ABC "Dancing With the Stars"
Fans of “Dancing With the Stars” are sure they know who will win the upcoming season of the ballroom dance competition.
Mark Ballas announced his return to “Dancing With the Stars” during the cast reveal on Thursday, September 8, 2022 on “Good Morning America.” He first joined the show during season five and was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography for the show in 2011.
He left the show in 2018, but he’s now made his surprise return, much to the excitement of fans. Now, though, many fans think Ballas will win the whole competition easily.
Ballas Has Been Partnered With Charli D’Amelio
As an influencer and part of the DWTS cast, Charli D’Amelio follows in the footsteps of Olivia Jade Giannulli and pop star JoJo Siwa as celebrities with large social media presences making their way into the ballroom.
Charli boasts the second-highest following on TikTok with 145.7 million followers. There, she posts dance videos as well as updates fans on her life and products that she loves. The star also joins the roster of celebrities who have dance experience. She’s been taking dance lessons since she was a young girl.
After the partnership was announced, fans took to Reddit to discuss their chance of winning.
“Ok, so Charli and Mark are winning this, right? Excited to have Mark back but also can’t wait to see how the rest do,” one person wrote on Reddit after the partnerships were announced.
Another person wrote, “i would be shocked if they didn’t win, they’re definitely at least going to be top 3.”
“I can’t believe I’m going to root for Charli, but Mark is my favorite ever and I’m so happy he’s back,” one person wrote.
Many are going to root for D’Amelio because she was partnered with Ballas.
Most agree that they believe the partnership will at least make it to the finals.
“Charli + Mark, Wayne + Witney, Jordin + Brandon, Daniel + Brit,” one person predicts about the finale.
Another commented that it would be “obvious” that they make the finale.
‘Dancing With the Stars’ Premieres on September 19
Season 31 of “Dancing With the Stars” premieres on Monday, September 19 on Disney+. The show will be the first live competition show to stream on the platform.
Moving to the streaming service means always being able to be live coast-to-coast, which could also lead to more fair voting. When the show was on ABC, it aired at 8 p.m. Eastern time and Pacific time, but the voting always closed before 10 p.m. Eastern time and results were revealed, meaning that people on the west coast never got a chance to watch the dances before voting if they wanted to participate in voting.
The ballroom dance competition is set to be hosted by Tyra Banks, who took over in that position ahead of season 29 when Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews were ousted, and Mirrorball champion Alfonso Ribeiro. Ribeiro was announced as a host of the show in June 2022.
The show has just a few original cast members remaining. Judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Len Goodman all return to the judging table, and they’re joined by six-time Mirrorball champion Derek Hough.
Here are the partnerships you’ll see in the ballroom this season:
- Britt Stewart & Daniel Durant
- Cheryl Burke & Sam Champion
- Mark Ballas & Charli D’Amelio
- Peta Murgatroyd & Jason Lewis
- Emma Slater & Trevor Donovan
- Koko Iwasaki & Vinny Guadagnino
- Daniella Karagach & Joseph Baena
- Witney Carson & Wayne Brady
- Val Chmerkovskiy & Gabby Windey
- Alan Bersten & Jessie James Decker
- Artem Chigvintsev & Heidi D’Amelio
- Gleb Savchenko & Shangela
- Louis Van Amstel & Cheryl Ladd
- Brandon Armstrong & Jordin Sparks
- Pasha Pashkov & Teresa Giudice
- Sasha Farber & Selma Blair
“Dancing With the Stars” premieres on Disney+ on Monday, September 19, 2022 at 8 p.m. EST. Voting will be open during the show in the U.S. and Canada.