Dancing with the Stars Predictions: Who's Next to Go — and Who'll Win?

Now that two of Dancing with the Stars' weakest performers this season -- Geraldo Rivera and Mischa Barton -- have shuffled off into the sunset, the game is really, truly on. The remaining contestants fall into three camps: On the Way Out, So-So and True Competitors. While everyone is still improving and/or learning to mask their weaknesses, only four contestants look to be serious contenders for the trophy.

Who'll be the next to go and who has a shot at going all the way? Check out our predictions below.

On the Way Out

Doug Flutie
Doug has stuck around this long thanks to some clever, strategic choreography from Karina Smirnoff. Last week, she used him as a prop in a safe waltz that paid tribute to his deceased parents -- a dance only a monster would've harshly critiqued, given the context -- and the week before that, she had him in a military-inspired formation that made use of his stiff, toy solider-like movements. Doug is trying hard, but he's just not a very good dancer; if this week isn't his last, only a major flub by another contestant will prevent the inevitable.
Week 1 score: 15/30
Week 2 score: 20/30
Week 3 score: 20/30
Average: 18/30

Antonio Brown
Should Doug manage another of his miraculous stays, Antonio could go before his fellow athlete. Either way, he won't last much longer. Like Doug, Antonio usually looks like an accessory to his partner Sharna Burgess -- holding his arm out as she twirls or almost tripping over his own feet. He too employed a smart distraction last week -- incorporating his son into a routine dedicated to the joys of fatherhood -- but he's not only an unremarkable dancer, he doesn't have the natural charisma of other performers, including fellow football player Von Miller.
Week 1 score: 21/30
Week 2 score :19/30
Week 3 score:20/30
Average: 20/30

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Von Miller

If it's true that three's a trend, then Von is proof that "athletes make good dancers" is just a myth. Von is the better dancer of the three footballers here this season, and while he's showing better technical prowess, his movement is still jerky and anticipatory rather than fluid and natural. You can practically see him counting out steps and continually checking in with partner Witney Carson. That said, he's good-natured, always smiling and takes direction well, so with more coaching and more grinning, he can last a bit longer. But he's on borrowed time.
Week 1 score: 21/30
Week 2 score: 20/30
Week 3 score: 20/30
Average: 20/30

So-So

Kim Fields
Kim is also improving, but she still seems like she's holding back. She needs to loosen up and get funky, which, as it happens, is the same issue that made her an outsider on Real Housewives of Atlanta. She was rigid when everybody else was cutting up; she was unable to get down and dirty even when winning required it. Kim, sweet as she is, needs to change out of her church clothes, knock back a few martinis and start dropping it like it's hot. As noble as her dignified restraint is, it's tedious.
Week 1 score: 20/30
Week 2 score: 19/30
Week 3 score: 22/30
Average: 20/30

Marla Maples
Marla is a delight to watch -- mostly because she has infectiously good energy, and because we're continually baffled (and maybe a little jealous) at how good she looks for her age. She's limber too, although moves requiring technical precision aren't her forte. We're rooting for Marla because she's just so great to have around, but the more serious this competition gets, we're going to have to say goodbye. She'll no doubt find a way to make us feel good about it though.
Week 1 score: 21/30
Week 2 score: 20/30
Week 3 score: 21/30
Average: 21/30

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Ginger Zee
What are we going to do about Ginger? She has it -- in spurts. After a surprisingly strong debut, Ginger has become kind of so-so: better than the worst but not in the running for the best either. Barring some shocking, radical overhaul, Ginger will remain the bridge between the On the Way Outs and those who have a real shot at winning.
Week 1 score: 23/30
Week 2 score: 21/30
Week 3 score: 21/30
Average: 22/30

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The True Competitors

Jodie Sweetin
She's got the eye of the tiger, this one. Jodie definitely has what it takes to win -- inside, anyway -- as she's open-minded and flexible. She's physically nimble too and graceful. Her only handicaps are her occasional stilted movements and that Crazy Face she makes while totally in the zone. While the top-tier competitors have shown a natural talent she doesn't seem to possess, she demonstrates a winning attitude that suggests she'll do what it takes to compete. Factor in other people's potential missteps, and she just might have a shot.

Week 1 score: 20/30

Week 2 score: 21/30

Week 3 score: 23/30

Average: 21/30

Paige VanZant
As a trained dancer, Paige has an advantage over everyone -- and of course can turn delicate twirls into lethal kicks that can knock all the other contestants, the judges and the audience unconscious. Her last performance demonstrated that she can be graceful and elegant as well as powerful, which will be her primary challenge. Provided she doesn't stumble or get arrested for punching a judge, she's the female front-runner.
Week 1 score: 21/30
Week 2 score: 24/30
Week 3 score: 23/30
Average: 23/20

Wanya Morris
This guy! He wants it. He wants it bad, and he's endearingly sweet. Boyz II Men is the quintessential easy-to-love boy band, but Wanya really rode into Americans' hearts on the wings of an eagle last week with his dance dedicated to the National Anthem, which the group sung at the Olympics after a terrorist attack. His dancing keeps getting better too -- he's a big boy, which makes his graceful fluidity on the floor all the more impressive as well as cute. If his level of performance stays exactly the same he'll go far; if he continues to get better, he could even win.
Week 1 score: 23/30
Week 2 score: 24/30
Week 3 score:24/30
Average: 24/30

Nyle DiMarco
Nyle is the one to beat. He got the season's first 9 last week for a thrilling tango that was pretty much near perfect, except for an off movement or two. In two of his three dances, he's shown consistent timing, dexterity, synchronization with his partner Peta Murgatroyd, grace and ease of motion. Let's face it -- he's easy on the eyes too, an alluring blend of masculinity and femininity you can't shake. Of course, the fact that he's completely deaf makes his turns all the more astonishing. The guy can't hear the music, which means even being here is a feat of determination and resilience that represent the highest of American ideas. But he won't win because his handicap affords him sympathy. He'll win because he's proven to be the best in the competition, and he earned it.
Week 1 score: 23/30
Week 2 score: 20/30
Week 3 score: 25/30
Average: 23/30

Who do you think will get voted off next? Who'll win?

Dancing with the Stars airs Monday at 8/7c on ABC.