Tony evaluates our 17 contestants!
Hello readers of the DWTSGame! It’s me, Tony, and I’m going to be giving my thoughts on Season 11 as it progresses. This post will feature my pre-season thoughts of the 17 Season 11 stars. It will include how much danceability has, how I think they might fare in Ballroom and Latin as well as how far I think they will go. I won’t give any official placements, but you guys get the gist. So, let’s get right into it!
DAVID ARCHULETA & ALIONA VILANI
First off, the pairing of David and Aliona seems like a win to me. David’s Idol days have since past, but he’s seemed to have had quite a large amount of support since then. I could see his beginning dances being a bit awkward in some ways, but given time, he could work them out and really blossom into a good dancer. Latin, I think, would be his forte, with the ballroom dances giving him a
bit of trouble. Having said that, I do think David could make it at least halfway through the competition. But it’s all about how the readers vote!
ERIN BROCKOVICH & TONY DOVOLANI
Sadly, I haven’t seen the movie that she’s inspired, but Natalie tells me it’s a very inspiring story.
Anyone who has seen the movie probably would be behind Erin quite a lot. However, she is one of the older celebrities, and that generally means the danceability begins to decline.
Ballroom will definitely be Erin’s strong suit, and I believe she could convey the right emotions.
High energy Latin will definitely give her problems, and the Rumba could be good, but you need more than just emotions in the rumba. Hips are key, and Erin’s could be a bit
wooden. I’d give Erin one or two weeks after the first elimination, if I were to be brutally honest.
GERARD BUTLER & NATALIE LOWE
Another winning combination of celebrity and professional, Gerard and Natalie, I would think, have some high expectations. He can easily portray the dominant male in any passionate dance, and I believe he could lead Natalie very well in the ballroom dances. He’s definitely one of the ones to look out for, even in the pre-season. Depending on what Latin he has to do, he could do very well. The one big dance I see giving him some problems would be the Jive. Anything ballroom would be a winner for me, but the beginning Latin and ballroom could be a bit stiff and not as fluid as we’d like. However, given how popular he is, and the fact that I know he could improve, he could very well make the finals.
TERRY CREWS & CHERYL BURKE
When Natalie threw these two at me, she definitely caught me off guard! One of the wackiest pairings I’ve ever seen on the game! But here’s the kicker, I think Cheryl is the only professional that could tame Terry, so oddly, they work. As for how they would do? Definitely in the beginning weeks, Terry will be floating around the bottom of the leader board; of this I have no doubt.
Latin I think he could do really well in, but he can’t get too crazy. Control is always nice. Ballroom would give him some problems for sure, but there’s a slight chance he could pull one ballroom off. I do see Terry, unfortunately, being an early out.
ALI FEDOTOWSKY & VALENTIN CHMERKOVSKIY
Another stunning pair, I think. These two have “DARK HORSE” written all over them. Here’s the thing: I don’t know how big her fan base is, Val has grown a very supportive fan base, and I think that could translate into saving Ali as well. I believe Ali could be a very good dancer; not the best, but fairly decent. Dances like Cha-Cha, Jive, Foxtrot, Tango and maybe Samba could be very good to Ali. However, when I think of Ali, I think nerves as well. She strikes me as someone would be very tentative in the beginning weeks. But once she gets her courage? Oh boy, the rest of the cast better watch out! I hope she could make maybe the Team Dances or Quarterfinals, but I won’t be surprised if she’s out earlier than that.
JOSH HUTCHERSON & LACEY SCHWIMMER
Josh is definitely a fan base ringer, if nothing else. Do I think we’ll see a repeat of a Hunger Games star winning the game? No. While Josh and Lacey make a good pair, I’m not convinced he’s got the danceability to go all the way in the Game. I think he could have some decent ballroom, like the Foxtrot or maybe one of the Waltzes. His acting would help him in those for sure. Latin I see a bit more problems. Cha-Cha will be good to him; it’s good to almost everyone, haha! But I am a little apprehensive with everything else. Like I said, he’s got the fans for sure, so he could make at least the Quarterfinals and maybe even the Semifinals. But I don’t think he’ll win.
NICOLE JOHNSON & MAKSIM CHMERKOVSKIY
I’m going to be short with this one. Brittany Brannonis the only Miss State to prove she can dance and have the support, and I don’t think Nicole will be the second coming of Brittany. She could have some talent, but I see her performances being as cold as ice. I believe she’ll be cut by the second elimination, if not the first.
GUGU MBATHA-RAW & MARK BALLAS
Another Brit for Mark, it seems! Gugu is a bit of a game changer I think. She’s a gorgeous woman who could have the talent, but not the support. I think she’d be a bit of an all-around dancer. I don’t really see her having any trouble with any of the dance styles, except with dances that require a sexy, raunchy character. She’s hard to place for me, and I think she could go either way: either really far in the competition, or she could be an early out.
CINDY MCCAIN & LOUIS VAN AMSTEL
Ah, the politician’s wife. She has aged very well, in my opinion, and her partnership with Louis just seems right for some reason. Haha! However, the “elder celebrity” comes into play with Cindy and her husband, so I really can’t say how well I think she’ll do. The Waltz or Foxtrot I think will be one (or maybe both) of her highest scoring dances, especially the Waltz. There’s something about elder celebrities and ballroom that just makes you kind of happy. They’ve got the experience to pull off the emotions required, regardless if they’re an actor or not. She could have a bit of support, but I don’t see Cindy & Louis going far.
JOHN MCCAIN & ANNA TREBUNSKAYA
Anna seems to be the go-to pro for politicians. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing! Need I remind you all how far Bill Clinton got in his original run in Season 6? John & Anna could have that exact same support carry over to Season 11. Unfortunately, I see both ballroom and Latin being equally horrible from John. However, I know he’d give each and every dance he does 110%, but that doesn’t really mean much if he can’t dance to begin with. Normally, I’d say he’d be out early. However politicians have a way of sticking around, so I think he’ll be with us for a while!
LANE SWENSON & LINDSAY ARNOLD
Our DWTSGame Become-A-Contestant Winner! And I personally couldn’t be happier it was Lane. He really blew me away with his essay! The partnership of he and Lindsay seems’ really natural to me, as well. He’s a bit of an enigma to me. Given his dance talent, I think he could really come out swinging with either dance in Week 1! He just looks like that type of person that can make a mistake look like it was meant to happen, and then get on with it. While I see his ballroom being pretty good, I think Latin will be the dances to look out for with Lane. The only dance I see being a problem is Rumba, and that would just be him not getting the emotions across. I
want him to go far, but I really can’t say how far he’ll go.
DONALD TRUMP & PETA MURGATROYD
Oi vay. Peta’s definitely got her work cut out with Donald. They definitely seem to go together… but man, I just can’t find myself getting behind Donald. Like John, both Ballroom and Latin will be equally bad, and definitely worse than John’s, I’m sad to say. However, with what I’ve seen on the game’s comment voting pages in past seasons, the lowest scorers seem to get an uncomfortable amount of votes. Haha! So it’s that very reason I’d say Donald will make it past the first few eliminations.
CARRIE UNDERWOOD& DEREK HOUGH
Definitely the classiest pairing of the season, I think. Carrie is a gorgeous woman that has a lot of potential. And with a big following, she’s going to be pretty hard to beat. So why is it that I don’t see Carrie & Derek winning? She and Derek are another dark horse of Season 11 to me. Her ballroom will probably be a tad better than her Latin, but that doesn’t mean she won’t try her hardest in Latin! The dance I’m looking forward to the most from these two is a tie between the Rumba and the Argentine Tango. I think she could kill both. As for placement, I can give a bit of a solid guess: 4th place. Or, at least she’d make 4thplace. She could also very easily make the
finals. It’s up in the air at this point.
USHER & KARINA SMIRNOFF
Another natural pairing, I think Usher and Karina could be the ones to set the bar high in week 1. The only issue with that would be trying to maintain that level of “WOW”later on. Karina is an amazing choreographer, and as we’ve seen from his music videos, Usher can dance. Latin
will definitely be the higher scores for Usher, but he could surprise us in Ballroom, given the right song I think. I think he’s got a huge following, even among the readers of the DWTSGame, but I’d be lying if I said I think he’s a shoe-in for the Finals.
MARK WHALBERG & KYM JOHNSON
Ladies and Gentleman of the DWTSGame, I present to you my Pre-Season pick for Winners of the DWTSGame Season 11!! I know I’ve said there have been a lot of natural, and really good
pairings, but these two take the cake. These two are going to be a force to be reckoned with.
Everyone will need to watch out for these two. Both ballroom and Latin will be very kind to Mark, with the Quickstep, I think, being his biggest challenge. But even then, I think he’s got such a large amount of popularity, it won’t even matter. Definitely the only couple I’m convinced will make the finals.
SIGOURNEY WEAVER & TRISTAN MACMANUS
Sad as it is, Sigourney could be the first one cut by the triple elimination of Week 2. I wouldn’t put money on it, but I think it’s a definite possibility. She’s definitely got some work to do if she wants to stick around, I think. As per the trend above, ballroom will be good to her, I think. The Cha-Cha could even be good to her, but that’s where it stops for me. Tristan has a big fan base, I know, so there’s a strong chance I could be wrong about her being the first out! I actually hope I’m wrong. And if she does make it past Week 2, then I’d give her about 2 or maybe 3 more weeks.
KIELY WILLIAMS & HENRY BYALIKOV
I have to admit, Kiely and Henry are my favorites of Season 11. I only hope Kiely doesn’t get shockingly eliminated before her time, like Sabrina Bryan or many others on the DWTSGame. Her experience with the Cheetah Girls, I think, has given her a bit of an advantage in that she can probably pick up choreography well. Latin will definitely be Kiely’s strong point through out the
season. But she does look like another all around-er to me, so I think her Ballroom could be some of her best performances too! If I were to look at Kiely through unbiased eyes, I would say she’s a Semifinalist easy. And if she does make the Finals, I think she’d land in 3rd. But don’t count her out early, because she and Henry are going to be dynamic.
DAVID ARCHULETA & ALIONA VILANI
First off, the pairing of David and Aliona seems like a win to me. David’s Idol days have since past, but he’s seemed to have had quite a large amount of support since then. I could see his beginning dances being a bit awkward in some ways, but given time, he could work them out and really blossom into a good dancer. Latin, I think, would be his forte, with the ballroom dances giving him a
bit of trouble. Having said that, I do think David could make it at least halfway through the competition. But it’s all about how the readers vote!
ERIN BROCKOVICH & TONY DOVOLANI
Sadly, I haven’t seen the movie that she’s inspired, but Natalie tells me it’s a very inspiring story.
Anyone who has seen the movie probably would be behind Erin quite a lot. However, she is one of the older celebrities, and that generally means the danceability begins to decline.
Ballroom will definitely be Erin’s strong suit, and I believe she could convey the right emotions.
High energy Latin will definitely give her problems, and the Rumba could be good, but you need more than just emotions in the rumba. Hips are key, and Erin’s could be a bit
wooden. I’d give Erin one or two weeks after the first elimination, if I were to be brutally honest.
GERARD BUTLER & NATALIE LOWE
Another winning combination of celebrity and professional, Gerard and Natalie, I would think, have some high expectations. He can easily portray the dominant male in any passionate dance, and I believe he could lead Natalie very well in the ballroom dances. He’s definitely one of the ones to look out for, even in the pre-season. Depending on what Latin he has to do, he could do very well. The one big dance I see giving him some problems would be the Jive. Anything ballroom would be a winner for me, but the beginning Latin and ballroom could be a bit stiff and not as fluid as we’d like. However, given how popular he is, and the fact that I know he could improve, he could very well make the finals.
TERRY CREWS & CHERYL BURKE
When Natalie threw these two at me, she definitely caught me off guard! One of the wackiest pairings I’ve ever seen on the game! But here’s the kicker, I think Cheryl is the only professional that could tame Terry, so oddly, they work. As for how they would do? Definitely in the beginning weeks, Terry will be floating around the bottom of the leader board; of this I have no doubt.
Latin I think he could do really well in, but he can’t get too crazy. Control is always nice. Ballroom would give him some problems for sure, but there’s a slight chance he could pull one ballroom off. I do see Terry, unfortunately, being an early out.
ALI FEDOTOWSKY & VALENTIN CHMERKOVSKIY
Another stunning pair, I think. These two have “DARK HORSE” written all over them. Here’s the thing: I don’t know how big her fan base is, Val has grown a very supportive fan base, and I think that could translate into saving Ali as well. I believe Ali could be a very good dancer; not the best, but fairly decent. Dances like Cha-Cha, Jive, Foxtrot, Tango and maybe Samba could be very good to Ali. However, when I think of Ali, I think nerves as well. She strikes me as someone would be very tentative in the beginning weeks. But once she gets her courage? Oh boy, the rest of the cast better watch out! I hope she could make maybe the Team Dances or Quarterfinals, but I won’t be surprised if she’s out earlier than that.
JOSH HUTCHERSON & LACEY SCHWIMMER
Josh is definitely a fan base ringer, if nothing else. Do I think we’ll see a repeat of a Hunger Games star winning the game? No. While Josh and Lacey make a good pair, I’m not convinced he’s got the danceability to go all the way in the Game. I think he could have some decent ballroom, like the Foxtrot or maybe one of the Waltzes. His acting would help him in those for sure. Latin I see a bit more problems. Cha-Cha will be good to him; it’s good to almost everyone, haha! But I am a little apprehensive with everything else. Like I said, he’s got the fans for sure, so he could make at least the Quarterfinals and maybe even the Semifinals. But I don’t think he’ll win.
NICOLE JOHNSON & MAKSIM CHMERKOVSKIY
I’m going to be short with this one. Brittany Brannonis the only Miss State to prove she can dance and have the support, and I don’t think Nicole will be the second coming of Brittany. She could have some talent, but I see her performances being as cold as ice. I believe she’ll be cut by the second elimination, if not the first.
GUGU MBATHA-RAW & MARK BALLAS
Another Brit for Mark, it seems! Gugu is a bit of a game changer I think. She’s a gorgeous woman who could have the talent, but not the support. I think she’d be a bit of an all-around dancer. I don’t really see her having any trouble with any of the dance styles, except with dances that require a sexy, raunchy character. She’s hard to place for me, and I think she could go either way: either really far in the competition, or she could be an early out.
CINDY MCCAIN & LOUIS VAN AMSTEL
Ah, the politician’s wife. She has aged very well, in my opinion, and her partnership with Louis just seems right for some reason. Haha! However, the “elder celebrity” comes into play with Cindy and her husband, so I really can’t say how well I think she’ll do. The Waltz or Foxtrot I think will be one (or maybe both) of her highest scoring dances, especially the Waltz. There’s something about elder celebrities and ballroom that just makes you kind of happy. They’ve got the experience to pull off the emotions required, regardless if they’re an actor or not. She could have a bit of support, but I don’t see Cindy & Louis going far.
JOHN MCCAIN & ANNA TREBUNSKAYA
Anna seems to be the go-to pro for politicians. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing! Need I remind you all how far Bill Clinton got in his original run in Season 6? John & Anna could have that exact same support carry over to Season 11. Unfortunately, I see both ballroom and Latin being equally horrible from John. However, I know he’d give each and every dance he does 110%, but that doesn’t really mean much if he can’t dance to begin with. Normally, I’d say he’d be out early. However politicians have a way of sticking around, so I think he’ll be with us for a while!
LANE SWENSON & LINDSAY ARNOLD
Our DWTSGame Become-A-Contestant Winner! And I personally couldn’t be happier it was Lane. He really blew me away with his essay! The partnership of he and Lindsay seems’ really natural to me, as well. He’s a bit of an enigma to me. Given his dance talent, I think he could really come out swinging with either dance in Week 1! He just looks like that type of person that can make a mistake look like it was meant to happen, and then get on with it. While I see his ballroom being pretty good, I think Latin will be the dances to look out for with Lane. The only dance I see being a problem is Rumba, and that would just be him not getting the emotions across. I
want him to go far, but I really can’t say how far he’ll go.
DONALD TRUMP & PETA MURGATROYD
Oi vay. Peta’s definitely got her work cut out with Donald. They definitely seem to go together… but man, I just can’t find myself getting behind Donald. Like John, both Ballroom and Latin will be equally bad, and definitely worse than John’s, I’m sad to say. However, with what I’ve seen on the game’s comment voting pages in past seasons, the lowest scorers seem to get an uncomfortable amount of votes. Haha! So it’s that very reason I’d say Donald will make it past the first few eliminations.
CARRIE UNDERWOOD& DEREK HOUGH
Definitely the classiest pairing of the season, I think. Carrie is a gorgeous woman that has a lot of potential. And with a big following, she’s going to be pretty hard to beat. So why is it that I don’t see Carrie & Derek winning? She and Derek are another dark horse of Season 11 to me. Her ballroom will probably be a tad better than her Latin, but that doesn’t mean she won’t try her hardest in Latin! The dance I’m looking forward to the most from these two is a tie between the Rumba and the Argentine Tango. I think she could kill both. As for placement, I can give a bit of a solid guess: 4th place. Or, at least she’d make 4thplace. She could also very easily make the
finals. It’s up in the air at this point.
USHER & KARINA SMIRNOFF
Another natural pairing, I think Usher and Karina could be the ones to set the bar high in week 1. The only issue with that would be trying to maintain that level of “WOW”later on. Karina is an amazing choreographer, and as we’ve seen from his music videos, Usher can dance. Latin
will definitely be the higher scores for Usher, but he could surprise us in Ballroom, given the right song I think. I think he’s got a huge following, even among the readers of the DWTSGame, but I’d be lying if I said I think he’s a shoe-in for the Finals.
MARK WHALBERG & KYM JOHNSON
Ladies and Gentleman of the DWTSGame, I present to you my Pre-Season pick for Winners of the DWTSGame Season 11!! I know I’ve said there have been a lot of natural, and really good
pairings, but these two take the cake. These two are going to be a force to be reckoned with.
Everyone will need to watch out for these two. Both ballroom and Latin will be very kind to Mark, with the Quickstep, I think, being his biggest challenge. But even then, I think he’s got such a large amount of popularity, it won’t even matter. Definitely the only couple I’m convinced will make the finals.
SIGOURNEY WEAVER & TRISTAN MACMANUS
Sad as it is, Sigourney could be the first one cut by the triple elimination of Week 2. I wouldn’t put money on it, but I think it’s a definite possibility. She’s definitely got some work to do if she wants to stick around, I think. As per the trend above, ballroom will be good to her, I think. The Cha-Cha could even be good to her, but that’s where it stops for me. Tristan has a big fan base, I know, so there’s a strong chance I could be wrong about her being the first out! I actually hope I’m wrong. And if she does make it past Week 2, then I’d give her about 2 or maybe 3 more weeks.
KIELY WILLIAMS & HENRY BYALIKOV
I have to admit, Kiely and Henry are my favorites of Season 11. I only hope Kiely doesn’t get shockingly eliminated before her time, like Sabrina Bryan or many others on the DWTSGame. Her experience with the Cheetah Girls, I think, has given her a bit of an advantage in that she can probably pick up choreography well. Latin will definitely be Kiely’s strong point through out the
season. But she does look like another all around-er to me, so I think her Ballroom could be some of her best performances too! If I were to look at Kiely through unbiased eyes, I would say she’s a Semifinalist easy. And if she does make the Finals, I think she’d land in 3rd. But don’t count her out early, because she and Henry are going to be dynamic.
RSS Feed