‘Dancing With The Stars’ Season 26 Finale Betting Odds
–This is the 26th season for ABC’s reality show.
–Season 26 is a special 4 week competition featuring a field of athletes.
–’Dancing With The Stars’ Finale Episode will air on May 21, 2018.
It might not be as improbable as the Vegas Golden Knights’ 2017-2018 season–they’re on the verge of making the Stanley Cup Finals as of this writing–but there’s something of a surprise turn of events on ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Season 26. Tonya Harding is one of the three finalists on the special ‘all athletes’ mini-season. More about that in a moment. The other two finalists were basically as we expected with Adam Ripon and Josh Gordon making the final three.
The three contestants eliminated in Week 3 made for a contentious fanbase to be sure. Chris Mazdzer was likable but not much more and probably deserved to get the boot. I had set Mirai Nagasu as the favorite before the season started but she ended up being as irritating as, well, Nancy Kerrigan. Nagasu reacted to her elimination like she was the victim of a bigger ‘robbery’ than Roy Jones ‘losing’ the Gold Medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Jennie Finch was eliminated and that wasn’t surprising since she’d laid an egg in Week 2. She was our -250 favorite to get the heave-ho in Week 3 and you better believe that she continued to milk the ‘family values’ angle on the way out the door. That was because she’d ‘called an audible’ last week by changing her song choice on the the day of the show because she felt the original choice was ‘too risqué’. Alas, it wasn’t a nasty unreleased Prince track as I had speculated but some song called “Make Me Feel,” by Janelle Monae. Not surprisingly, the lunatic fundamentalist Christian community is awash with praise for her ‘brave decision’ to refuse to dance to a song that CBN News described as a ‘bisexual anthem’:
“Make Me Feel,” by Janelle Monae is filled with vulgar lyrics and sexual references, and some have called it the “bisexual anthem.”
From the getgo, Finch-Daigle told her partner, Keto Motsepe, that she “wasn’t sure” about the song, saying, “it’s just not me.”
During the episode Motsepe is seen telling her, “Just relax, we’ll make it work.”
“I’m struggling with my song choice,” Finch-Daigle told the camera’s, conflicted. “It’s a little to risque. I’m just not feeling comfortable with it.”
When she ultimately decides she can’t go through with it, she tells, “I need to follow who I am and stand up for what I believe.”
JENNIE FINCH IS A TAD HYPOCRITICAL
Apparently proofreading, like ‘bisexual anthems’, is an affront to god’s will–the guy’s name is *Keo* Motsepe. The narrative that CBN News spins is everything that is contemptible about the Religious Right. Finch wanted to do the right thing all along but she was ‘led into temptation’ by her partner who is definitely black, definitely not from the United States (he’s South African) and may or may not be gay. Motsepe has worked on Broadway and was involved in the first same sex dance ever on network television. In the narrow minded and judgmental world of religious fundamentalism that’s proof enough that he’s a dangerous sexual degenerate–these are ‘obvious tells’ like the dead football players being found with mineral water in the classic film ‘Heathers’. The good news is that Jennie didn’t let the wicked black foreigner who may or may not be gay lead her into temptation.
Jennie has every right to ‘stand up for what she believes in’ but her sanctimony doesn’t pass the smell test. Other things she believes in–exploiting her kids to get over with middle America and milking her body and appearance during her softball career for publicity and financial gain until it started to go south. Even so, she’s had the fundamentalist set bamboozled for years. On the other hand, she had no problem with the US Olympic Committee pushing her as a ‘sex symbol’ with a massive PR blitz that landed her on the ‘People Magazine Most Beautiful People’ list. Nor did she have a problem appearing in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue or otherwise milking her sex appeal.
The angle she’s always tried to work is that she’s not comfortable being a sex symbol but she *has* to do it because….uh…just because. Here’s a bizarre article from the peak of her career that bends over backwards making her sound like she had no other choice in the matter. First, Olympic teammate Stacey Nuveman weighs in:
“In a perfect world … it wouldn’t matter what she looks like or anybody else looks like. The world we live in … that’s where we are.”
Finch’s explanation was even more bizarre:
“I’m not meant to be in the TV studio. Even working these events, it’s not comfortable to me.”
“It’s just the position God has taken me, and I can open so many more doors for the future.”
And here’s Nuveman again with the most convoluted explanation since Vanilla Ice tried to ‘explain the differences’ between ‘Ice Ice Baby’ and Queen’s ‘Under Pressure’:
“To me, it’s one thing to be aware that sex is selling. It’s another thing to really, truly sell out to it. Selling sex and selling out to sex in sports is two different things.”
Softball legend Lisa Fernandez didn’t get the memo that Finch is ‘uncomfortable’ with being a sex symbol:
“God gives us all talents. I’m blessed with certain skills, and Finch is blessed with certain skills. I couldn’t be Jennie Finch. I couldn’t receive the attention that Jennie Finch receives.”
“She enjoys being that person for USA Softball. On the other hand, I enjoy being what I am to USA Softball … being the worker.”
Finch was a damn good softball player and obviously she realizes that her career off the field and overall fame benefited from not looking like the late Bea Arthur. For all I care she could have spent her free time recording donkey show videos. Just don’t be phony about it or act like you became a sex symbol against your will. E! Online observed that poor Keo Motsepe has “been partnered with the bottom of the barrel when it comes to celebs” and that trend has apparently continued this season.
AMERICA LOVES/HATES TONYA HARDING
Plenty of Christian tolerance and forgiveness on display in ‘Flyover Country’. Apparently, Middle America is *livid* over Tonya Harding reaching the finals of ‘DWTS’. Good Housekeeping wasn’t happy about it. The New York Postfound it beneath contempt that Tonya reached the finals while Mirai Nagasu was eliminated. The Washington Post, on the other hand, observed that the judges have ‘loved’ Tonya and the American people have ’embraced’ her. This is why the rest of the world thinks the United States is a joke.It’s not like Tonya was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize–she’s reached the finals of a meaningless TV show. If Tonya Harding making the finals of ‘DWTS’ is your ‘hot button issue’ you should be ashamed of yourself.
Barstool Sports also portrayed her as a sympathetic figure who has ‘danced her way back into our hearts’:
Spotting Jennie Finch 10 years and about three feet of leg, America’s one time Bad Girl who was kicked out of her sport in disgrace Cha-Cha’ed circles around the competition. With the same fight and tenacity she showed when she was landing Triple Axels during the Clinton Administration. And in doing so, won over the public like Rocky in the Soviet Union on Christmas Day. And, as Barstool’s resident skating guy, I’m proud to point out that of the three remaining dancers two are skaters, Tonya and my man Adam Rippon.
But to get the coveted Mirror Ball trophy, they’re going to have to fight their way past Josh Norman in ways that Odell Beckham Jr. never could. It’ll be tough because Norman tears up the floor. All I know is that I wouldn’t count Tonya out for a second. She might have kneecapped her way onto our Public Enemies list 24 years ago, but in the last month she has danced her way back into our hearts.
I mentioned early on that Tonya would be around for awhile. This is pure pro wrestling booking plus she’s the only one of the field that gets a lot of interest from the mainstream media. With ratings less than expected that’s important:
Less impressive was the show’s ratings. Variety reported that it was down over 40% in the key demo from last year’s spring premiere and down approximately 30% in total viewers. The entertainment paper also noted that ‘DWTS’ lost to the NBC reality show ‘The Voice’. That’s a key reason why I expect Tonya to stick around for awhile. The rest of the field is talented enough (with the exception of NBA legit legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who isn’t much of a dancer though he is showing serious balls by just being here) but Tonya is the only one that can gin up much interest from the mainstream media. ‘Good Housekeeping’s’ snitty assessment notwithstanding, I can see Tonya ‘getting over’ with middle America. Unlike the rest of the field, she doesn’t look like a world class athlete anymore and has a serious ‘mom bod’ going. In a strange way, the average viewer could find that a lot easier to relate to than athletes like Josh Gordon who is in the beastly shape required to play football on Sundays.
Adam Rippon is the best dancer and probably should win. Josh Gordon is by far the best athlete and is an excellent dancer in his own right. Tonya, however, is the best story and for that reason alone shouldn’t be counted out.
Below are the odds for the finale of ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Season 26:
DANCING WITH THE STARS SEASON 26 BETTING ODDS
TO WIN DANCING WITH THE STARS SEASON 26
Adam Rippon: -300
Josh Norman: +200
Tonya Harding: +500
TO FINISH SECOND DANCING WITH THE STARS SEASON 26
Josh Norman: -260
Tonya Harding: +200
Adam Rippon: +400
TO FINISH THIRD DANCING WITH THE STARS SEASON 26
Tonya Harding: -175
Josh Norman: +120
Adam Rippon: +500
DANCING WITH THE STARS SEASON 26 FINALE BETTING ODDS
JUDGES’ HIGHEST SCORE
Adam Rippon: -750
Josh Norman: +300
Tonya Harding: +700
The scores of any guest judge will be disregarded for the purpose of grading this wager
JUDGES’ LOWEST SCORE
Tonya Harding: -300
Josh Norman: +200
Adam Rippon: +500
The scores of any guest judge will be disregarded for the purpose of grading this wager
NUMBER OF ’10’ SCORES TO BE AWARDED
0: +1750
1-4: +200
5-9: -450
10+: +1750
The scores of any guest judge will be disregarded for the purpose of grading this wager
NUMBER OF ‘9’ SCORES TO BE AWARDED
0: +1500
1-4: +300
5-9: -650
10+: +1250
The scores of any guest judge will be disregarded for the purpose of grading this wager
OVERALL AVERAGE SCORE FOR FINALE WILL BE?
Over 25.5: -130
Under 25.5: +110
The scores of any guest judge will be disregarded for the purpose of grading this wager. Week 3 average score was 25.5.
THE HIGHEST SCORE OF FINALE WILL BE
Over 28.5: -150
Under 28.5: +130
The scores of any guest judge will be disregarded for the purpose of grading this wager. Week 3 high score was 29.
THE LOWEST SCORE OF FINALE WILL BE
Over 20.5: -150
Under 20.5: +130
The scores of any guest judge will be disregarded for the purpose of grading this wager. Week 3 low score was 21.
TV RATINGS PROPOSITION ODDS
FINALE KEY DEMO (18-49) RATINGS
Over 1.1: -120
Under 1.1: +100
FINALE KEY DEMO (18-49) SHARE
5 or over: -120
Under 5: +100
FINALE TOTAL VIEWERS
Over 7.75 million: -120
Under 7.75 million: +100
FINALE NIELSEN RANKING (5/21/18 through 5/27/18)
Over 17.5: +130
Under 17.5: -150
All ratings props will use data from TV By The Numbers for grading