Dancing with the Stars has been fairly easy to predict this season, but now that it’s down to the Final 4, the competition is stiff. The Top 4 couples are also the four couples this season with the highest average scores. If that seems normal, it’s not, as it’s only happened in four of the last 14 seasons.
For the finals, the remaining couples will each perform twice on Monday night, including the Freestyles. One couple will be eliminated and the other three will dance one last time on Tuesday’s finale before the Mirror Ball Trophy is awarded. But which three will make it?
The leaderboard is tighter than ever, with only four points separating first and last. Translated to percentages, that equates to about a 1.3 percent difference, which means the public vote is more important than ever. Let’s look at the four couples remaining and weigh their chances of making the Final 3.
THE LEADERBOARD
78: Janel Parrish
76: Bethany Mota
75: Alfonso Ribeiro
74: Sadie Robertson
Janel Parrish and Val Chmerkovskiy:
They’ve topped the leaderboard for the past three weeks in a row. If momentum is important, then these two have it all. Between their sweet budding relationship and impeccable dancing, they have usurped Alfonso and Witney as the frontrunners and should be shoo-ins for the Final 3.
Bethany Mota and Derek Hough
This is Derek’s 10th season in a row finishing in the Top 4. He has five Mirror Balls and more fans than any other pro (and most of the stars). In addition, their perfect picture frame Contemporary routine last week was sure to bring out the voters and could help push them farther.
Alfonso Ribeiro and Witney Carson
Alfonso stumbled last week because of injuries, but that might help him. He still had great scores and he definitely has all of the sympathy. Fans WANT him to win, and at this stage, being popular is the most important part of the competition. He’s also the only male star left, and there have only been two seasons in which the Final 3 were all female stars (including last season).
Sadie Robertson and Mark Ballas
This is the hardest couple to predict. They had the lowest score last week and weren’t particularly memorable in either of their routines. But it’s not wise to underestimate the power of her Duck Dynasty fans. That’s probably the same voting bloc that helped Mark Ballas reach third place with Bristol Palin and Candace Cameron Bure, and they were both worse dancers than Sadie.
MY PREDICTION
I predict Sadie and Mark will be eliminated. I know I just warned against such a prediction, but there are no good reasons to predict any of these four couples, so I have to think of who has the least good reason to stay. Janel is killing it and has the momentum, Alfonso has the sympathy and Bethany has Derek. For me, it’s a toss-up between Bethany and Derek, but I’m judging it based on last week’s performances, and the picture frame routine wins.
Who do you think will get eliminated in fourth place on Dancing with the Stars season 19? Find out Monday at 8pm on ABC, and tune in Tuesday at 9pm for the two-hour finale.
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
