You know you want Kirstie Alley to win Season 12’s “Dancing With The Stars.” You can’t help yourself. She’s like a guilty pleasure — deep down inside you can’t help but like her. With her troubled history combating her weight to her open and honest interviews to her award-winning performances, Kirstie Alley is just someone you like. That said, and now that we know who we want to win “DWTS” Season 12, it might be a good idea to scout out Kirstie’s competition within the current cast of the dance show, which was revealed on Monday, Feb. 28, on ABC’s “The Bachelor.”
Working on the assumption that Alley can dance (she was in three movies with John Travolta, so…) and that Season 12 will end up becoming a personality contest (it’s the only way to explain the Tim Urbans and the Bristol Palins of the world — besides conspiracy theories), the two-time Emmy winner shouldn’t have much of a problem with her acting competition. Unlike Kirstie Alley, Ralph Macchio hasn’t been much of one to stay in the public eye since the 1980s. Sure, he was a nice looking young guy in “The Karate Kid” and “The Outsiders,” but where’s he been? Nostalgia can only get you so far.
Chelsea Kane? Besides tweens, teens, and moms of such, does anyone know who this Disney Channel actress is?
Romeo. The rapper just might have some holdover fans from the time he was on the show in Season 2. Romeo made “DWTS” history by being the first person to withdraw from the competition. He is also the first person to return to the competition for a repeat performance after withdrawing. In addition to his music, Romeo is also an actor, but since nobody has seen any of the low budget movies he’s been in since 2003’s “Honey” and he’s not been on television much since “Romeo!” ended its run in 2006, his impact on Kirstie’s chances are negligible.
The “Look Who’s Talking” actress shouldn’t have much of a problem against the athletes either. Traditionally, athletes don’t do well on “Dancing With The Stars” and are voted off early or mid-season. Season 12 might be one of the exceptions, with contestants like pro boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, pro wrestler Chris Jericho, and pro football star Hines Ward filling the bill, but don’t bet on it.
The only way Kirstie Alley will have a problem with television talk show host Wendy Williams (“The Wendy Williams Show”) and radio talk show host Mike Catherwood (“Lovelines”) is if they can dance and she can’t.
As for reality show celebrity Kendra Wilkinson, there could be a potential problem. If every guy who bought her sex tape and every female who is hooked on her E! reality show, “Kendra,” vote for her, she could actually win “DWTS” 2011. Her sex tape is the biggest selling tape of its genre in history and her show is an E! Television hit. But there are a lot of family values voters out there in “DWTS” land and that could hurt Wilkinson in the long run.
So who is Alley’s biggest competition in this season’s cast? Supermodel and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover girl, Petra Nemcova, that’s who. She’s beautiful (but so is Kirstie Alley). But looks aside and ignoring the fact that supermodels usually do not fare well on “DWTS,” Nemcova is a world-traveling humanitarian. She was on hand after Hurricane Katrina and after the Haiti earthquake. She also has the uplifting backstory of having survived the 2004 Christmas Tsunami that killed over 230,000 people, her boyfriend (photographer Simon Atlee) among them. She herself suffered a broken pelvis during the tragedy. If she happens to also be a passably good dancer, Nemcova could be Season 12’s winner.
That Los Angeles dance floor certainly is a long way from the friendly little bar on “Cheers.” But there are very few who do not know her name. Kirstie Alley’s got that going for her. Now, let’s just hope the girl can dance.
The cast hit the dance floor for Season 12 of “Dancing With The Stars” on March 21 on ABC Television.
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Source:
“‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 12 New Cast Revealed,” ABCNews.go.com
