We’re just one week away from crowning the winner of Dancing with the Stars season 24 and it’s anyone’s game. Heading into the semifinals, four couples hope to earn one of the three spots in the finale, getting the chance to perform a Freestyle and compete for the Mirror Ball Trophy.
This might be as tight of a finale as we’ve seen in a long time. I could make the case for any of the four remaining couples to win (yes, even David) and I could also imagine a scenario where any of the remaining couples goes home in fourth place.
THE LEADERBOARD
79: Normani Kordei
75: Rashad Jennings
72: Simone Biles
65: David Ross
Normani and Val: Once again they are on top of the leaderboard, but are they getting overscored because the judges know that Normani isn’t getting as many votes as the other stars? Even if she’s not, she has a comfortable lead and delivered two impressive performances. Her anti-bullying Contemporary routine was emotional and her cowboy Jive had plenty of sex appeal that could definitely win over any fans who were voting for Bonner. They should be safe, but after Heather and Nancy, nothing is certain.
Rashad and Emma: He’s been doing good all season, but the judges really went after him for his footwork. He’s second on the leaderboard, but his two routines were kind of forgettable and if he’s lost in the shuffle, maybe he comes up short.
Simone and Sasha: The judges were absolutely brutal towards Simone, which might actually be a good thing. I’ve seen a lot of support for her in the wake of the judges’ comments, people who think they were too mean. That kind of sympathy and her inherent likeability and popularity might be enough to save her.
David and Lindsay: The everyman quality is very important on this show, just ask Alek Skarlatos. It’s obvious that he’s the worst dancer left, but that may not matter because his daddy/daughter dance was as sweet as could be. Even being so low on the leaderboard may not stop him if he has an avalanche of viewer support.
MY PREDICTION
Like Bill Engvall, I will predict that David Ross and Lindsay Arnold go home in fourth place. He’s made it much farther than anyone expected (I was predicting him to be the first one gone), but this may be the end. The main reason goes back to the dance-offs. In the viewer live voting, Simone crushed Nancy and Rashad managed to edge out a win over David. If he got fewer votes than Rashad during that live vote, then it seems unlikely to me that he can get enough additional votes to overtake anyone above him on the leaderboard.
Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays at 8/7c on 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.
