This season’s Dancing with the Stars cast has dancers and celebrities coming from a wide variety of backgrounds. From Olympic athletes to television stars to entrepreneurs, this season will be sure to keep the viewers on their toes. Based on the season premiere on Sept. 17, 2024, here are my predictions for the rest of the season.
Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson
Joey Graziedei’s scores from the first night really showed the potential he has this season. Graziedei mentioned in his introductory scene that he used to teach tennis before starring on the hit show The Bachelor. This background, in my opinion, has helped Graziedei with his footwork and overall lightness on the dance floor. This will definitely give him a lot of potential this season. Graziedei’s popularity will also take him far in regard to the fan votes. I think he has a lot of potential and will make it to the top 5.
Danny Amendola and Witney Carson
Danny Amendola’s background in playing in the NFL has helped him with his footwork on the dance floor. He was smooth with his partner, Witney Carson, and had a lot of potential. However, his downfall was definitely his demeanor. I could tell he was a little stiff and unconfident. With work on his confidence and facial expressions during the dance, combined with his popularity among the voters at home, I predict he will go far. However, I think he will be just shy of the top 5.
Dwight Howard and Daniella Karagach
Dwight Howard opened this season with an incredible dance. His background playing in the NBA has definitely helped him with his footwork on the dance floor. He was extremely confident in his dancing and has an amazing personality that will surely take him far in the show. I think he has a lot of potential and will likely make it to the top 5.
Anna Delvey and Ezra Sosa
Anna Delvey started off pretty strong but definitely has a lot she needs to work on if she wants to make it far this season. She had good footwork during her opening dance but the moves did not flow very well together. She is a little stiff and needs to work on her agility. She also did not seem very confident and needs to work on her personality in the dances. She did not have very strong facial expressions either. I do not think she will make it very far because of her reputation, even if she does work on the things stated earlier.
Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong
Chandler Kinney had a very good opening dance. She has a lot of personality and confidence which I think comes from her strong acting career. I also really liked the song choice for the opening dance, Chappell Roan’s “HOT TO GO!” I also think Brandon Armstrong is a good coach, having taken Jordan Sparks, his partner in Season 32, pretty far in the competition. I think she has very high potential and will make it to the top 5 at least. Surprisingly, although I wasn’t anticipating liking her this much, she is one of my favorites thus far.
Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten
As soon as I heard that Ilona Maher was going to be one of this season’s celebrities, I was beyond excited to see her perform on the stage. It is no secret that Maher is very personable and confident. She had a pretty good opening dance and I am excited to see where her potential takes her. I want her to make it to the top 5, but I don’t know if she has the footwork and the agility down yet to do so. However, she is very popular on social media and I think this could help take her pretty far.
Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchenko
Brooks Nader did very well in her opening dance. She has a lot of personality and was fairly confident. However, I think she needs to work on her footwork and technical work a little bit. Gleb Savchenko is an amazing coach and has historically done well with the celebrities that he has worked with. I think she will make it a few rounds, but doesn’t have the social popularity for the fans to carry her much further.
Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold
Based on his first performance, I wouldn’t be surprised if Steven Nedoroscik wins it all this season. He is very personable and has a lot of energy on the dance floor. He can use a lot of his skills and strength from gymnastics in the dances this season. He was also very light on his feet and agile. Although his high energy was exciting to watch, it could end up being a detriment as it makes his mistakes a little more noticeable. He needs to work on his footwork and technical skills but definitely has a lot of potential. Nedoroscik will also get a lot of votes from the younger audience at home due to his recent increased popularity during the Summer Olympics. He was one of my favorites and will definitely make it to the top 5, maybe even further.
Phaedra Parks and Val Chmerkovskiy
Phaedra Parks had a very good performance. She had a strong stage presence but did not necessarily stand out as one of the top performances of the night in my opinion. I also think she may not get a lot of votes from the younger audience. I predict she will go a few rounds, but do not think she will make it to the top 5.
Eric Roberts and Britt Stewart
Eric Roberts’ opening dance seemed like it was a little rusty and did not stand out to me. It was a little slow and did not seem to be up to speed with some of the rest of the dances from the other performers. I don’t think he will get very far, especially given that he is a little slower and less agile than the other dancers. He has a good audience, but will likely not get votes from those who are younger.
Tori Spelling and Pasha Pashkov
Tori Spelling had an okay opening dance. I could tell she was pretty unconfident and did not showcase a lot of her personality. She was also a little shaky and her dance moves did not flow well together, making her look pretty stiff. I do not think she will make it far, as she is not super popular anymore with the younger audience.
Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber
Jenn Tran had a very good opening dance where she showcased a lot of the personality that helped her succeed in The Bachelorette. Sasha Farber is historically a great coach and will help her get to where she needs to be with the technical work. The dancing can always be taught, but the personality and confidence can not. I think she will make it to the top 5 at least.
Reginald VelJohnson and Emma Slater
Reginald VelJohnson’s opening dance did not show off a lot of his skills. I think he relied too much on his partner, Emma Slater, and did not seem confident in his own abilities at all. Based on VelJohnson’s relative age in comparison to the other celebrities this season, I think he lacks a lot of the agility in his dances that the other dancers may have. I also think he is not super popular nowadays, and may not get a lot of votes from the younger audience.
This season’s cast is full of potential, so it is hard to predict who will win the hearts of the audience in the end. Whatever happens, it will be exciting to see the growth of all the celebrities and professional dancers both on and off the dance floor.