It’s time for my annual “Dancing with the Stars” predictions and picks. Who will win the big trophy this season on the ABC reality television dance drama series?
First, before I make my annual predictions and picks, let’s talk about the 2011 “Dancing with the Stars” cast.
The show will feature Carson Kressley, Chaz Bono, Chynna Phillips, David Arquette, Elisabetta Canalis, Hope Solo, J.R. Martinez, Kristin Cavallari, Nancy Grace, Ricki Lake, Rob Kardashian and Ron Artest.
Who can I eliminate early from being the favorite? I don’t think Chaz Bono, David Arquette, Nancy Grace, Ricki Lake or Ron Artest have the makings of being the favorite of this cast of dancers. That leaves Kressley, Phillips, Canalis, Solo, Cavallari, Martinez and Kardashian as possible champs this season. You absolutely never know which participants will grow by leaps and bounds during the season. So it’s fairly unpredictable considering the resumes we are familiar with concerning each individual(which doesn’t include dancing).
So who could make the biggest splash? I think the sentimental favorites going in will be Solo and Martinez. For different reasons, I believe fans would be in favor of either of these contestants going the distance. But without seeing any of these cast members dance, I think it could come down to Canalis, Solo or Phillips. But I’d love to see Martinez walk away with the trophy this season. In fact, if this weren’t a predictions and picks piece I would certainly put Martinez and Solo are my two greatest stories to claim the title this season.
I think Canalis has a wonderful partner in theory in Val Chmerkovskiy. He is an accomplished latin dancer and there seems to be potential for the two to have great chemistry on the dance floor together. Solo, meanwhile gets Maksim Chmerkovskiy in another nice draw for the Team USA soccer standout. Phillips will dance alongside Tony Dovolani who has an impressive “Dancing With the Stars” resume. You may remember Tony dancing with reality star Melissa Rycroft, Kathy Ireland and Kate Gosselin to name a few.
Martinez, the “real-life’ soap star, will dance with Karina Smirnoff. I think Martinez could set the world on fire early if he shines with Smirnoff as I expect him to.
Is there a darkhorse or two for the competition? I think Rob Kardashian will be an interesting underdog. Kardashian will be dancing with Cheryl Burke this season and could move forward early thanks to some of the other big names being put on the block. I can’t imagine Ricki Lake or Nancy Grace will be among the top vote getters considering their often controversial background in the media/talk show circuits. A guy like Kardashian could go pretty far considering the popularity of the whole Kardashian gang.
I don’t think basketball star Ron Artest, who is extremely tall, will offer up the smoothness of some of the pro football players we’ve witnessed on DWTS-but you never really know until we see him dance, do you? Carson Kressley could be an interesting watch this season. His athletic background in American Saddlebred Horses could illustrate that he is quite capable of being graceful on the dance floor. Arquette might also be an interesting option for those seeking a guy striving to improve each week. The movie star will no doubt be one of the more popular figures on the show this season.
When it comes down to it, my predictions and picks have Canalis as the front runner from the early going on the show this season. Solo and Phillips will be close behind. I believe Martinez will also be in the mix for the trophy this season. If there is an underdog to win it, I believe a Kardashian, Cavallari or Kressley could rise to the top. I would be completely surprised if any folks outside of this top seven are competing for the title at season’s end.
But as usual with DWTS and a new cast, we never truly know until we see each individual step upon the magical dance floor.