Will it be the “Dirty” dancer or the abstinence teacher?
On Monday Night, “Dancing with the Stars’” most anticipated finale in 11 seasons pits “Dirty Dancing” star Jennifer Grey against reformed teen mom Bristol Palin.
Oh, and Disney star Kyle Massey.
Yet despite Palin’s staying power and rumors that voting fraud is helping to keep the continuously low scoring competitor on the show, she has both the odds and talent stacked against her.
“This year we’ve had Jennifer Grey as the favorite from the beginning,” odds maker Benjamin Eckstein of America’s Line told the News.
He said the numbers land Grey and partner Derek Hough in first place with 1:2 odds, Palin and Mark Ballas in second at 2:1 and underdogs Massey and Lacey Schwimmer bringing up the rear with 5:1 odds.
He admitted that he was shocked when front runners Brandy and Maks were voted off last week. He said that with Palin in the mix — who Eckstein said odds originally placed at the bottom of the list in “Florence Henderson territory” — this has been “the toughest year to handicap.”
“If you relied on history, clearly no one comes close to Jennifer Grey,” he said. “But now we’re relying on voting.”
Melanie LaPatin, a choreographer who has appeared on “So You Think You Can Dance?” and founded the Dance Times Square studio, thinks that Grey deserves to win.
“Jennifer Grey has an edge in terms of naturalness in movement for a dancer,” she told the Daily News. “She has beautiful form and makes great shapes and I think she is probably the best dancer out there.”
LaPatin favors Massey as the show’s runner up, saying he’s “definitely the most energetic and the most entertaining.”
As for Palin, the pro dancer said she is “not up to par” and that she lacks “any passion in her dancing.”
But in the words of Eckstein, the competition has “taken on a life of its own” and only Tuesday night’s results show can put the gambling to rest.
The “Dancing with the Stars” finale airs Monday at 8 p.m. on ABC.
