Odds to Win Dancing with the Stars Season 35 After Full Cast Revealed
By Paul Lebowitz in Entertainment
Published:
- After intense speculation, the cast for Dancing with the Stars Season 35 has been announced with relatively few surprises
- Now the page turns to the competition itself and who might win the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy for coming out on top in DWTS35
- Prediction markets are already active for the DWTS35 winner, and users can enter the market early for solid odds on the favorites and some under-the-radar contenders
Dancing with the Stars 35’s cast was unveiled and will feature some clear contenders like Jenna Dewan as well as recognizable personalities such as Guillermo Rodriguez (Jimmy Kimmel’s sidekick), who is there to entertain and has little chance of winning. It will get underway on back-to-back nights Sept. 15 and 16 on ABC and Disney+.
DWTS is a pop culture phenomenon. Its allure is the skillful dancing, often performed by people who might not be viewed as flexible, athletic, or lithe. There is also a fair share of drama that comes out as gossip and is baked into the cake of the show. It’s part of why many people watch it in the first place.
With that, it will accrue substantial attention on prediction markets. Users can put their money behind the relatively known quantity in Dewan, or they can look down the list for participants who are not necessarily dancers, but have shown abilities conducive to dancing in the past, like figure skater Amber Glenn and actor (and trained professional dancer) Harry Shum Jr. Then there are the fun picks like Rodriguez.
Prediction Market Odds to Win Dancing with the Stars S35
It’s very early, and trading volume for this market is currently approaching $30K. It will shoot upward like a rocket very quickly.
As implied earlier, Jenna Dewan is far ahead in the current market at 43%. Amber Glenn is at 12%. Next is a surprise choice, Savannah Bananas baseball player Jackson Olson at about 10%. Actress Julia Stiles is looming at 10%. Harry Shum Jr. is hovering at 6%. Irish TV personality Maura Higgins is at 5%. Then the numbers start to drop, with most performers in the mid-to-low single digits. Guillermo Rodriguez, for the record, is at 2%. Taylor Hanson and Giada De Laurentiis are below Rodriguez at 1% each.
For those who want to take part in this market, the Kalshi referral code offers new users a $25 bonus once $25 in trades are completed.
The rules require that the selected person be officially declared the winner of Dancing with the Stars Season 35 for the market to resolve to Yes. The outcome will be verified by ABC and Disney+.
Early Speculation on Who Might Win DWTS35
The most obvious strategy when making an early pick as to who will win DWTS35 is to look at the performers’ pasts and determine if they are viable dancers or not. With that, it is understandable that the early favorite is Jenna Dewan. Her early rise to stardom came in the film Step Up with Channing Tatum. She can dance because there’s video evidence of her…dancing.
Jackson Olson being so high in the early prediction markets percentage is interesting since he’s a baseball player. Admittedly, he plays for the Savannah Bananas, who are something of a version of the Harlem Globetrotters for baseball. Olson dances as part of his performance with the Bananas. However, will he be able to transition to partner dancing on DWTS?
He’s not small, with a listed height of 6’2″ and weighing 200 pounds, which could be a factor in adapting to DWTS.
Two understated picks are Harry Shum Jr. and Julia Stiles.
Shum was a backup dancer on various pop star tours with Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, and Mariah Carey. He was also a silhouette in iPod ads. Since he’s focusing on acting now, it’s forgotten that his roots are in dance.
Stiles had a notable movie career in the early aughts with some headlining roles, including Save the Last Dance, an obviously dance-themed film. It initially looked as if she would be a top-billed star before her career settled into what it is today with a regular spot as a voice-over actor in animated shows, independent productions, and the “friend” in more prominent endeavors. Hence her accepting the offer to be on DWTS35.
She can certainly dance.
For those of us who wanted Rob Gronkowski or Donna Kelce in the cast, Guillermo Rodriguez is a consolation prize to root for.
(Spoiler alert: He’s not gonna win.)
The easy, early pick is Dewan. But it is a good idea to watch Shum and Stiles.
Paul Lebowitz is a novelist, columnist, social commentator, and the author of eight published books on baseball – one novel and seven baseball guide/previews. He covers sports, politics, and pop culture. Paul graduated from Hunter College with a degree in English. He lives in New York City.
