Before Dancing with the Stars season 24 really began, a quick look at the casting made it clear that the women of the season had a clear advantage over the men. In all the talk and hype about Heather Morris, Simone Biles and Nancy Kerrigan, Fifth Harmony’s Normani Kordei got a little overlooked. Three weeks into season 24 it is almost impossible to ignore Normani — especially now that she might have just emerged as the frontrunner of the season after a fantastic foxtrot with partner Val Chmerkovskiy.
[WATCH] Nancy Kerrigan Shakes Her Bon-Bon to the Top on Dancing with the Stars>>> Normani, much like another early favorite, Rashad Jennings, is at the perfect level of fame for Dancing with the Stars. She didn’t enter the season with as much heat (and controversy) as Heather Morris and her professional dancer background. Normani is not expected to be as great at dancing as Nancy Kerrigan and Simone Biles. Fifth Harmony is a group that sounds vaguely familiar to most of the American public but not so famous that everyone is anticipating Normani to a be superstar. Normani was positioned in the perfect place to blossom on Dancing with the Stars and that is exactly what is happening.
Normani’s foxtrot with Val during Vegas Week wasn’t completely flawless. She wasn’t that much above Nancy’s samba or Heather’s tango in terms of technique. Normani also just barely edged out Rashad’s samba when it comes to energy and enthusiasm. The reason Normani is a frontrunner and topped the leader board during Vegas Week was her level of confidence.
The hardest thing for a Dancing with the Stars contestant to master isn’t the steps or routine of the dance. It is managing to look and feel like a proper dancer. Rashad Jennings is nearly there. Rashad’s samba with Emma was full of little mistakes but he didn’t make it show in his performance. Normani is completely in control, however.
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With the majority of the other contestants on Dancing with the Stars it feels like the professionals are still teaching their celebrities. This is true of Normani and Val during rehearsals, but during performances they’re equals. In fact, in the foxtrot Normani managed to do something that usually takes much longer on Dancing with the Stars: she was star of the routine and Val was just her support.
Before the season began Simone Biles and Heather Morris might have been the odds-on favorites to win but that’s not the case any longer. If Normani can continue the skills put on display in the foxtrot she is going to follow up her X-Factor win with a Dancing with the Stars victory.
But what do you think? Is Normani the front-runner? Was her foxtrot even the best dance of Vegas Week? Let us know in the comments below!
Dancing with the Stars season 24 airs Mondays at 8/7c on ABC. Want more news? Like our Facebook page!
(Image and video courtesy of ABC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Derek is a Philadelphia based writer and unabashed TV and comic book junkie. The time he doesn’t spend over analyzing all things nerdy he is working on his resume to be the liaison to the Justice League.
