James Hinchcliffe Is Not The Favorite To Win 'Dancing With The Stars'

By foxsports
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Verizon IndyCar Series driver James Hinchcliffe is a long shot for the 2016 championship, and people don’t think he’ll win ‘Dancing with the Stars’ either.

James Hinchcliffe is not the favorite to win Season 23 of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, shocking no one who actually knows James Hinchcliffe.

    Since the cast of the upcoming season was announed earlier this week betting has already begun on who will win the celebrity dance competition. The online gambling website Bovada has IndyCar star Hinchcliffe tied for ninth with musician Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds.

    Only reality star Terra Jole, Brady Bunch actress Maureen McCormick and former Texas governor Rick Perry have worse odds than Hinchcliffe at taking home the Mirrorball Trophy.

    Now, there are probably a couple reasons for this. The first is that the majority of the Dancing with the Stars viewing public probably don’t know who James Hinchcliffe even is, and therefore wouldn’t bet on him.

    The second is that the Season 23 cast also includes Laurie Hernandez, a very talented gymnast who just won a gold medal at the Rio Olympics and is the current favorite at +350.

    The third is that Hinchcliffe, by his own admission, can’t actually dance.

    Here’s what he had to say when we interviewed him about DWTS earlier this week:

    I consider myself dancing challenged to be honest, so this is definitely going to be a unique sort of experience for me, definitely outside my comfort zone, and [his partner] Sharna [Burgess] definitely has her work cut out for her.

    So it’s certainly not surprising that Hinchcliffe isn’t the favorite to win the reality show, but IndyCar fans have to be hoping he finishes better than ninth.

    It’s certainly doable; the next three people ahead of him – actress Marilu Henner, actor Jake T. Austin and controversial Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte – are all deadlocked at +1000, so if Hinch improves his odds by just a little he could leapfrog all three.

    Still given what he’s coming in with, we’re not expecting him to go out and work miracles on the ballroom floor. He’s not Helio Castroneves.

    But while Hinchcliffe may not be the favorite to win, we predict he’ll certainly be the fan favorite. His campaigning has already begun:

    Dancing with the Stars premieres Monday, Sep. 12 at 8 p.m. on ABC.

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