‘Dancing with the Stars’ slugfest: Debating Matt Walsh’s elimination, and is Charity Lawson is already a lock for the finals? [WATCH]

Daniel Montgomery
·3 min read
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“Premiere Night” on “Dancing with the Stars” was eventful, with 14 new celebrities entering the ballroom for the first time and one exiting at the end of the night: comedian and actor Matt Walsh, who was eliminated after the judges’ scores were combined with viewer votes. I discussed week one of the competition with Gold Derby contributors Jeffrey Kare and Cordell Martin, and we also previewed the dances coming up for “Latin Night” in week two. Watch our video slugfest above.

“I was a little bummed for Matt, that he was the first one out,” says Martin, “especially with him being in solidarity with the WGA during the strike. I thought maybe he would have gotten a little leeway in terms of the fan votes, but it just didn’t work in his favor.” Kare adds, “It was such a shame that just when Matt rejoined the show after being on the picket lines he’s gone again. One has to wonder if his performance was probably too late in the night for him to gain enough support.”

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SEEDid Matt Walsh really deserve to be eliminated on ‘Dancing with the Stars’? Watch his ‘surreal’ cha cha

On the opposite end of the leaderboard with the highest judges’ score on “Premiere Night” was “Bachelorette” star Charity Lawson. Three “Bachelorettes” have made the finals in the last four seasons, including Mirror Ball winners Hannah Brown (season 28) and Kaitlyn Bristowe (season 29), so now that we know Lawson can dance, is she already the overwhelming front-runner to win the competition?

“I do think Charity does have a great shot to be a lock in the finals,” Martin argues, “but you know there’s always that one exception.” He points out that football players used to be heavy favorites in the competition during the early years of “DWTS” but have been less reliable in recent years. Still, “knowing the track record thus far, I would definitely bet money that she’ll be in the finals.” Kare agrees that Lawson has already “proven to be one of the better ‘Bachelorette’ alums in the competition. I thought she and [pro partner Artem Chigvintsev] were both phenomenal. And if they make it to the finals, I wouldn’t complain one bit.”

What do you think? And who do you think lucked out with their week two dance styles? Watch our slugfest to hear our take on those upcoming dances and more.

PREDICT‘Dancing with the Stars’ now; change them until each Tuesday night’s show

Be sure to make your predictions so that the contestants can see how they’re faring in our racetrack odds. You can keep changing your predictions until just before the next episode airs every Tuesdays on ABC and Disney+. You’ll compete to win a spot on our leaderboard and eternal bragging rights. See our contest rules and sound off with other fans in our reality TV forum. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.

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