'Dancing with the Stars': Handicapping the All-Stars
SHAWN JOHNSON, Gymnastics
Retirement date: June 3, 2012
Won a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics for the balance beam, and a silver medal in the all-around
After a brief comeback attempt, the 20-year-old called the sport “brutal,” and ended up retiring.
Credit: AP
Welcome to “Dancing with the Stars'” 15th season, a.k.a. “The All-Stars,” beginning Monday at 8.
Week one's first dances are the foxtrot and cha-cha-cha. A few basic pointers before I get to my handicaps: Most seasons are represented on this list, but there are some that aren't (the 13th and 14th, for example, but you could also argue that winners from those have a slightly unfair advantage because they were in the training meatgrinder more recently than contestants from earlier seasons).
Season 6 is not represented, and that had probably the single best contestant in “DWTS” history -- winner Kristi Yamaguchi. The first five seasons' winners are here, as is season 8's -- Shawn Johnson, another “DWTS” standout. After that, the list gets spotty. Pamela Anderson? Bristol Palin? Sabrina Bryan (who was voted into this edition by fans -- but she's very good and will go far; see below)?
Let's go the list, with most vulnerable at the top. And remember: Athletes always have the advantage.
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