Dancing with the Stars

Less than a week to go until Dancing with the Stars premieres for its seventh season. Yesterday, I offered my thoughts on which of the 13 couples would be the least successful on this season of Dancing with the Stars, and today, it's all about the middle of the pack.

Athletes have dominated Dancing with the Stars for the past four seasons, but I think this will be the year in which someone else will take the trophy. As such, all three athletes on this year's roster fall in my middle five.

Don't forget that the Dancing with the Stars seventh season begins this Monday, September 22. Two couples will be eliminated in the first week, and it's sure to be exciting.

8. Misty May-Treanor and Maksim Chmerkovskiy

I am a huge fan of strong, athletic women like Misty. She has become a household name this summer due to her amazing performance at the Beijing Olympics, where she and her partner Kerri Walsh brought home the gold. I would love it if Misty and Maks could make it farther than eighth place, but I have to agree with astute BuddyTV member sreed1234 who pointed out that Misty is accustomed to going barefoot on the beach and that she might have problems wearing heels. Not only that, but after mulling over her rehearsal photos for a while, I've come to the conclusion that Misty is too much of a tomboy to embrace the elegance that you need in ballroom.


7. Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson

I think Warren and Kym will be a really entertaining team, really fun to watch. Warren looks like he has a really outgoing, fun personality, and people will definitely be rooting for them. However, I think that Warren's sheer size will impede his progress.


6. Cody Linley and Julianne Hough

Cody and Julianne make an adorable couple, and they will certainly be fun to watch. I think they will make a respectable showing in the competition, but there are too many other couples who are stronger. I don't think that Cody has it in him to embrace the romantic roles that a dancer must take on in the sultrier styles, and the judges will dock him points for that.


5. Toni Braxton and Alec Mazo

Toni and Alec originally occupied a much higher place in my rankings. In fact, they would have been in my top three, but then I read on RealityTVMagazine that Toni was diagnosed this summer with a heart condition called coronary microvascular angina, a condition that starves parts of the body of oxygenated blood. In May and June, of this year, she even had to cancel some of her shows in Las Vegas. Ballroom dance requires enormous physical exertion, and since Toni spent the summer trying to recover, it may be difficult to keep up with the demands of daily rehearsals.


4. Maurice Greene and Cheryl Burke

Maurice is the man, in my eyes. I've no doubt that he and Cheryl will work extremely hard this season. They'll excel and finish respectably near the top of the pack, but ultimately, they'll fall just short of the top three.


Read more Dancing with the Stars Power Rankings:
The Top Three
The Bottom Five



-Debbie Chang, BuddyTV Staff W.iter
Source: RealityTVMagazine
(Image courtesy of ABC)