Dancing With the Stars, our favorite ballroom competition show is back for another season of loveable personalities and mediocre dance performances. The show pairs celebrities, or “Stars,” with professional dancers for weekly performances and eliminations. These performances feature a variety of dance genres and theatrical concepts, like the cha-cha, foxtrot, tango, and salsa.
Season 33 features much-anticipated personalities, notably from the 2024 Summer Olympics, and reality shows or dramas. Olympians and social media personalities Stephen Nedoroscik and Ilona Maher were the headliners and my personal favorites. Jenn Tran, the most recent Bachelorette, received attention for joining the show shortly after breaking up with her fiance, Devin Strader. Con artist Anna Delevey drew harsh criticisms after showing off her ankle monitor to interviewers.
Ultimately, when the show premiered the stars showed that their dancing skills were what mattered. Many duos had standout performances while others had average or lackluster ones. Based on technicality, energy, and improvement in the season so far, here are my predictions for the winners of Season 33.
Star Chandler Kinney and her trainer, Brayden Armstrong, are my current favorites for the win this season. Chandler is an actress and singer known for her roles in the Disney movies “Z-O-M-B-I-E-S-” as well as the Pretty Little Liars spin-off, “Original Sin”. Chandler is the only star in the show who has a classical dance background and she’s clearly a step above her competition. She has consistently outperformed her competition in terms of energy and technicality with high scores across all episodes. Her cha cha from week 3 received high praise, with a score of all 9’s and a judge comparing her to season 16 runner-up, Zendaya.
Star Stephen Nedoroscik and his partner Rylee Arnold are my prediction for the runner-up. Stephen was the favorite meme from the 2024 Paris Olympics, a seemingly nerdy gymnast, with a Clark Kent type transformation during his routines on the Pommel Horse. Rylee Arnold is a fan-favorite trainer who has been paired with sub-par partners in the past. Now that she’s finally with someone who can move, it’s clear that they’re bringing the energy to the show. Out of all the duos listed so far, Stephen and Riley are the only ones with stellar concepts for their performances, an important component of the show. In the second week, their concept involved a Superman transformation, a play on Stephen’s memes. Even so, Stephen has been a bit disappointing for me in terms of dance ability. I expect him to improve in terms of movement and footwork over time.
Star Joey Graziadei and partner Jenna Johnson are my third-place predictions because of their potential. Joey is our favorite Bachelor who brings his southern background into the choreography. He has great chemistry with his partner Jenna, with a high-energy performance in week one, followed by a beautiful lyrical rumba to “Shallow” in week 2. Jenna is a beautiful dancer and a talented coach who has brought many dancers to the semifinals and above. She’s demonstrated her capabilities with Joey, who has already had big improvements in his musicality and movements, earning him the first 9’s of the season during week 3.
With 8 weeks left in the competition, anything could happen to the competitors. However, some duos have given us nothing but mediocre performances, earning themselves a spot in my predictions for eliminations.
Star Ilona Maher and her partner Alan Bersten are my prediction for the next elimination. Ilona is a wildcard because she is admired by many for her message. Ilona is an Olympic rugby player who advocates for women to be both athletic and feminine. She has had some improvement, with her performance from week 3 being the most confident and strongest so far. However, her lack of fluidity and rhythm is why she won’t stand a chance against some of the more technical dancers, as emphasized by her week 4 performance, which was full of mistakes. Surprisingly, for a celebrity with as much personality as Ilona, her performances don’t have the energy nor the fun concepts of some of her competitors.
Following Ilona, I believe Star Danny Amendola and Witney Carson will be eliminated. Danny is a football player who won two Super Bowls with the New York Patriots. Danny is an honest performer and a solid dancer. Although Danny has some nice movements and acrobatics, he still lacks finesse. He’s had consistent improvement over the weeks but has failed to have any top-ranking performances. His week 4 performance had some timing issues, causing it to look unrefined overall. He’s also one of the most boring contestants personality-wise, in contrast to other weak dancers like Ilona or model Brooks Nader. Not being memorable will be a big disadvantage for him when it comes to fan voting.
No matter who ends up winning or being eliminated, this season of Dancing With the Stars is off to a good start. The production, costumes, hosts, and judges are all great as always, promising us an exciting show. This season will be a must-watch for all DWTS fans and fans of the Stars alike.
