Who will win ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 31? Let’s size up the final 4

Unlike the past few installments, “Dancing with the Stars” Season 31 has gone chalk. The three frontrunners in Week 1 — Wayne Brady, Charli D’Amelio and Gabby Windey — remained that way throughout as they and their respective partners were the only couples to top the leaderboard this season. There was no shocking elimination, even with two double eliminations without a judges’ save, and all three made the final, alongside Shangela, a fan favorite who has improved throughout the past nine weeks. The four will hit the dance floor two more times on Monday’s finale — for a redemption routine and the make-or-break freestyle — before a Mirrorball champ is crowned. Will the finale go according to book too? In which case, congrats, Charli? But the odds-on favorite has not won the past two seasons.

Let’s take a closer look at the final four.

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Wayne Brady and Witney Carson
For him: His showmanship. Brady has been a standout dancer from the start, but his performance ability adds that extra spark to his already proficient routines.

Needs to work on: Ever since the comedian came down with exhaustion during Week 6, it hasn’t felt like he’s had the same oomph in his technique — he’s still great, but it seems like that hiccup kind of blunted his improvement. While the judges lowballed him for his gorgeous waltz in the semifinal, his decent paso doble was fairly scored. If Brady can polish up his technique in the final, he has the full package.

Why he might win: Brady is extremely likable and versatile, the latter of which Carson will likely tap into for their freestyle. The former champ, who won with Alfonso Ribeiro and came close with Milo Manheim and Kel Mitchell, will be able to put together a number that showcases and play to his strengths. Plus, in recent weeks, Brady has become more of an underdog to the top two/judges’ favorites of D’Amelio and Windey, so that could engender more support too.

SEE Here’s the ‘Dancing with the Stars’ finale slate — including a performance by Selma Blair

Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas
For her: You can debate whether the TikTok star is the best celebrity contestant the show has ever had, but there’s no denying that she’s the best one this season and has been from the jump. Her technique is A+ and it’s very clear that she picks up choreography quickly. That’s what more than a decade of competitive dancing will do. D’Amelio has been on the top of the leaderboard every week and we don’t expect that to change on the finale.

Needs to work on: Like many technically gifted contestants before her, D’Amelio hasn’t fully tapped into the emotionality of her routines yet. Her precision is unmatched and impressive, but you don’t feel the same unbridled joy in her dancing like you do watching a Shangela number or an Iman Shumpert routine last year. The freestyle is a great opportunity for D’Amelio to show that having fun is just as important as hitting every step perfectly.

Why she might win: She’s got the skills, the fan base and Ballas, one of the show’s best choreographers.

Shangela and Gleb Savchenko
For her: No one is having a better time on and off the floor this season than Shangela. The drag queen superstar has great musicality and can sell any routine and character with her theatricality. She looks like she’s having a blast and the best part is it seems to be rubbing off on Savchenko too. His choreography feels fresher and inspired, so fingers crossed he pulls out all the stops for their freestyle.

Needs to work on: Shangela’s improved a great deal, but she can still use more refinement. It’s not breaking news to say she is the weakest technically of the finalists and would need to be as pristine as possible to stay competitive score-wise.

Why she might win: She’s the underdog of this quartet and has got that audience connection. When people see you having fun, they have fun too. She’s also got her pal Lady Gaga stumping for her. Will the Little Monsters rally to get Shangela the Mirrorball trophy?

SEE Everything to know about ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 31

Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy
For her: The “Bachelorette” star has been remarkably consistent and, unlike D’Amelio, hasn’t had the huge target on her back as the season-long heavy favorite to win. Windey on paper feels like the best upset pick, especially since we’ve just had two Bachelorettes win back to back.

Needs to work on: Windey can still dance within herself at times. Though she got a perfect score, her paso doble in the semifinal could’ve used more attack. And this has nothing to do with her, but Chmerkovskiy’s freestyles have been hit or miss (he’s said so himself that he “dropped the ball” on Zendaya‘s freestyle in Season 16), so let’s hope this one is the former, not the latter.

Why she might win: Bachelor Nation come through again? “Bachelorette” stars Hannah Brown and Kaitlyn Bristowe won Seasons 28 and 29, respectively, and there wasn’t a three-peat because Season 30 featured a Bachelor, Matt James, instead (the ladies of the franchise have historically performed better on “Dancing”). No one ought to be shocked if Windey picks up where Bristowe left off.

The “Dancing with the Stars” finale airs Monday at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on Disney+.

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