Last night’s performance finale was by far the best show of the season. After all of this, going into Dancing with the Stars‘ final night, the judges’ scorecard has the final four ranked about where you would expect them. Zendaya finished with 65 points, Kellie Pickler had 64 points, Aly Raisman had 61 points and Jacoby Jones had 56 points. So who will win season 16 of Dancing with the Stars?
Dancing with the Stars Recap: The Performance Finale >>>
Jacoby Jones
Why He Won’t Win: Unfortunately for Jacoby, Monday night showed why he is just a step below the other three finalists. Jacoby is a good dancer and deserves to be in the final four, but it’s clear he just isn’t as good a dancer as the other three.
Why He Will Win: Jacoby has the most charisma of the final four. It’s ironic that the guy who wears a helmet and face mask for a living has the biggest personality. His final dance may not have scored the best, but it was very entertaining. Jacoby has a chance to win this if fans vote for him based on his ability to entertain and the fact that he is clearly the underdog.
Alexandra Raisman
Why She Won’t Win: I feel like in any other season, Aly would have been the frontrunner. Unfortunately, she has been overshadowed by Zendaya and Kellie. Aly’s scores from the judges have held strong with Kellie and Zendaya all season, but have always been a tick below.
Why She Will Win: Aly, like Jacoby, has the underdog thing going for her. I think there are a lot of fans out there who want to see Aly win because she is clearly good enough to win, despite not getting the same amount of attention as Zendaya and Kellie. Aly also took a lot of risks over the last few weeks with her performances, and she knocked each of them out of the park.
Zendaya
Why She Won’t Win: The only real blemish on Zendaya’s season came from her week nine score of 25 on the Quickstep. I’ve got to be honest, outside of that one score of 25, I don’t think there are many reasons to think Zendaya won’t win.
Why She Will Win: Zendaya started the season off as the highest scoring dancer, and she finished as the highest scoring dancer. Along with the top scores, I feel like she has the biggest and most active fan base voting for her.
Kellie Pickler
Why She Won’t Win: Kellie and Zendaya were neck and neck all season long, and both scored perfect 30’s on two of their dances last night. What may end up costing Kellie is the fact that she came in second place in the Cha Cha relay. Kellie had an opportunity to go head-to-head with Zendaya and she finished in second.
Why She Will Win: Kellie Pickler was widely regarded as the favorite coming into season 16, and she didn’t disappoint. I think Zendaya’s performance this season may have surprised some, but if you look back at the scores, Kellie lived up to the hype. Kellie and Derek Hough’s final performance may have been the best performance all season. While Zendaya and Val also scored a perfect 30 on their final dance, I think Kellie and Derek’s dance resonated more with the audience.
Prediction
Everyone loves Jacoby, but everyone also knows he is the worst dancer of the final four. Aly is the true underdog in that she can out-dance Kellie and Zendaya on certain nights, but doesn’t seem to get as much love as them. Season 16 started as a two-person race, and it comes down to a two-person race.
Kellie and Zendaya are so close based on the judges’ score cards, it mind as well be a toss-up. So you know it’s going to come down to the fan votes. I want to pick Kellie because I feel like her final dance was so emotional and it connected with more people. However, Zendaya has the bigger fan base and she has an edge in the judges’ scoring. Yes, it’s a tiny edge, but it’s an edge, nonetheless. Let’s face it, Zendaya’s fans are mostly young girls, and they will stay up well past their bedtime voting. I predict Zendaya wins season 16 of Dancing with the Stars.
Don’t forget to download the BuddyTV Guide app for your phone and add Dancing with the Stars to your very own watch-list.
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
