Athletes are often among the top competitors on “Dancing With the Stars,” and the case should be the same in the upcoming 24th season. Two Olympians and an NFL player are among the favorites to win the competition in 2017.
Just months after taking home four gold medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Simone Biles is projected to be the winner of “DWTS.” Bookmaker.eu has given her +165 betting odds, putting her ahead of the rest of the field. She’s even favored ahead of professional dancer and “Glee” alum Heather Morris, who has +485 odds.
Biles’ teammate in Brazil was the winner of Season 23 of “DWTS.” Laurie Hernandez won the Mirror Ball trophy, becoming the fifth Olympian to do so.
U.S. Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles, pictured during Super Bowl 51 Opening Night at Minute Maid Park on Jan. 30, 2017 in Houston, is favored to win “Dancing With The Stars.” Photo: Getty Images
Nine athletes in total have successfully won the competition. Former figure skater Nancy Kerrigan has the third-best odds at +770.
Rashad Jennings is hoping to become the fourth NFL player to win “DWTS,” and the running back ranks fourth among the 12 contestants with +876 odds. Donald Driver was the last professional football player to do so, though that was 10 seasons ago. Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson had a third-place showing in the last season.
Jennings is searching for a new team after being cut by the New York Giants.
“Every offseason, I pick up a new fun craft to learn,” Jennings told the New York Daily News. “This year, I said I would pick between classes to learn a foreign accent or dance. It turned out to be dance.”
Professional bull rider Bonnor Bolton is in the middle of the pack with +1034 odds. He’s right behind Normani Kordei of Fifth Harmony.
One athlete, however, isn’t given much of a chance to win the competition. Catcher David Ross (+1574 odds) will be on the show after helping the Chicago Cubs win their first World Series in 108 years. The MLB season will start in a matter of weeks, but Ross retired after winning the championship, having played 15 seasons in the major leagues.
Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Chris Kattan has the worst odds of anyone at +2129.
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
