DWTS Pros vs. Amateurs: Who Will Win?

The upcoming season of Dancing With the Stars, returning on ABC and Disney+, features several contestants with extensive dance experience. Celebrities such as Jenna Dewan, Harry Shum Jr., and Julia Stiles are set to compete, bringing a variety of professional dance backgrounds to the ballroom stage.

Dewan, who previously worked as a backup dancer and hosted dance shows, noted that while her background gives her advantages, ballroom dancing feels foreign and requires unlearning existing habits. Similarly, Shum Jr. expressed the pressure of his dance expertise, emphasizing that knowledge of various dance styles doesn't equate to mastery of ballroom or Latin genres.

Stiles, known for her role in 'Save the Last Dance,' described her experience as valuable training but potentially a disadvantage, stating she stopped formal classes after the film. Jackson Olson of the Savannah Bananas and Ciara Miller also shared their experiences, with Olson highlighting the transition to ballroom posture and Miller mentioning her decade of ballet training.

Historically, Dancing With the Stars has seen mixed outcomes for contestants with prior dance experience. While some, like Charli D'Amelio and Nicole Scherzinger, have won the mirror ball trophy, others, including JoJo Siwa and Nick Carter, finished as runners-up. Even performers with perfect scores, like Heather Morris, have not always secured the top spot, indicating that dance background is not a sole predictor of success.