DWTS - S9 Preview

I know I dropped the ball with SYTYCD, but you can be sure I'll be on my game with DWTS. With the shows running against one another this fall, I'm probably just going to give general impressions on SYTYCD, just to keep myself sane.

Well, we've got an interesting field for this season, one I think that could get us some pretty entertaining television. As usual, here's my rundown of the celebs and their partners, and my completely unscientific, totally arbitrary and based-on-my-own-judgment idea of their chances of winning (taking into account both how well I think they might dance and how many votes they might pull in).


MYA & Dmitry Chaplin: Mya has a lot of the right elements: she's young, but a season entertainer and performer. She's done a decent amount of dancing in her time, and had a good fanbase then that should still remember her fondly. Also, she's paired with a SYTYCD pro, so he's going to bring in some calls, too. 5 to 1

DONNY OSMOND & Kym Johnson: He was pretty much a given after Marie's showing. I've always found him more fun and more accessible than his sister, and way goofier. I think his dancing will be fair, but his performances will be strong. Obviously, there's a lot of Osmond-lovers, based on Marie's high placement. Kym (who the producers seem determined to keep from winning) will give him plenty of comedy routines. 15 to 1

AARON CARTER & Karina Smirnoff: Again, there are good elements to be put together here. Youth, which is both good physically and with the demographic, and experience performing are both strengths. Don't know if there was much dancing in his act, though. Also I'd argue he was never as A-list famous as, say, Mya or even Joey Fatone at their heights. Karina seems to still be learning how to craft winners. 9 to 1

TOM DeLAY & Cheryl Burke: This year's stunt casting, to be sure. Whatever spin people put on it, DeLay was gotten because of his notoriety (campaign finance charges). Because of that, I doubt even his conservative reputation will win him much votes from the core demographic. Cheryl is an expert on coaching contestants on this show, but I doubt even her skills will fall short with DeLay to work with. 100 to 1

ASHLEY HAMILTON & Edyta Sliwinksa: DWTS' first legacy contestant! He's pretty much only famous for that and being married to Shannen Doherty for fifteen minutes (or so). Where he land on physical ability, performance and personality is anybody's guess at this stage. Edyta... well, her partner's young this time, so she might try for a week or two, but if he can't dance but lasts any longer than that, Ashley better get used to standing still. 85 to 1

DEBI MAZAR & Maksim Chmerkovskiy: One of those "you'd remember her if you saw her" actresses, she who was doing the 40's pinup look ten years before Katy Perry. Definitely signing on to revive a flagging career, there's no telling what her dancing aptitude will be, but she specialized in spunky characters, so maybe she's got that attitude. Maks is a veteran and a very good partner now, and if she can dance, they'll be okay. 35 to 1

NATALIE COUGHLIN & Alec Mazo: DWTS does love its Olympians, and people love them on the show, proven by their track record. As Shawn pointed out, no Olympian has yet failed to capture the trophy, and Natalie has the package: a background in hard training, excellent conditioning, good looks. What might be questionable is her partner. Alec won, but in the much less competitive first season, and has not fared as well since, even with contender partners like Toni Braxton. 5 to 1

CHUCK LIDELL & Anna Trebunskaya: If you remember how well the boxers on this show have danced, that's probably a UFC fighter's level, except maybe a bit faster. Unless Chuck has done a lot of footwork training, I'm not expecting much there. However, UFC is a massive property, and he will definitely pull lots of male viewers and possibly votes. I'm really happy to see Anna again, I just wish it was with a better partner. 40 to 1

MICHAEL IRVIN & Anna Demidova: Emmett's teammate. He will likely follow the standard football player model: good with uptempo music, a feel for the beat, heavy but strong, not so great in the Ballroom dances, much more comfortable in Latin. Seen it every season. A good match for the rookie Anna D., as his fanbase will do plenty of work for them. 30 to 1

LOUIE VITO & Chelsie Hightower: While Louie's an athlete, it's in a less disciplined sport (snowboarding), so his conditioning could be very good, but his work and training ethic as applied to dancing could be an awkward fit. Also, he might have trouble as some of the male athletes do, being expressive enough. Chelsie was a surprise for me last season, proving to be a patient and solidly supportive partner to a challenging student. 45 to 1

JOANNA KRUPA & Derek Hough: Models tend not to fare so well on this show, which I'm sure the designers think is a shame, since they wear the costumes so well. As usual, while she has a nice figure, there's no telling what her actual fitness level might be, and how coordinated she is moving. Derek has it a bit tough with this draw, I think, but at least he'll enjoy looking at her while he misses living with Shannon. 60 to 1

KELLY OSBOURNE & Louis Van Amstel: Short and not-skinny is a non issue, as we've seen. My main question with her is what kind of attitude and work ethic she's going to bring to the table, since I couldn't tell you what sort of personality she has, even though I watched the show some. Louis is used to a very certain kind of emotional, touchy-feely kind of partner, so this seeming mismatch could be great or disastrous. 50 to 1

KATHY IRELAND & Jonathan Roberts: Two models in one season. Just kind of cut and paste everything I said about Joanna here, although I might expect Kathy to have a bit of an edge, being a former model and having made a couple of poor attempts at acting... meaning, she's a little more humble and grounded, maybe. Jonathan is a spectacular coach for this show, and for however long he's got, she will look her best, whatever that is. 55 to 1

MELISSA JOAN HART & Mark Ballas: She's gotten some magazine coverage for being a mom and losing weight, so a lot of this show's demographic has recent good impressions of her. Still young, and probably still in decent shape, she could do okay. No dance or stage performance background that I can recall. Mark is a very good partner, and has his own huge fanbase, which these days is a big help. 25 to 1

MACY GRAY & Fabian Sanchez: I'm not a big fan of Macy's singing, but that doesn't change her being a decently well-known name. Her act didn't involve any dancing, so she's got no experience there, and I can't speak to her personality or attitude. Big question mark over her. Fabian, as he proved with Marlee, is exceptionally patient and supportive to his student partners, so she's got help there. 50 to 1

MARK DACASCOS & Lacey Schwimmer: My personal bias aside, I think Mark has potential. As a martial artist, he's in good condition and is used to remembering forms and using his entire body. He has acting background, including stage work, and if Iron Chef America is any indication, he's got a good sense of humor and personality. Lacey is a bit of a question mark for me, as she seems determined to live up to her "rebel" reputation, for which her partners sometimes suffer. 35 to 1

Of particular note are the new training rules that ABC has instituted to try and stave off the injury-fests that recent seasons, especially this last one, have become.

*Couples may only train for five hours per day for the first two weeks.
*Couples must take a 30-minute break after every two hours of training.
*Couples must take one day off from training per week.

Thank goodness.