The Dancing with the Stars Season 29 cast was announced Wednesday morning, and bets are already being placed on who will take home the Mirrorball Trophy. SportsBetting.ag recorded the odds that every contestant has of winning the dance competition. The site placed former Backstreet Boy AJ McLean at the top of the list tied with Olympics figure skater Johnny Weir.
While most of the contestants’ odds are relatively in the same range, the site ranked Tiger King star and Big Cats Rescue founder Carole Baskin way below the rest. This site’s contributors aren’t the only ones shocked by DWTS’s decision to cast Baskin. Fans have been expressing their outrage and confusion all across social media.
One Day at a Time actress Justina Machado is ranked in second place slightly behind McLean and Weir. The Real host Jeannie Mai, Cheer star and cheerleading coach Monica Aldama, rapper Nelly and Disney Channel star Skai Jackson follow closely behind as third most likely to win the Mirrorball.
Selling Sunset’s Chrishell Stause, Desperate Housewives actor Jesse Metcalfe, former Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe, and football superstar Vernon Davis cover the middle ground while Catfish host Nev Schulman, actress Anne Heche and basketball legend Charles Oakley fall slightly behind.
Both McLean and Weir have extensive backgrounds in movement and learning choreography. However, both have insisted that their dance experience is very different from the style of dance featured on the show.
McLean has been hyping up his appearance on the show over social media for the past week. He has been posting on Instagram, showing off his well-earned abs, hustling in the rehearsal room and even practicing his moves with his daughters. The competition has brought out his competitive side, and he clearly has his eyes on the prize.
Meanwhile, Baskin has more than the Mirrorball on the mind when it comes to partaking in DWTS. She stated during a Good Morning America interview that one of the main reasons she decided to compete is to redeem her reputation.
“The biggest thing for me is the longer my partner and I can stay in the running and in the competition, it will keep the cats forefront in the viewer’s eye. To me, that was where Tiger King missed the ball. It really should’ve been focused on the animals and so I’m hoping Dancing with the Stars will do that.”
The DWTS cast was announced on Good Morning America followed by virtual interviews with each of the contestants. It was also revealed that these contestants will be competing on the show’s famous ballroom stage without an audience.