of Fuller House. Former pros Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Tyne Stecklein and current pro Valentin Chmerkovskiy all appeared on the show in an episode that featured a scene in which both Candace and Jodie got to bust some moves on the dance floor. Jodie's dance partner is Keo Motsepe, who will be a pro on DWTS for the fourth time this season. He has been notorious for being eliminated very early, but this could be an extra motivator to do well this season, especially with a partner who has as much potential as Jodie does.
Potential Weaknesses: Jodie is enthusiastic, committed, currently relevant in the media, and know her way around the dance floor. She is basically the ideal contestant for Dancing With the Stars, so most of my concerns lie with Keo. As I previously said, Keo's best finish on the show up until this point has been 11th (out of 12) place. He really doesn't seem to have much of a fanbase right now, and it has been frequently pointed out by viewers that all three of his partners thus far have forgotten their choreography on the first night. And while I doubt something that drastic will happen with Jodie, I do have to question Keo's skills as a teacher until I see more from him to prove otherwise. Other more minor concerns include Jodie possibly losing some of the "nostalgic vote" to other contestants, and she and Keo possibly being overconfident and a little too focused on winning the Mirrorball trophy. I won't get too concerned about the latter possibility until the season actually premieres, but they did sort of come across that way during the cast reveal on Good Morning America. If Jodie & Keo get too wrapped up in the possibility of winning to focus on enjoying the journey, they could wind up not connecting with enough of the viewers to stick around as long as they'd like to.
My Thoughts: On paper, Jodie should probably be expected to wind up as a finalist. However, between the amount of contestants this season that will be going into the competition with large previously-existing fanbases and the fact that I'm still not sure about how well Keo will do as a pro makes me worry a little bit for this couple. I'm sure they'll make it decently far (especially if they make a good impression the first week) but I feel like there's a chance they could be a shock elimination at some point. In order to get far in the game and maybe even win, Jodie & Keo will have to work hard throughout the journey and make it clear to the audience that they are not "cocky" and that they are enjoying their experience together as a team on the show.
Paige VanZant & Mark Ballas
Potential Assets: Paige is a 21-year old strawweight competitor in the UFC. She is the youngest celebrity in the Dancing With the Stars Season 22 cast, and has what seems like a lot of dance experience. (I think she studies ballet and possibly jazz and/or other styles of dance.) Paige could turn out to be able to connect with some of the viewers quite well since she has the whole "girl power" thing going for her. She has Mark Ballas as a partner, who just so happens to be a huge fan of the UFC and is clearly thrilled to be dancing with her. In fact, I believe they have interacted on social media in the past and very well could have known each other and possibly been friends before Paige joined the show. Speaking of Mark, he seems to share a lot of fans with best friend and fellow professional dancer Derek Hough, who is not competing on DWTS this season. I don't know exactly how much pull fans who tend to vote for the same pro(s) every season can potentially have, but if the fan crossover between the two is big enough, it could possibly result in Mark getting a lot more support than he has in the past (and I believe he might have been a fairly popular pro anyway). I think this couple is a very good match and their obvious enthusiasm will probably make them fun to watch.
Potential Weaknesses: While Paige certainly has a sizeable fanbase from the UFC crowd, I'm not sure how many of them are also part of the general audience for Dancing With the Stars, and I don't know if the ones who don't will be interested in consistently watching and voting for her on the show. I'm sure some will, but I'm not sure if her previously-existing fanbase alone can compete with those of the football players or nostalgic figures. To add to that, my impression of her on Good Morning America was that she is a very competitive person and really wants to win the season. Being motivated and having the drive to work as hard as possible are qualities that are key for a contestant's success on this show, but what is also important is to enjoy the journey. Contestants that are very focused on winning and forget to try to connect with the audience and have fun don't tend to get the Mirrorball in the end.
My Thoughts: Paige & Mark will probably kill their dances but whether or not they kill it in votes is still kind of up in the air. I'm sure they'll at least make it to the midway point of the competition and I can see them maybe even going all the way to the trophy but if they don't get the audience on their side they could easily be a "shocking" elimination (which are starting to seem kind of common for Mark and his partners).
Ginger Zee & Val Chmerkovskiy
Potential Assets: Ginger is 35 years old and a meteorologist on the show Good Morning America. Being on TV five days a week not even including Dancing With the Stars should be an asset to her, since she'll get a lot of exposure. It's also worth noting that GMA and DWTS have close ties with one other, as the former is home to things like cast announcements and exit interviews for the latter, so we can probably expect frequent updates on Ginger's Dancing journey on GMA. Having Val as a partner should also help her out, since out of the current pros he has one of the biggest fanbases and seems to be a very good teacher, plus with his summer tour coming up he has had an increase in media coverage lately. So far Ginger & Val seem to be getting along well and like they are having fun, which will probably make them enjoyable for the viewers to watch. As for Ginger's dance background, she was a cheerleader in high school and on a dance team in college, so while she supposedly hasn't been involved with organized dance for awhile, she has some experience with it, and she is still young enough that I don't think we'll have to worry about her body giving out on her. I think Ginger's biggest asset of all will be her ability to connect with the audience. Having just had her first child a few months ago, playing up the "working mom" angle will probably help quite a bit of the audience connect with her, as well as her positive attitude and warm personality. As we've seen with previous winners like Kellie Pickler and Bindi Irwin-neither of whom had as much previous dance experience as Ginger-that connection is KEY in getting votes from the viewers, and Ginger certainly seems like the type of person who will focus on enjoying the journey rather than constantly worrying about scores and potentially winning.
Potential Weaknesses: Dancing With the Stars shoots in Los Angeles, while Good Morning America is filmed in New York City. So yes, Ginger is yet ANOTHER contestant who will be travelling frequently, and in addition to this faces several unique challenges even the other travelling contestants will not, most of which relate to the fact that she just had a baby and has to balance being a new mom with everything else. To be honest I'm not sure why she decided now was a good time to agree to commit to DWTS, Ginger also has narcolepsy, basically meaning she is often tired and can get run-down more easily than most people. Not sure how much that will affect her rehearsals but between that and the frequent changing on time zones via flying back and forth across the country, Ginger might experience a bit more fatigue during her time on the show than some other contestants. The biggest question mark with Ginger is her fanbase. While she does appear on television regularly, I'm not sure how "hardcore" her fans are, or whether or not a lot of people who watch GMA will be inclined to tune into DWTS just to see her on it, let alone vote for her. If this were last season I don't think this would be as big a roadblock since most of the people with fanbases tended to skew to a younger crowd, and it was really about being able to connect with the core audience of DWTS. But this season there are a lot contestants who have big followings, many of which align with the main demographic of the show.
My Thoughts: I think that in a season full of people with big fanbases like this one, Ginger may be at a slight disadvantage in that regard but is likely to be a contestant who will wind up with a lot of the "undecided" vote (aka the people who watch the show regularly but won't have a favorite going into the season). If she takes care of herself and manages to not let the pressure get to her too much, she could go very far in the competition. My prediction is that Ginger & Val will either be a middle-of-the-pack elimination or will make it far-possibly the finals-but not win. I guess based on what people are saying they COULD win but I'm just not seeing it happening right now.
So there are my pre-game thoughts on every couple of Dancing With the Stars Season 22! Tell me who your favorites are and who you think will make it to the end below! And of course I'll be back here soon so see you then!
No comments:
Post a Comment