DWTS: Does DeMarcus Ware have what it takes to lift the Mirrorball Trophy?
DWTS: Dancing With The Stars 2023 has only just gotten underway, but it looks like a new champion is already emerging from the sequins and spray tans! Super Bowl 50 champion, DeMarcus Ware, is the latest sporting superhero to swap the gridiron for glamour as he sets his sights on the famous mirrorball trophy.
Already a top performer
After week 1 of the award-winning entertainment show returned to our screens, Ware was already being named as one of the two top performers to win this season. However, following a sensational two weeks in the competition the NFL legend and his professional partner, Lindsay Arnold, have edged past R&B singer, Tinashe, to become the bookies’ favorite.
Proud to represent the NFL
A celebrated outside linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys and the Denver Broncos, Ware is the 22nd NFL player to hit the DWTS dancefloor. Although Ware’s presence is sorely missed in those NFL teams entering the 2018 season, he is nonetheless proud to be part of the ballroom roster this year. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Ware spoke of how the opportunity to be part of the NFL/DWTS alumni was a “great” one – “it’s almost like a fraternity.” With a remarkable four former footballers taking home the trophy in past seasons – Emmitt Smith, Rashad Jennings, Hines Ward, and Donald Driver – and another ten finishing in the top 3, De Ware has been able to get some exclusive insider advice.
Caption: Ware proved a dominant force on the pitch, but how will he fare on the ballroom floor?
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He may well have been one of the most athletic players to rush passes on the pitch, but prior to stepping onto the hallowed DWTS ballroom floor the 36-year-old had never danced properly before. Although already possessing that winning attitude and champion spirit, Ware had some work to do to polish his fleet footwork, despite his years of dominance on the football pitch. He knew he would have his work cut out for him when his children, 10-year-old Marley and 7-year-old DeMarcus II, recorded one of his practice sessions. Marley, tactfully, said that despite not knowing how well he’d do they were “gonna be cheering for you”; but DeMarcus Jr. pulled no punches and told his superstar dad “You don’t do too well when the music’s on. Your rhythm’s a little off”. Ouch!
But the NFL great wasn’t knocked off his stride and he turned to his fellow footballing alumni for some helpful tips – “if you’re athletic, you can do more jumps, or you can do more lifts. You gotta be more elegant…they (the judges) want you to look smooth” – was just part of the salsa-savvy advice he received from the guys.
Star Pedigree
Whilst the saying “behind every great man is an even greater woman” is certainly true in so many situations, it’s even more true on the DWTS dancefloor! For all the hidden talent and undiscovered potential, our favorite celebrities possess, it’s the professional partners who pull it all together and make them shine, coaching them and creating routines that play to their strengths. And in pro dancer Lindsay Arnold, Ware has found a partner that knows what it takes to turn a diamond in the rough into a glitterball champion.
Hailing from Provo, Utah, Arnold won her first trophy last season with singer and actor Jordan Fisher. Appearing as both a professional partner and member of the pro dance troupe since the 16th season of the show, Arnold has a lot of experience with athletic celebrities. She took wide receiver Calvin Johnson Jr. to third place and came runner-up with World Series champ David Ross in the seasons prior to winning the trophy. She’s already built up quite the partnership with Ware, teaching him “a lot of the dance moves…from a football aspect”, and is helping the hulking athlete develop an appreciation of dance as both an art form and athletic discipline.
On British Shores
The competition may well be hotting up over this side of the pond, but Anglophiles will no doubt be keen to know what’s happening in the UK’s counterpart ‘Strictly Come Dancing’. The 16th season of this iconic competition, which can be watched on BBC America, kicked off on September 22nd and has already delivered an exciting couple of weeks. Vlogger Joe Sugg and his pro partner Dianne Buswell have emerged as early favorites to scoop the trophy, however as the season progresses they are beginning to face stiff competition from celebrities Stacey Solomon, and pop starlet Faye Tozer
A popular vote with Millenials, the 27-year-old hails from where Wiltshire, England, and rose to fame as a Vlogger and Social Media Influencer. Better known as ‘Thatcher Joe’ online, Sugg is the first ever YouTube celebrity to appear on the show. His beautiful professional partner, Dianne Buswell, famously joined the British show after competing on the Aussie version of So You Think You Can Dance, making her Strictly debut in 2017. With youth, creativity, and a definite audience rapport all in their favor, this pair have the goods to go all the way.
Season 27 of Dancing With The Stars is available to watch now on ABC Go.com, whilst Strictly Come Dancing can be streamed exclusively on BBC America. Check your local listings guide for more info.
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