So, It’s Pretty Much A Given Nicole Scherzinger Will Win ‘Dancing With The Stars’
When the news broke that Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger signed up to compete on Dancing with the Stars, the emerging consensus was that this was yet another step in the downward spiral that is her pop career. But we humbly think otherwise: compared to the litany of poor choices that have marked her recent professional life, joining DWTS could be the smartest move Nicole’s made in a long time. Why? Cause girl’s gonna win.
The minute we saw the list of celebrities handpicked by producers to sashay on this season of the ballroom competition, we instantly declared Nicole the winner. Sure, she comes pre-packaged with a certain love-to-hate factor that might suggest she’ll flame out spectacularly. But there are two big factors in her favor: 1) even she know she’s got something to prove and 2) she’s already a trained dancer.
Is it even fair to include her alongside former astronauts, reality bachelors, washed up models/actresses and whatever it is Kate Gosselin is (besides an opportunist)? Scherzinger has been shakin’ and shimmying in front of audiences for years, including on the stage of—coincidence!—Dancing With The Stars, back in 2008:
Do you think Nicole ever imagined she’s be competing on the show instead of just stopping by for a guest appearance? Probably not. We bet she thought her debut album as a solo artist, Her Name is Nicole, would allow her to easily transition à la Beyoncé from girl-group-member to solo-superstar status, selling out arenas without any need for trashily-dressed burlesque dancers trailing her every move.
Yeah—that didn’t happen. And even after the Dolls (with Nicole back in the fold) scored a minor comeback by jumping aboard the Slumdog Millionaire bandwagon and completely ruining re-fashioning “Jai Ho” in their own style and touring with Britney Spears on her hit Circus tour, their moment seems to have passed. Not even Slash’s approval (he referred to Scherzinger as “a f***ing amazing rock singer”) has done much for the doll in the long run.
By the time it was announced that the Dolls’ lineup would be switched around and the future of the group seemed in jeopardy, no one seemed to truly care whether the female quartet survived to release another single or not. Nicole included.
This is a golden opportunity for Nicole to win the favor of the public and give that solo thing another try, especially since she’ll be up there proving her goodies by herself—well, with dance partner Derek Hough, but that’s three less people to worry about pissing off:
Scherzinger is easily the most experienced dancer of the bunch on this season’s crop of contestants, and a sure bet to win a massively popular show that helps washed up stars bring an extra bit of sizzle back into their careers. Basically, DWTS is the reality TV equivalent of working with Quentin Tarantino. (Oh, no? After finishing second on DWTS, actor Gilles Marini went from that dude who showed his derriere in the Sex in the City movie to being a regular TV guest star or regular, and would anyone really care about Kelly Osbourne anymore if not for her impressive skills on the dancefloor reminding everybody she’s still alive?)
Counterpoint? Mya, a similar dance-pop artist, came in 2nd place last season and we’re not exactly dropping cold hard cash on Mya-inspired goodies on Etsy. We’ll have to wait and see what kind of success her sixth studio album has when she drops it later this year to judge how much impact the show has on her recording career.
Not to mention, Mya, too, was a known dancer before her stint on DTWS, and she was runner up to Donny Osmond, of all people. So being able to pop-and-lock and shake your hips in music videos doesn’t necessarily mean ballroom dancing will come as second nature.
If Nicole isn‘t able to adequately show off her abilities as a performer, we’re not sure where else she could retreat to without losing face. (All we know is, unless it’s Idol or The X Factor, judging a singing competition is probably not the way to go.) We may not stick with Nicole if she tries to record another “Puakenikenii,” but stepping out on the dancefloor for DWTS is not a misstep.
