DWTS Season 14 Preliminary Power Rankings, Part I
It’s that time again, kids – time for my seasonal preliminary power rankings! For those of you unfamiliar, I do these after each performance show, and it’s basically a measure of how likely a couple is to stay vs. how likely they are to get sent home a particular week – the #1 spot is saved for the couple I think is the safest, and the bottom spot is who I’m predicting to get sent home. Keep in mind that it is NOT simply a ranking based on scores – how boring would that be? For my rankings, I tend to take into account fanbase, scores, memorability, running order, demographics, the whole shebang. And for this edition, I’m simply relying on what I know and have seen of the couples thus far – so here’s who I think will be the first to go, all the way up to who I think will make it to the middle of the season. Enjoy!
12.) Katherine & Mark – I went back and forth over who I thought would be the first to go, but I think that ultimately, these two probably have the greatest hurdles to overcome in order to stick around and I’m not sure they’ve got the juice to do it. There’s been painfully little media on these two – only the occasional candid tourist shot in London, and no official promo interviews. The little rehearsal footage we’ve seen hasn’t really told us much, other than the fact that Katherine is probably decent but not fantastic. And worst of all – Katherine is coming into this competition as a relative unknown, surrounded by quite a few sentimental favorites & big personalities who may be fanbase ringers. If there’s anyone that really & truly needs to be making a big splash right now, it’s Katherine – and we’ve seen next to nothing from her. As for dance skills, she has the potential to be quite good, given what little concert & rehearsal footage I’ve seen of her. She does have a natural rhythm, and she’s not terrible to look at – but keep in mind that dance skills really don’t mean sh*t if people aren’t motivated to vote for her. She has Mark, which I would say is more of an advantage than a disadvantage, given his skill & popularity; however, even Mark is not immune to the dreaded early elimination, as we’ve seen with Kim, Shannen, & Kristin. Could she blow us all away & have some staying power? Possibly, but she’s got a LOT of catching up to do in order to have a shot at keeping up with juggernauts like Jaleel, Melissa, Sherri, Maria, and Gladys. And at this point – I’m afraid any exposure she’s gonna get is gonna be too little, too late 🙁
11.) Gavin & Karina – I may be seeing things, but I had a bad feeling about this couple from the first time I saw them interact during the cast announcement – it seemed like a very strained, awkward encounter, and it made me seriously question if they were truly a well-matched couple. Then I heard that Gavin was still going to be touring while doing the show, and I became even more skeptical. Then finally, I saw a video of them rehearsing – and now I’m pretty convinced that they aren’t going to last long. The biggest issue I see here is commitment – I get the feeling Gavin is really only doing the show to promote his new album, and his true commitment lies not with the show itself, but his tour. It’s very much like Michael Bolton all over again, for me – a currently touring musician who does a short stint on the show as a bit of self-promotion. Don’t get me wrong, Gavin seems like a nice guy & all – I just don’t think his heart or his head are 100% in the game. And with all the “squeezing in” they’ve had to do with their practice time, I’m not sure he’s going to have the skills to improve upon what I consider to be a pretty weak dance background. Then, of course, you’ve got all the celebs this season who are likely quite a bit more popular than he is – a singer who was arguably more successful & well-known 5 years ago than he is now, vs. a soul legend, an iconic tv character, a well-established actress, and a talk show host with a big mouth? He’s either going to have to be a fabulous dancer from the get-go, or ridiculously charming, or both – because he’s up against some stiff competition for votes.
10.) Martina & Tony – Ok, I know a lot of you have been saying “Oooh, Martina’s gonna be so fierce this season! She was fierce on the tennis court!”, but I’m not quite sold on the idea that her talent on the court is going to translate seamlessly into success on DWTS. A great work ethic is always an asset, but I think Martina is going to struggle quite a bit with the performance aspect of the show – in the few videos I’ve seen of her, she has an almost “zen” quality to her: very calm, collected, resolute, and confident. But calm, collected, resolute, and confident are not exactly what you need when you’re doing the jive and should generally be acting like a cartoon character 🙂 And while I do praise her focus and “zen-ness”, the fact that Tony has a track record of having partners that tend to blend into the woodwork is a bit worrisome – if Martina doesn’t come out with both great & memorable dancing, I think she could be gone quicker than we expect. I also wonder if she might be splitting votes with someone like Jaleel or Melissa, who were at the height of their fame at roughly the same time Martina was. It seems like it could be a battle of the pop culture icons. I think she has the potential to be a pretty good dancer, but a lot of it will hinge upon the choreography she’s given…and the impact she makes..
9.) Jack & Anna – To be honest, Jack is a bit of a question mark for me this season – he seems highly motivated to do well, and he’s got a great personality; but I’m not sure where he stands in terms of fanbase, and I wonder how much his age is going to affect his dancing. I was honestly a bit taken aback when I saw him on the cast announcement – I had been used to seeing the young, hot, studly Frisco Jones on General Hospital as a kid, and the man I saw before me hadn’t exactly aged well. His dancing during the title shoot with Anna,while cute & entertaining, did kind of show his limitations, I’m afraid – seems like he’s going to be a bit stiff. However, he does seem to have a cult following from both his GH and The Bold & the Beautiful days – he could go more the Cameron Mathison route while on DWTS, or he could go more of the Aiden Turner route…time will tell. I’m also curious as to how his relationship with Heather Locklear will factor into things, if they do at all – I know Wendy Williams expressed some disgust that he had chosen to do the show while Heather was going through such a tough time, but to my knowledge, he had ended their engagement late last year, and really – who gives a horse’s patootie what Wendy Williams thinks? 🙂 But if she pointed it out, it makes me wonder if others will, too. As for Anna – as much as I love her, I don’t think she’s really perfected the formula for success on DWTS. She does some great choreography, and then she does some not-so-great choreography. I think they’re probably one of the most well-matched couples on the show, though – they appear to get along very well. If they do manage to last through the first few weeks while the weak dancers are weeded out, I think they’re really going to have to work hard to keep up with some of the more naturally-talented couples this season.
8.) William & Cheryl – William is another big wild card for me this season – he’s another relative unknown here in the states, but unlike Katherine, he’s a dude, and he’s got a pro who has an uncanny knack for taking her partners pretty far in the competition. First off, I don’t believe for one second that he’ll be the 2nd coming of Gilles, like so many people seem to believe – Gilles was really and truly a fluke. A fantastic, naturally-gifted dancer that was both charming & humble, and had a great chemistry with Cheryl. I’m reluctant to believe that lightening will strike twice with William – he seems nice enough, and I’m sure he is at least slightly athletic, based on his physique; but with a season chock full o’ sentimental favorites and some pretty naturally-talented dancers, can voters be bothered to toss a few votes his way, at the risk of losing one of those sentimental favorites? I’m not so sure. Like Katherine, I think he’s going to have to be STELLAR right out of the gate in order to get the voters’ attention – and he’s going to have to be Mr. Congeniality, too. But I think the fact that he’s a dude (and a good-looking one, to boot) may give him a slight edge over Katherine – there always seems to be at least a small cross-section of the voting population that will vote throw a couple of votes to a male contestant just because he’s eye candy 🙂 And Cheryl’s fanbase could help out too, initially. However, when it comes down to the nitty gritty of who is the “full package” of dance skills, personality, fan base, & chemistry – I think William may fall short, since he’s surrounded by so many favorites this season.
7.) Gladys & Tristan – Not gonna lie: I’m totally excited to see what Tristan can come up with for the Empress of Soul this season! I think she has the potential to go farther than one would expect for her age this season – but therein lies the problem: age. Gladys is 67, and the oldest competitor this season. You can point out how Gladys “is in great shape for her age!” all you want, but at the end of the day, she is still not going to be physically capable of doing all the same moves with all the same zeal as, say, 20-year-old Roshon or 25-year-old Katherine. Age does catch up with us, so Gladys & Tristan are going to have to find a way to bridge the gap between some of the younger couples – and I think their best bet is probably going to be showmanship. Simple, clean choreography, but executed to be as entertaining & fun to watch as possible. Another potential obstacle: Gladys’ touring schedule. I haven’t heard exactly how many shows she’s planning on doing this season, but anytime a celeb has had to travel during the duration of the show in the past – their dancing has usually suffered as a result. So whatever practice time these two have, they’re really going to have to make the most of it. So what advantages do they have? Odds are, a pretty sizeable fanbase that is motivated to vote. Of all the contestants this season, I’d say Gladys is the only one with “legend” status – and to me, that means you’re a household name that’s been around quite awhile. I could see many women who grew up listening to Gladys’ music picking up a phone to vote for her – that’s the power of the sentimental vote 🙂 I think she & Tristan’s great chemistry could also be a big asset – they’re just so darn CUTE together! Could Gladys make it further in the competition than just the midpoint? It’s possible. But historically, older contestants seem to get eliminated by the middle of the season. Gladys, please feel free to prove me wrong 🙂
So what couples make up the bottom half of your list? Who do you think will be the first couple sent packing? 🙂 Keep an eye out for the top half of my rankings (including my prediction for the winner) coming up later this week!
I agree that William and Jack are big questions marks. When tptb determine the demographic for the show is it supposedly ages of those who vote or inclusive of those that vote and those that just “watch” ?
I ask because I think the fanbases will be a bigger factor than usual this season.
Bottom 4 – (no particullary order)
Roshon & Chelsie
Martina & Tony
Gavin & Karina
Gladys & Tristan
Middle –
Sherri & Val
Katherine & Mark
Maria & Derek
Top 5 –
Donald & Peta
Jaleel & Kym
Jack & Anna
Melissa & Maks
William & Cheryl
I imagine Maria being like Audrina/Shannon and Sherri being like a Wendy WIlliams… too much talk but no dance at all. Jack could surprise us like Donny did, and definitively William will have all the latinos’ vote and the state of Florida as well
Uh oh, Its that time again. Thanks Courtney, when I saw the Preliminary Power Rankings were posted I got all warm and fuzzy inside, that means the new season is almost here… 🙂
Love the rankings. So many factors play into this. But I think you pretty much nailed it. Can’t wait for Part 2 and see whom you think may make the finals…
I like that you made a point about both Gladys and Gavin juggling tours at the same time. Gavin always had this cool “I don’t care and everything is rainbows and bunnies” kind of attitude (the one thing I always hated about him) This could indeed be hsi way of generating album and itunes sales. I never thought of it liek that until today and it makes a lot of sense. As for Gladys, I have this feeling that Thristan will manage to get every minute of practice possible in as she is touring. Besides, if Cloris can get as far as she did I think Gladys should have no problem getting to at least week 4.
Unless someone from the chacha group totally messes up, the first to go will be someone from foxtrot.
*the final four
Damn I hate autocorrect
Courtney, I loved your rankings on some of those celebs and I’m anxious to read more!!!!
@OzVargas, my mouth went open when you put Roshon in the bottom 4. Why? He’s a pretty amazing dancer!
Well, I can understand why some people think William is going to do that well, even win probably. A lot of people are still mad that Gilles didn’t beat Shawn and think it’s a big mistake so perhaps some people would like to “correct that mistake” by voting for William. However, Season 8 seems like ages ago so maybe a lot of people decided to forget it and just move on. William is pretty hot but I would agree that he’s got some work to do to motivate the American audience into voting. If that many Spanish audiences plan to watch and vote this season then he should have no problem but I doubt that is the case.
It does make me wonder just how much of the other countries actually watch DWTS or even vote because it is possible to vote online if you’re overseas. I get all that disappointment from overseas fans, “Oh, I can’t vote because I live in Ireland! :(” With that and William, it makes me think of Cristian de la Fuente, and he did incredibly well coming in 3rd. I don’t know if it’s because more Americans than I thought actually knew him or if he was really that good or just sympathy votes after he hurt his arm in Season 6. I would agree about Katherine’s chances in this competition although I thought a lot of the UK fans liked to watch the show too but perhaps not enough.
Oh and I can’t forget about Jack. I would think he will make it farther in the competition because of his fanbase. I thought he had a huge fanbase and he’s got the looks that women would love to look at. Like I said recently in the past, he’s easy on the eyes. He looked pretty good to me in rehearsals so I think with that and his big soap opera fans and a partner like Anna who is very popular, he can make it pretty far.
Courtney, have I ever told you that I just absolutely love your blog posts on pdwts?? You always give us a lot to think about! Based on paper, pro, and the lil dance rehearsal footage we have, my bottom half would be:
Martina, Gavin, Katherine, William, Jack, Sherri
I also ordered it the way I think they might be eliminated with the 1st 3 being some of the first to go home and the last 3 could be more towards the middle of the season… but the threesomes aren’t in any particular order of being eliminated.
I put Sherri in my bottom 6 instead of Gladys bc the C brothers might split their fans voter and I think Gladys will be a sentimental favorite… Can u imagine all those Motown people in the audience rooting for her?! Plus, so far I am much more impressed with Tristan than Val.
Court, you’ve outdone yourself again. I always look so forward to your Preliminary Rankings and you’ve had a great track record too. Excellent. I was most shocked though that you put Mark and Katherine last 😯 , but, I see why after everything you wrote.
My bottom 6: Gavin and Karina, Donald and Peta, Sherri and Val, Jack and Anna, Gladys and Tristan, and Katherine and Mark. I think it will be Gavin or Donald sent home first.
I think Gavin will be the first to go. I think he’s the weakest link amongst the 12 contestants. I would place Jack and William in the middle of the pack and place Sherri and Roshon in the bottom. Roshon is hit or miss with me.
I agree everything except I would switch Gladys and Tristan with will and Cheryl and Katherine and mark with martina
As always, great analysis Courtney. My heart is saddened by some of the conclusions, but my head can’t dispute them.
I’m hoping for a few surprises that will push some of these couples higher up the ladder.
Great analysis! I think Katherine or Gavin will be the first to go. Also agree for the most part on the rest of your list..
I think I am going to give this a shot too. This list is just my initial predictions after weighing out everything in the long run.
12th: Katherine and Mark
11th: Martina and Tony
10th: William Levy
9th: Gavin DeGraw
8th: Gladys Knight
7th: Donald Driver
6th: Sherri Shepherd
5th: Jaleel White
4th: Jack Wagner
3rd: Maria Menounos
2nd: Roshon Fegan
1rst: Melissa Gilbert
Another great post Courtney – but girl you’re keepin us hanging for part 2! Lol. 😛
Oh how I wish Tristan and Val were paired differently this season. I was really and truly looking forward to seeing what choreography these two could put out, but I have a sinking feeling we are going to be seeing very little.
You are right about Jack and Heather’s engagement btw. Correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t Heather enter rehab BEFORE Jack signed on? In any case, it is nobody’s position to judge. Hopefully, Jack and Katherine can be encouragement for each other. It takes guts to do something like this so soon after imo.
Here is my guess-ta-mate:
Top Four Exact Order:
1st Place: Melissa and Maks
2nd: Kym and Jaleel
3rd: Jack and Anna
4th: Derek and Maria
Middle Four Exact Order:
5th: Tony and Martina
6th: Val and Sherri
7th: Tristan and Gladys
8th: Mark and Katherine
Last Four Exact Order:
9th: Roshon and Chelsie
10th: Karina and Gavin
11th: Cheryl and William
12th: Donald and Peta
Gavin is prettym uch interchangeable with Martina I think. The only reason I think Gavin has a slight edge is becuase his album is out.
Another well written post, Courtney. And I agree with Cidra’s sentiment “my heart saddened, but my head can’t dispute”
I had Katherine and Gavin in my two most likely to go first, in any order – for the same reasons you state. I too thought Gavin and Karina’s first meeting at the reveal was strained, and Katherine needs to light a fire under her PR person’s butt LOL.
I’m rooting for Martina to do better, but we’ve seen so little rehearsal footage of them, it makes me worry. And what wev’e seen hasn’t been all that great. What she has in focus and physical fitness, she lacks in performance, and that’s hard to coax out of a partner who doesn’t have it naturally. But she’s confident and older/more life experience, and thus will not be afraid to look silly in order to get the performance down (fingers crossed)
Can’t really decide where to place William and Jack, but I think William in the bottom half for sure. I’m thinking Jack may make it to the top half in place of Sherri. I’m truly hoping Gladys makes it further than your ranking. And she just might because I think that Roshon is not going to make it into the top half, just my gut and that weak rehearsal footage we saw here (the real one, not the bebopping one with Chelsie in platforms heels).
my final three? Jaleel, Donald and Melissa (opinion liable to change without notice LOL )
Wow…pretty much agree with all your picks. Except for william, i think cheryl and the house moms of america/ latin america will work their magic, and he will make it far..deservingly or undeservingly, im not so sure. Here’s my bottom 6 in order of first to leave
1. martina
2. Gavin
3. Katherine
4. Jack
5. Gladys
6. Sherri
note: martina and katherine can be swapped
Vogue (#10) – you don’t think the Packer faithful will get out the vote for Donald?
I always thought NFL players could be counted on to outlast several other celebs simply because of fan loyalty to the team they played for; and Green Bay fans are supposed to be quite enthusiastic supporters.
As someone in WI who doesn’t watch football so had no idea who Donald was… My Facebook feed freaking exploded on cast announcement day and I think the whole damn state plans to vote for him.
VERY interesting and insightful analysis! I can’t disagree with you on any of those points, and I can’t wait to read more.
DONALD?????? Holy Moses….the Packers fans are chewing out the Steeler fans on sites saying he’ll be better than Hines and they’ll make sure he gets to #1…….Me thinks they mean it lol. Of course, he has to get scores to keep him in….or maybe not?
LOL Vogue if you’re betting against Donald, you’re making a very bad bet. Unless the guy is a horrendous dancer, which seems unlikely.
@sheery: Hines was a rare case. He won over America with his charm and charisma. Donald seems to into himself to really let that happen.
Thanks all for the positive feedback 🙂 I have to say, I honestly didn’t really know where to put some of these celebs…but I had to rank them, so here they are.
Hehe, sherry, I love that some of the Markettes who lack reading comprehension skills are already pointing the finger at our “negativity”. Apparently pointing out the facts (like the fact that Katherine is not well-known here in the states, has not had as much practice time as some of the other couples, and has not had as much media exposure as the other couples) is now considered “negativity”. I should really thank them for plugging our name – it’s just generating more hits for us 😀
Where were they when Mark was a comple narcicisst during his pairing with Chelsea. Just goes to show how crazy fans can get.
Wow, you guys are amazing. I expect Courtney to turn out the power rankings fast and look convincing, but she’s the experienced pro here. Yet so many posters have already worked out their own rankings as well – awesome – you guys are way ahead of me; I can’t even decide on my 3 fave couples yet, and it’s not for want of thinking about it. 🙂 Even with the rehearsal footage, I still need to see their 1st routines. Let the games begin!
Thanks Courtney. I know Sherri and Val have a decent fanbase and have been practicing, but I was really, really hoping to see Sherri in the bottom just because I’ve already grown weary of how loud and talkative she is all of the time. Thank goodness for the mute and fast forward buttons on my TiVo remote.
I agree Buttercup. One can’t count out football fanbases; especially die-hard fans of stalwart teams that didn’t win the Super Bowl.
Buttercup and Cidra…. I don’t know…Donald doesn’t look that good for what we’ve seen so far? Then again, there isn’t much to go by?
I agree vin, Hines was the total package, and it didn’t hurt to be paired with a previous DWTS champ. Their chemistry was amazing. We will soon see what kind of dancing/cheorography/chemistry the duo of Donald and Peta have.
@Vogue, this is JMO, but I think the “Cheese heads” will carry Donald a few weeks, given that his dancing isn’t right down there with Hasselhoff’s, or Master P’s… 😉
Bravo on the power rankings! (Stands while clapping)… insightful analysis. I’ve been wondering about Katherine myself for a while now – she said she was trying to raise her profile in the U.S., so why have they been completely non-existent in the U.S. media? Even with her in the U.K., couldn’t they schedule some live interviews via satellite with the entertainment programs like E.T.? It just seems to me that her PR people are really dropping the ball on this one, and it’s going to cost her… 🙁 And I think you’re spot-on about Gavin – I was concerned about him from the cast announcement, when I heard he was going to try to split time between DWTS and touring. I can’t think of anyone outside of Donny Osmond who was successful at splitting time, and has been said before, he was a huge fanbase ringer.
@Sally – Thank you, m’dear 🙂 And the only other person who I think seemed to fare ok with splitting time besides Donny was Evan – wasn’t he on the Smuckers Stars on Ice tour when he was on DWTS? I remember he & Anna seemed to do a lot of traveling.
Touche! You are, as always, spot-on. 🙂 Evan was “a Smucker” whilst dancing!!! 😉 😉 😉 LOL!
Donald & Peta – He doesn’t look great so far and his name isn’t all the great in the NFL IMO
Martina & Tony – Unless she a stellar dancer I don’t think she’ll make it far, her personality is relatively small compared to her castrations.
Katherine and Mark – I imagine her a good dancer but good dancing will only get her so far without an American fanbase.
Maria & Derek – I think she’ll be the shocker boot of the season. No one will see it coming.
Gavin & Karina – He has a good understanding of music which might help him, he wont have to take music 101 from Karina (Hearing the beat, counting, time signatures) but his fanbase doesn’t match DWTSs mostly older woman demo.
Sherry & Val- I think she’ll actually make it further but she grates my nerves however Im sure she has the ABC daytime voting bloc in her corner.
Ok I am a huge Mark Ballas fan and will be voting. I agree with you 100%, looking at the facts about Katherine she can absolutely be eliminated early or even first. Some people are taking this way to far, there is nothing negative about your comments. Your just stating the facts. Thank you, just wanted to say that.
Wow…very well researched and informative analysis. I do appreciate it as a relative newcomer both to this site and DWTS. I wouldn’t hazard a guess before seeing them all dance, but I do agree that Donald Driver will have “the pack” solidly behind him. I read the sports blog on the Packer site, and they’ve already crowned him the winner. Time will tell if they’re right. Looking forward to part 2.:)
I agree with the rankings so far and for some of you it all depends when abc places their double elimination as they have said it’s only going to be 10 weeks (nobodies eliminated week 1) and its unlikely to have 4 couples in the finals so if the double elimination is the first week abc will most likely eliminate 1 female and 1 male contestant
Cameron didn’t do too badly for all the flying back and forth, 5th place.
Right now I have no idea how it’s going to play out. A lot of celebs seems to have very good dancing skills. A lot of them have very strong fan bases. Some of them appears to be weak dancers with strong personalities/fan bases. Others have potential but are not as well known.
You really don’t know how these couples will click with the audience until they get out on that dance floor.
My guess is how they will turn out:
Lower scored couples
Martina and Tony- Tony is the weakest pro IMO, he can make his partner look just awful and forgettable and I am clouded by Monica Seles poor performance her season. Not sure Martina has a huge fan base to overcome low scores.
Gladys and Tristan- she will be classy graceful and like able which should buy her some weeks but likely won’t be a high scorer.
Jack and Anna- He and Gavin will likely be the weaker males…aging male stars usually don’t get the votes.
Gavin and Karina- people think he’s the first off? really? he’s one of the bigger stars and Karina just won. I don’t think they will go that quickly.
Sherri and Val- I think she’s more vulnerable for an early boot than people think. Val might have the weakest fan base out of the pros. Sherri is funny but can be grating. She has her detractors too. If she is lower scored she may be vulnerable to an early boot as well.
All of those 5 above couples have pretty solid fan bases though? I don’t think any of them will be terrible dancers either.
Couples that could dance well but may not have the viewers
Katherine and Mark
Will and Cheryl
Katherine appears to be a pretty good dancer. It may get her by a couple weeks. She may be the least well known of the cast. She does appear to be more like able than Elisabetta or Kristin last season. William I suspect has a larger fan base than people are giving him credit for. I noticed a lot of support for him on the DWTS facebook page and on his twitter. I have to imagine he and Cheryl will make a solid couple to atleast make the halfway point if not further.
Couples that will likely get buy on dancing alone and have solid fan bases
Maria and Derek- She could be this seasons Erin Andrews minus the Maks showmance stuff. She is hot and like able and Derek always makes his partners shine.
Melissa and Maks- She looks like a strong dancer and has a strong personality. Could be this years Kirstie/Ricki
Donald and Peta- He may make the finals due to rabid Green Bay Packers fans alone. They are the most rabid fan base in the NFL. And NFL players do great on this show.
Jaleel and Kym- He can dance and is a crowd favorites.
Roshon and Chelsie- He can dance but is not well known. But he looks so adorable I have to imagine he will be very like able ala Kyle. The strength of his dancing should get him far.
So here’s my predicted boot order right now:
1. Martina and Tony
2. Jack and Anna
3. Katherine and Mark
4. Sherri and Val
5. Gavin and Karina
6. Gladys and Tristan
7. Melissa and Maks
8. William and Cheryl
9. Roshon and Chelsie
Finals- Jaleel/Kym, Maria/Derek, Donald/Peta
love the post, Courtney!! awesome job..again!! taking in consideration that i am not a specialist..just a fan who loves the dance and a certain pro 😀 and thinking about all the pics and videos released so far .. my prediction are:
1. Martina & Tony – she is fearless..but i don’t think she will do so well on the dance floor..and the judges scores counts 😉
2.Gavin & Karina – just because i don’t get the feeling he is that interested and .. the total lack of chemistry between them…i would even say..there is a certain degree of awkwardness..
3. Katherine and Mark – because she is unknown to the American public
4. Sherri and Val – the jury is still out on Val choreo…and i think she tends to annoy people
5. Jack and Anna – he will feel a backlash from the recent split
6. William and Cheryl – also lack of fan base
7. Gladys & Tristan – i think her status will support her..until this stage..then..the fact that she is the older competitor on the show will count
8. Roshon and Chelsie – his ballroom technique will get him..eventually
The top 4 spots…anyone’s game… but Donald has gotten an incredible support on Facebook.. i did not expect that…i think he will get lots and lots of those votes..Maria depends on Derek’s geniality to show her off…and the man usually pulls that off! Jaleel…he has the body, he is a great performer and he has Kym…Melissa…i said it before..my opinion..it is her MBT to lose… if Maks can pull it together for once..he can go where no Chmerkowski has gone before… 🙂 …. we will see!!
Are people in Cuba and any of the Latin countries allowed to vote? Not that this means anything, but, William has 345,000+ fans at twitter following him. Every time I do a search there for something, I see someone posting on William. I think he’s more popular than some fans are giving him credit for? Also, the only other celebrity to match William’s following is Sherri with 378,000+ followers. Maria is 3rd with 204,000+ followers. Roshon…162,000+ followers. Katherine…158,000+ followers. Gavin… 144,000+ followers. Melissa…76,000 followers. Jaleel…63,000+ followers. Gladys….29,000+ followers. Donald…25,000+ followers . Jack…5,000+ followers.
Martina…4,800+ followers.
Here is a question for everyone and I would love to know what you think.
How do you think the story boarding will play out this season?
It is a factor I don’t think has been taken into consideration yet.
Here is what I have come up with so far:
1) The Come Back: Maks – He better keep his nose clean. If he doesn’t then he might as well say bye bye for good.
2) The Right Way To Pick A Celeb: Karina – This will either be a great pairing and set a new precedent or a complete disaster. If it is the latter then I could see TPTB nixing this on future seasons.
3) Do You Remember When?: Martina, Jaleel, Melissa, Jack and Gladys – This is the most nostalgic casting to date imo and I’m thinking we’re going to be seeing a lot of “look at them then and look at them now” segments.
4) International Delights: William and Katherine – I am really hoping that now Katherine is State side the exposure is going to ramp up. The question is “Will it be too little too late”?
Vogue, anybody can vote online – I’m in Canada, and have voted every season. So yes, William’s popularity in Latin America could definitely be a factor. Another factor is power-voting by fans of a certain pro dancers – Maks & Derek certainly have their share of power voters, and you can now add Tristan in that category as well. So, while I mostly agree with the rankings, I think Tristan fans might give Gladys a few extra weeks.
Very sweet of you to put this bit together, Courtney. 🙂 Can’t wait to see how everything will play out this MONDAY! 🙂
Honestly Courtney, I was surprised to not see Sherri in this list! I am in no way saying that I want her gone. I think she’s hilarious and I have some faith in her. I have faith in everyone this season. But yeah, I thought for sure you were going to put Sherri in this list. I’m glad she’s not.
As for the actual list? I have to agree. Very few have mastered, as you so put, “the formula for success” on this show, and I think you’re spot on with some of these rankings. I’d love to see Kathrine go far, but as you said, she is an unknown. I only know her from the Classical Night from Season 12 (I loved that theme, I want it back. lol).
Can’t wait to see the rest of the list, along with the 10 Worst/Best Week 1 dances! Keep up the good work ladies!
Cool, thanks Twick!! 😉
Jeff (#38) brought up the dreaded double elim. Seems too unimaginative to do 2 elims week 2. I watched SCD last season, and they did a double elim to get down to the 4 semi-finalists. It was quite effective, I thought, since the viewers had become invested in all the remaining couples. I wonder if DWTS might go that route?
While it’s true that folks outside the US can vote online, it didn’t help Hasselhoff much… 😉 Isn’t he “really big” in Germany? I also seem to remember Elisabetta trying to mobilize support in Italy…
I really enjoy reading your articles. I too have that bad feeling in my stomach that Mark and Katherine will leave early in the competition due to her fanbase here in America. As an avid Mark fan, I will be voting to keep them in, as I do for Mark every season, but I hope that they aren’t the first to go. If they have to leave early, I am at least hoping they last a few weeks.
Thank you for posting these articles 🙂
#Jenna-Even tho I am not a Mark fan but I sure would rather seeKatherine stick around for a few weeks to see what she can do rather than Sherri and Roshon both of whom I find annoying and a waste of air time. And for me it’s all about watching great dances, so as lovely and sentimental as it is, I would also prefer for Martina and Gladys and Gavin to go b4 Katherine. Also not crazy about Melissa’s personality and not a Maks admirer so I would like her to stay to that point….but, of course, that’s probably, unfortunaltely, not gonna happen. Anyway, just wanted to reach out to a Mark-fan (so rare) cause I do think Katherine is lovely with some great dancing potential.
Side note—is anyone besides me bowled over by the fact Sherri has 378,000 twitter followers—WHY ???
Mimi– Thanks for reaching out, and for your comments without jumping down my throat. It’s refreshing that we can have a decent conversation 🙂 Anyways, I agree with you about wanting Martina, Gladys, and Gavin to go before Katherine. However, it is not because I am biased to Katherine being Mark’s partner. I would be saying the same thing no matter who she was partnered with because I was a fan of her singing b4 the pairings. For Sherri having many followers do you think it’s because of the View?
So, who are you rooting for this season?
@Mimi
Well The View is one of highest rated daytime shows even if it completely ridicious. Im sure Joy and Elizabeth have about the same amount, Im sure neither Whoopi or Barbara have one.
Haha…there’s always the “vote for the worst” crowd…wonder who’ll they’ll target this season. Those guys can help someone STAY in….
I’m from Asia & I did the online (power voting -depends on how crazy i get, lol) But so far, I do not have a one particular fave couple.. (they are all great though) so, let see.. =)
Thank you guys for the detailed great advance analysis!!
Joy has over 500,000 and Elisabeth has over 245,000 on twitter.
#Jenna-been a Derek H. supporter since his amateur competition days. I know what u r are saying, I feel a few ofthis season’s stars have potential that we might never see because of early exits b4 some who just have a fanbase. I never like that no matter who is dancing with who. I never prefer Marks style or performance quality more than Derek but he has had a couple of good pairings/results. For me, same is true of Chelsie–I think she is a very limited chore/performer, Maks-too much sameness but many times I have really liked their celebs.
Sherry–yes I guess it’s her exposure on the View but I find it dismaying.
@ohlala
When I said Why ?, it was with sarcasm. Yes, I know the View has lots of viewers. I was referring to the fact that I find it dismaying that so many people think Sherry has enough substance or something to offer that they would waste their time. She is not too bright, wrong on a lot of things she quotes as fact and to cover for all those shortcomings she just shouts, adds a little jive talk and thinks everyone is hanging on every word. Very self-centered, try to sit thru a few minutes of the view–it’s I-I-me-me-me, no matter what topic. And b4 the barrage comes, this is my opinion. Obviously alot of people find her fascinating.
Does having twitter followers have any impact? Didn’t Kim Kardashian have a huge following the year she participated but fell flat on her nose?
@Mimi
Sarcasm doesn’t render well through the internet unless you blatantly say so. Just saying….
There’s only three pros (Derek, Lacey, and Mark) that do daring choreo and its hit or miss especially for Mark and Lacey. I think Tony actually does the most boring and that probably due to age of most of his partners. Everyone else does fine IMO. Im actually curious to what Chelsie would do in a freestyle.
I hope this season brings fun and joy to season 14. I’m excited to see what happens with Melissa and Maks. I feel Sheri Shepherd will try to make it but has a lot on her plate and it will hold her back. I’m really excited for Maks and Melissa. They’ve been very quiet for the start of the season. I think these 2 will be in the running. At least I hope!! Derek and Maria I think this couple will be in the running. Jack Wagner I feel he has a lot of stress with Heather and maybe has to much baggage under his belt.He looks a little rough around the edges. He hasn’aged well at all. Tristan will be able to pull Gladys Knight out and they will fair well. donald
Good dancing can over come fan base.
I do not think JR last season had a big fan base going in.
Kelly Osbourn, Rob Kardashian and Chelsie (Mark Ballas partner) did not have big fan base. Worst dancer usually will get booted first. Unless they are a disaster and people vote for the train wreak.
Mark’s fans are “schooling” Katherine’s UK fans how to vote & vote some more;
…”Katherine is huge in the UK…her fans can vote online and are busy creating accounts to do so. She shouldn’t be counted out just yet.
I am American and I have multiple accounts on two laptops, that I used in the past seasons for Maks Chmerkovsyi and this season I will use them all for Katherine & Mark. (phone votes, as all). Hope they will reach the finale.”…..
I got an email from a Shaun & mark fan asking, “If you don’t have a favorite please vote for KMARK this season and you don’t even have to watch! I’ll send you their phone number and you can just dial in.” Oh, geez!
@Sally – I live in Germany, and I can say that hasselhof is not “really big” here. For example Derek got more press here than him at the time. And people here are not really fans of the Hoff’s shenannigans…
If twitter followers are not DWTS audience, then they don’t count…
@Kate – OK, fair enough. I heard (via the entertainment shows, if I remember correctly) that the Hoff was “big” in Germany. Also remember discussions here on Pure at the time as to whether his German fan base would be mobilized enough to vote. Same for Elisabetta.
My point was that I haven’t seen any discussion anywhere about a foreign fan base having a substantial impact on DWTS voting. Maybe I missed it somewhere, but…. there’s discussion every now and then about how someone’s non-US fan base is going to have a big impact, but I can’t think of a single case where that has come to pass.
And as to Twitter followers, I think that’s pretty much been debunked here on Pure as well.
Of course I’m chiming in kinda late and basically echoing what the lovely Sally said :-), but yeah – Twitter followers really have little, if any, impact. It’s important to remember that there’s a big difference between following someone on Twitter (a fairly easy thing to do, just the click of a button) and actually picking up the phone/getting online to vote for them on DWTS. You can have HOARDS of Twitter followers (a la Kim Kardashian) but still get sent packing early from DWTS, because none of those fans can actually be bothered to vote for you. Likewise, you can have a mere handful of Twitter followers (a la Jennifer Grey, who wasn’t even on Twitter until she did DWTS) and still pull in quite a few votes. Remember, demographics: the biggest viewing demographic of the show is middle-aged women. I would venture a guess that the average Twitter user skews younger. There’s a definite incompatibility there.
And as for the “overseas” vote – I think people tend to overestimate how much of it is actually going on. It’s another issue of motivation; yes, people overseas CAN vote, but WILL they? The difference in time zones can often mean that the peak voting times here in the US occur when everyone’s either asleep or at work overseas. And then there’s news coverage – you have to remember that the folks in London/Italy/Cuba/wherever aren’t getting pommeled with media coverage of DWTS like we are. Maybe a short blurb on the news here and there if one of their natives are participating, but certainly not the day-to-day grind we see on the gossip shows and talk shows. If one of our readers hadn’t bothered to point it out to us, I would never have known that Pam Anderson was doing the Argentinian version of DWTS. There’s also a language barrier – you can tweet “Vote for Elisabetta!” all you want, but for those who speak only Italian…it’s all Greek to them. There’s a myriad of factors in place that make it harder for folks overseas to cast their vote – not saying it’s impossible, it’s just not as easy. Can overseas votes make a difference? It’s possible. But I wouldn’t say it would have a profound impact on the voting going on stateside. The only country that I think might have a decent impact on the voting here is Canada, since the time zones are pretty much the same and so is the language and media coverage…but Evaine (and I think jimmboe) would really have to weigh in on that one.
Popping in to say that yes, the media coverage is the same up here – at times even better, I have to say. *g* And of course, the languages, time zones et al. AND… the phone numbers work from here, unlike Idol, X-Factor etc…
So it’s pretty much a North American thing. 🙂
All fanbases are doing that, Sheery. Mark doesn’t have the corner on that market.
I know that Derek has a lot of foreign power voters. Actually a surprising number, based on a discussion on my other website last season or the season before.
It’s going to be interesting to see if William’s fan base will do any power voting? Right now I’m following one of his fan sites (who have over 145,000 followers). Last night, they were encouraging fans to power vote at abc, providing links, etc.
I thought so many of you were so spot on about the demographics, the voting, overseas etc…! Great discussion so far!
I agree especially with what Courtney is saying and I think that’s something people just keep forgetting, especially with The Hoff. They just kept saying to me, “Oh he’s got a lot of fans in Germany and all over the world, he’ll last more than a week!” Now Donny has a huge fanbase from worldwide and I know a lot of his fans overseas voted as well but not as many because of the time zones and not knowing how. In Season 12, I kept getting a bunch of questions from overseas fans on how to vote even though I kept explaining that!
What’s also spot on is the twitter. Kendra had at least a million fans on twitter but that doesn’t mean she would win or be that popular (I think many of us know by now that a lot of fans found her annoying) on DWTS. I even think she did a lot of promo on her website about voting for her on DWTS but that didn’t work out. The important thing is to target the DWTS audience and get them to vote. Not all of the celeb’s fans are going to watch DWTS or even have watched it before so voting is very new for them. Everything like demographics, fanbases, personality and abilities help but it doesn’t guarantee votes. You have to vote!
Hey Courtney! Amazing post! I really have to congratulate you for managing to put the celebs in an order! 🙂 I really can’t do that yet. Maybe I can seperate them in a bottom half/top half list, but I can’t put them in order and who’s leaving first or last.
But, I agree with the most of the celebs you post in this list. The only ‘disagreement’ is that I would put Sherri in there (and maybe Roshon). Don’t know.
Thanks again for the post and I can’t wait to see the Part 2 and who’s in the No1 spot! 😀
@Heidi – Interesting information about Derek’s overseas power voters! 😀 All of this is JMO (just me “thinkin’ out loud”), but I can see that more for a pro than for a celeb – after all, Derek’s voters (for instance) know that DWTS is his current “day job”, it’s how he currently builds his celebrity status, and dancing is “his world”. Again, just an opinion, but I think that would make Derek’s overseas fans more likely to power vote for him than, say, Katherine’s UK fans would be to power vote for her. Being a Derek fan makes you more of a DWTS fan, and therefore, more likely to power vote…. ????? 😉
Liz, Gotta love Kym! She’s wearing a Steeler’s cap in an exercise clip with Jaleel, Derek, and Maria (and a few seconds later Melissa). Would love to know what she & Donald might be “chatting” about 🙂 She’s also getting some fans telling her steeler nation is still behind he. I wonder if it helped that she tweeted Hines that she’d like to be in Pittsburgh eating a gyro with him? 🙂
This is off-topic but I’ve been watching DWTS on the GSN HD channel and I can hardly stand to watch because of the picture issues. I first thought that there was an issue with S4 converted to the HD format but it’s also happening on S12, which was produced with HD camerars. Then I thought it was my cable provider but the disruptions in the picture happen about the same time on the repeats of DWTS and the picture on other GSN shows seem to be fine. Is anyone else seeing the same thing or is it just in my area?
Sheery, I didn’t know Kym and Donald were “chatting” but I do see a big… no, HUGE competition between Donald and Jaleel because Donald is a Packers player and he’s got the team and Packers fans behind him and Jaleel is with a pro who helped a Steelers player win. Wearing that Steelers was pretty good and I did show their fans the hat hoping they’ll be interested in voting for Jaleel and Kym. I know, I know, I’m such a little sneak lol. I do wonder if as many Steelers fans will still be interested in Kym competing after Hines was released from the team. I guess it won’t make a whole lot of difference.
Yeah, I agree, Sally. They are fans of Derek and therefore always want him to do well on DWTS. Foreign celebs?? Some of them might vote, but for them this is a passing thing. I don’t know how invested they would really be in it.
And you always have to remember, just because one has a lot of fans, it doesn’t mean they will be as invested in making the effort to vote. It depends on their age, etc. Twenty million people watch this show every week and THOSE average viewers are the ones that need to be courted. You can’t win without them, IMO.
Ashley, is GSN actually broadcasting in real HD??
The ranking is very logical and likely, yet it’s still sad to see hahaha. Too bad Katherine is at the bottom but she is unknown and had very limited exposure in American entertainment media. I can’t stand Mark but Katherine seems like she’s going to be pleasant to watch. Gavin 2nd from bottom? I’d feel bad for Karina. Also, I’d like for him to stay longer just so that DWTS has a current celeb on the roster 😉 But if his focus isn’t there leaving early is for the best. Martina is very zen. Unfortunately for her DWTS likes circus personality better. I love Anna so much……but dancing is hard for people with age, such as Jack. I have nothing to say about William, but Cheryl hasn’t left early since years ago. Gladys and Tristan, I’ll be so happy if they reach the midpoint!
You think Roshon’s gonna be in the top half? It is likely but there are just so many big names this season. I think he’s even more unknown then Chelsea, and if he doesn’t charm in his packages, his attitude plus his mismatch with the DWTS main demographic make me doubt he’ll make it to the top half. Unless he got really, really good. Otherwise, imo good judges’ scores only gonna propel him for 2-3 weeks, then he’s gone.
@wiwin: I was thinking the same thing at first about Roshon. But I watched his disney show and it just so happened he strted to dance. awesome hip hop dancer. That made me change my mind.
I must admit, I just don’t know about Roshon… he obviously has experience learning choreography, but I don’t think that hip-hop carries over at all to ballroom. I’m thinking he’ll either follow the general arc of Master P – someone who doesn’t like ballroom dancing, has a poor attitude, and gets sent packing – Or, he’ll be something like Romeo. Romeo was a pleasant surprise to me once he decided to embrace ballroom dancing, and really throw himself at it. Here’s hoping Roshon winds up being more like Romeo, and less like Master P! 🙂
@vin I agree that he moves great (I was seriously impressed) and will probably do well on DWTS too. But I just doubt he’ll stick to the audience minds, as he’s such an unknown among big names. Just doubting he’ll actually be in the top half. In seasons with not so many big names, definitely, but this season is packed. Also the way he carries himself is gonna matter. Agreeing with Sally, I really hope he’ll be as pleasang as Romeo. If he can adapt to ballroom well, his dances are gonna be so exciting.
I really can’t wait for Courtney’s rank for the top half! And her oh so spot on reasoning 🙂
I really think Martina and Tony will be first to go, but we will see. And twitter followers mean nothing, J.R. Martinez only had about 4,000 followers when DWTS started but his personality and great dancing made him really loved 🙂
Can’t wait for this season
@Ashley (#84)
I totally agree with you about twitter followers! I follow lots of people who are involved with DWTS (pros & contestants) just to know what’s going on but that doesn’t mean that I vote all of them 🙂
Thank you for this Courtney! Can’t wait for Part 2!
@Princess Heidi (Guess there’s another Ashley so I’ll use by last initial.) Comcast doesn’t broadcast anything in true HD – only 1080i max. The output on my TV says that the GSN DWTS shows are 1080i, which to me is worse than 720p for a show like DWTS because of the action and quick movements. Obviously they’ve upscaled the older shows, but they still look more like standard definition to me. It also doesn’t help that the picture sucks part of the time.
See, I didn’t realize Comcast was doing that, but it certainly explains a lot. The picture definitely isn’t as good as it is even during regular broadcast.
But besides that…I hate that they skipped to Season 12. Stupid. Wanted to see older seasons, not one that I just saw a year ago.
I agree about GSN skipping seasons. I hadn’t seen some or all of the older seasons and was looking forward to seeing S5. I thought that they were skipping to a new season to fix the issues with the picture but since S12 has the same issues, the only thing I can think of is that the older ones may draw a bigger viewing audience and they’re saving older seasons for sweeps periods.
Another thing that bothers me is that GSN has copy protected the episodes so I can’t transfer them to my computer to make room on my TiVo for other programs. Like anyone could make a decent DVD with a huge GSN logo and and a bunch of writing promoting a new epsisode of the Newlywed Game all over someone’s face….
Yeah, that pisses me off too ashley. Like anyone could sell DVDs of this show or something – the ratings arent high enough on the reruns to think that a reality.
Here’s My Rundown:
14th Place – Jack & Anna
13th Place – Gladys & Tristan
12th Place – Donald & Peta
11th Place: Katherine & Mark
10th Place: Martina & Tony
9th Place: Sherri & Val
8th Place: Willam & Cheryl
7th Place: Melissa & Maks
6th Place: Maria & Derek
Finale:
3rd Place: Gavin & Karina
2nd Place: Jaleel & Kym
1st Place – Roshon & Chelsie
Wow tough season unless Courtney from Bachelor joins in! My rankings from last to winner:
Marina and Tony
Jack and Anna
Gladys and Tristan
Sherri and Val
Donald and Peta
Gavin and Karina
William and Cheryl
Melissa and Maks
Katherine and Mark
Roshon and Chelsea
Jaleel and Kym
Maria and Derek
This season is hard to guess at! This is how I think it’ll happen, although I wish Sherri would go sooner then this as she is already getting on my nerves. So far I like Val this year though, maybe that will balance her out some.
Marina and Tony
Gavin and Karina
Gladys and Tristan
Katherine and Mark
Sherri and Val
Jack and Anna
Donald and Peta
Maria and Derek
Jaleel and Kym
Roshon and Chelsea
Melissa and Maks
My only concern for Roshon is if he has the maturity needed to pull off ballroom dances.
Jack said he’s been practicing Tango 🙂 Isn’t that a good sign for him to be practicing week 2’s dance. I know some pros do that when they feel the celeb is good at their first dance. Now will he have a big enough fan base–that’s the question.
My household watches a lot of NFL games—not one person recognized Driver’s name lol–maybe the Steeler fans in the family blocked it out on purpose!
Sherri, in a way, reminds me of Bristol in regards to fans. Many love her, and many dislike her. Whether it’s her views, running of the mouth, or her numerous abortions (that caused her flack), or her flip flopping on political issues, everyone will have a reason to not like her. On the other hand, some find her funny, or sympathetic because of her son’s disabilities. Can go either way. Plus, will she be a decent dancer? Will judges feel as if they need to keep on someone for ratings ala Kirstie, Bristol….?
Sheery – ITA about Roshon maybe not having the maturity to master the ballroom rounds. I hope Chelsie can reign him in some, but my gut … for right now, anyway …. is telling me he’ll be out sooner rather than later. As someone else has said, just too many big names this season that appeal to the voting demo of DWTS. He’s really going to have to come out dancing up a storm with charm oozing out of every pore.
All that youthful energy could be an advantage, but only if paired with proper technique and attention to detail.
I dunno, there was a picture last weekend where Derek said he and Maria were working on Quickstep.
Tristan hasn’t mentioned anything other than cha cha, and Karina (and Gavin) have only mentioned fox trot. Now those two couples are on the road a lot, so maybe it’s been tough. Wonder about Cheryl and Willy?
Gladys said she was excited about doing the Quickstep; I took that as to mean she and Tristan were already practicing some for week 2, but she could of just been recalling seeing the Quickstep before and it looked fun. 🙂 Btw in the rehearsel video she moved WELL, not only can she move well ( and fast ) but shes got soul like only someone from the deep south can have. 🙂 She might be another Kirstie type, 60 plus that also is an actually strong dancer. 4 more days!
I’m assuming that whoever has foxtrot wee 1 has jive week 2. This will benefit Jaleel , donald, and maybe Jack but Sherri might have a problem.
I think Martina will do well with the Jive. She looked good in the video i saw and shes obviously in amazing shape.
Oh, Lord… a week 2 Jive?!?!?!? 😯 W to the T to the F…
Didn’t they do a week 2 jive in season 12?? Or was it last season?
Last season. Cuz I remeber Hope and Maks had to jive as wel las Ricki and Derek cuz they had the ballroom dance frist in week 1.
Yeah, it was just last season… and I remember Court posting on why it was such a terrible idea… 🙁
I remember Ralph & Mike C doing jives S12…that’s what sent Mike home 1st, and I liked Ralph’s jive for a week 2 dance, but judges didn’t….I remember that.
Power Rankings Part 2 should be coming soon (based on the short time before Monday;). I can hardly wait to see them!
You are correct, Meggie – look for them about 1 pm EST (noon CST, 11 AM MST, and 10 PST) 😉
They’ve done the Jive in the second week every season since season 9…
Oh goodie! Courtney’s in the kitchen cooking up Part 2. Bet it will be tasty. 🙂
I better find something to do for a couple of hours to pass the time away… 🙂
… and 2 p.m. Atlantic Standard Time if you live where I do in Canada. I’ll be back here at 2:01 AST. Thanks! 😆
[…] kids – so on Tuesday, I counted down my picks for the bottom half of this season, and heard some great feedback from you guys. Now onto the top half…and my prediction for […]