Just looked at the cast..man, what did Keo ever do to piss off the powers that be...
I'll be floored if Simone doesn't win. She's America's darling. I'm betting Nancy might finish top 5.
I think this year's token "older" woman is Charo. Charo's age is up for debate, but she's at least 65 or as old as 75.
Seems Nancy has slowly gotten out to the public. She's organized a few skating shows and done some other things. I think it will be great to see Nancy!
It wouldn't surprise me if Simone doesn't win. Many people are not happy with having another gymnast right after Laurie. Laurie was my favorite gymnast on the team, but I tired of her after a few weeks on DWTS and became more interested in other contestants. It would help Simone if she didn't start out with exceptionally well-done routines resulting in the highest scores. They should take it slow. Maybe Sasha will be more likely to do that.
There may be a backlash because most of the 50 year old female white fans of the show were pissed that James didn't win last season. Theyve been terrorizing all of DWTS's social media posts with comments to that effect for months.
Further, Simone isn't a very fluid mover. She has charisma, but stuff like being in hold and showing hip action will not go well for her.
I anticipate Kerrigan doing well a la Grey, since she'll probably be very competitive and prideful, as is her wont. Her only limit will be Artem's choreographic ability.
I pretty much think Heather will win, since her partner is the hypercompetitive Max C.
I pretty much think Heather will win because SHE'S A PROFESSIONAL DANCER! This show doesn't even try to hide it's ringers any more
She has plenty of dance background through skating so I think she will be in the top half, and while she is older she is still in skating shape, so I think that will benefit her. I think she wasn't super active for a while because she was raising kids.
Are you kidding? Nancy has absolutely zero dance background. She could be embarrassingly awful when she had to dance/skate. Poor Nancy won't be able to rely on Mary's statelier than thou choreo or her Jane Fonda jazzercise and bunny hop moves.
To me, it is an interesting question whether figure skaters automatically have an advantage in a dance contest compared to the average Joe off the street. They must, right? Skaters at least know how to fill space with movement, how to learn choreography, how to present themselves before an audience, and things like that. Some skaters are good dancers and some aren't, of course.
IMHO Nancy wasn't the danci-est of skaters (can DWTS get Mao Asada?), but still, she will do OK.
I am interested to see how Simone Biles will do. Laurie Hernandez won by her sheer body awareness, a sparkling personality,and a ready-made fan base.