Week 1 of Dancing With The Stars season 25 has come and gone and it’s time to take a look at the celebrities and how they performed. While there were some strong performances over the course of the two hour episode, there were also a few duds. My early favorites so far are Lindsey Stirling, Jordan Fisher, and Victoria Arlen. On the flip side, I think Barbara Corcoran, Terrell Owens and Drew Scott had the worst performances of the night and will likely be in trouble in the coming weeks. While many don’t quite like such a mixed bag of performers, I’m actually really enjoying this season so far. I think there are a bunch of contestants that have potential to improve, and I’m looking forward to seeing how their runs play out. Fingers crossed that Lindsey stays at the top and wins though! 😛

I’ve listed below my power rankings and predictions along with all of my thoughts on the contestants going into week 2. Check them out and let me know if you agree with me, or think there is something I’m maybe looking at the wrong way. I hope you like them!

13- Barbara & Keo– Poor Keo I think is doomed to another early exit this season. His performance with Barbara was pretty tragic, which was reflected in the low scores from the judges. The only thing people seemed to be talking about from their appearance is how handsy Barbara was getting with Keo when the judges were assessing their performance. Yikes!

12- Terrell & Cheryl– Going first is never a good sign, and unfortunately Terrell & Cheryl didn’t give the audience much to remember them by. In a night with so many dances, the contestants really need to do their best to stand out, and for me these two kinda just faded into the background and were forgettable. Their low scores also really hurt their standings. If Barbara & Keo don’t go tonight, I think it’s looking pretty likely it’ll be these two.

11- Sasha & Gleb– I was so excited for Sasha this season, but unfortunately she also got a little lost in the mix. I have a feeling she’ll get better as she gets more comfortable with performing, and hopefully we can just chalk this performance up to week 1 nerves. I’m still pulling for these two.

10- Drew & Emma– Drew avoids the bottom 3 on my power rankings, but unless he starts showing dramatic improvement he’ll be an easy candidate for elimination in the weeks to come. I think he’ll easily skate by this week, but Emma better be working him hard if they want any chance of making it past 10th place.

9- Nick & Peta– Nick danced better than a few others week 1, but for some reason I just can’t get hyped about him. He was fine, don’t get me wrong, but I just find him unexciting and I walked away from his performance going “eh…” with a shrug. I’m apathetic to him, which I think is actually worse than not liking him. Anyway, he’ll be fine this week, but I see little chance he makes it anywhere near the finale.

8- Debbie & Allen– Debbie had a fine week 1 routine, but right now I see her as squarely in the middle of the pack. This is fine for the first week, but she needs to start picking up some steam if she wants to crack the top 5. Of the contestants, I think there is a lot of potential for Debbie to improve, and I’m looking forward to seeing how she does.

7- Derek & Sharna– Like Debbie & Allen, I think these two are in the middle of the pack. Sharna is a great coach though, and I think there is a lot she can do with Derek this season. I placed them over Debbie & Allen solely for their higher score.

6- Frankie & Witney– Frankie was the pleasant surprise of the episode for me. While I think he is also pretty middle of the pack right now, with his fanbase of adoring fans and potential for improvement, I can definitely see a scenario where he cracks the top 5. Frankie may not have the best shot of winning, but he is still definitely one to watch.

5- Vanessa & Maks – Vanessa was definitely the better dancer between her and her husband, and of the two I think she has a much better chance of going deep into the competition. I don’t see her quite making the finale, but if she improves I think she can maybe make top 4. Based on week 1 it would be a crime if she went out before Nick.

4- Nikki & Artem– I didn’t expect to like Nikki as much as I do. Her personality is the selling point of this duo, and right now it’s working for me. If they can keep up this momentum that they’re building for themselves, I think they’ll stand a strong chance of making it to at least 4th place.

3- Victoria & Val– Victoria’s moving story is going to really help her with votes this season. Not only that, but she can back things up with her great dance moves. I think she’s an inspiration and will be giving Jordan and Lindsey a run for their money this season.

2- Jordan & Lindsay– Jordan had a strong first performance, and a lot of people are buzzing about him on social media. If he can keep up the strong performances, I think he can easily ride the wave of momentum all the way to the finale. He has a pretty good shot of winning.

1- Lindsey & Mark– Lindsey did amazing week 1, and right now I see her as a favorite to win the whole thing. I’ve been following Lindsey’s work for a few years now, so I may be a little biased, but I was really digging her first routine. I think she’s the total package, and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next. As of now I see her and Jordan standing together at the finale 2.

In Danger Of Going Home: Barbara & Keo, Terrell & Cheryl, Sasha & Gleb

Likely Going Home: Barbara & Keo

I think Barbara & Keo are basically dead in the water at this point. While I think there is a slim chance Sasha or Terrell are sent packing, this result seems like a foregone conclusion. Keo can never catch a break with these early eliminations.

So those are my predictions and power rankings, what are yours? Which is your favorite partnership this season, and who do you think has no shot of winning? Let me know in the comments below!

Until we meet again in another post, later!

-Adam