New ‘Dancing with the Stars’ season stepping it up

By Anna Corbett, Staff Writer

I was starting to completely lose interest in competitive TV shows. And then “Dancing with the Stars” advertised its 33rd season with a fantastic lineup of celebrity contestants. I grew up watching this show with my mom but slowly fell out of love with it when I stopped being able to recognize the “stars” being cast to compete on the dance floor with the help of professional ballroom dancers.

This year’s lineup, though, included stars that came from some of my favorite childhood shows, stars mired in recent controversy, and even a couple of recent Olympians.

Some of the most notable contestants who were cast on season 33 were Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscick, ex-con Anna Delvey, Olympic rugby star IIona Maher, and Chandler Kinney from Disney’s “Zombies” franchise.

And I was right to be excited. This season, which started on Sept. 17, has been filled with compelling characters and fun performances.

Nedoroscick has been one of the fan favorites so far this season because of his endless energy on the dance floor. He’s known as “The Specialist” – he was a specialist on the pommel horse during the summer Olympics and clinched the first medal for American men's gymnastics in almost 16 years. And he has been the contestant I am most excited about this season. He has an unbridled passion for every aspect of the competition that I enjoy watching every week.

Delvey, meanwhile, has already been eliminated from the competition. She was the victim of a second-week double elimination (contestants are ranked based on judges’ scores and votes from the audience), likely because of her lack of excitement for the competition both on and off the floor. A Russian con artist, Delvey was sentenced to prison after posing as a German heiress and stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Her attitude and inability to show emotion to the judges or her dance partner likely led to her elimination, and when asked what she learned from the competition she replied, “Nothing.” She was who I found to be very out of place in the competition due to her lack of talent and emotion.

Maher is an American rugby player who also played in the most recent summer Olympics and is most known for her social media presence, mainly on TikTok. Her energy on the dance floor can be felt but not seen. Though she has a bit more difficulty moving with the flow of the music, she works around it and is still able to bring more to the floor than a vibe. She exudes her personality in everything she does. Although her dance skills are lacking, her energy makes up for it tenfold. I find her very enjoyable to watch and especially like the behind-the-scenes content she posts on TikTok.

Kinney is an actor best known for her role as Willa in Disney’s “Zombies” franchise. She’s had quite a bit of dance experience, which gives her a better chance of winning the whole competition. She can take over the dance floor with her ability to move freely and with so much grace. She has been the judges’ favorite for the past few weeks and is who I believe is going to be this season’s winner. She has an immense amount of talent that is refreshing to watch after a multitude of emotionless dancers this season.

This season is shaping up to be one of the best in years and has brought back the excitement that I used to share with my mom. The same anticipation I feel waiting for each week's new episode is what I would guess keeps viewers coming back. I am very excited to see who will be the next champion of “Dancing with the Stars” and take home the mirrorball trophy.

Want to watch? New episodes of “Dancing With the Stars” air at 7 p.m. Tuesdays on ABC and Disney Plus. The episodes stream on Hulu the following day.

PHOTO: Courtesy, ABC & Disney+