‘Dancing with the Stars’ elimination predictions: Who will be the first celeb ushered off the dance floor in season 33?
“Dancing with the Stars” premieres tonight, September 17, with 13 celebs entering the ballroom to compete for the Len Goodman Mirror Ball Trophy. But who will exit the ballroom first? “DWTS” indicated via press release that there will be no elimination until the second week of the season: “Live viewer votes from the first two weeks of competition will be combined with the judges’ scores from both weeks to determine which couples may be in jeopardy of elimination after two weeks of dancing.” But it’s not too early to speculate.
Trying to make predictions before the premiere is the most difficult challenge of the season, of course, because we’re trying to judge the celebs before we’ve had a chance to watch them dance, and you can’t always tell who will excel based on their biographies and career backgrounds. But there are educated guesses we can make.
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For instance, older stars often struggle to keep up with the athletic demands of the series. That may spell trouble for actor Eric Roberts, age 68. He’s almost two decades older than the oldest celeb who has ever won the competition: Donny Osmond was 51 when he prevailed in season nine in 2009. Fellow actor Reginald VelJohnson is 72, so he may face similar challenges.
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But don’t discount the elder statesmen too quickly. Even if they struggle on the dance floor (which they may not), half of the results are determined by the votes of viewers at home. So even if they don’t top the judges’ leaderboard, their personalities and dedication to the competition could win them fans in the audience. Just last season “Brady Bunch” actor Barry Williams, then 68, made it halfway through the competition, outlasting seven other celebs.
So I’d keep an eye on Anna Delvey. She’s only 33 and may have the stamina for the competition, but her only claim to fame is that she’s a convicted felon and con artist, whose crimes were dramatized in the limited series “Inventing Anna.” Even if the “DWTS” audience isn’t bothered by her participation on the show, how much potential is there for a notorious fraudster to build a fan base? She may be banking on a redemption arc, but she may have to work extra hard on the dance floor to win over fans.
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