‘Dancing with the Stars 21’ finale: Will Bindi Irwin, Nick Carter, or Alek Skarlatos win?

Tonight on the “Dancing with the Stars” finale, it’s the moment of truth: Bindi Irwin, Nick Carter, and Alek Skarlatos are competing for the 21st Mirrorball Trophy, and it is a chance to see whether or not the voters at home are going to judge based on dance ability, a dancer’s background, their appearance, or something else. There are so many intangibles that go into voting for this show that it is pretty hard to read the voters’ minds sometimes.

So who is in the best spot right now? We’d say Bindi based on the following criteria: Recent scores, overall scores, having the most-popular partner in Derek Hough, having an emotional story tied to her late father, and being someone who is easy for people from all walks of life to root for. She comes across as kind, enthusiastic, and someone out to do good in the world.

We would put Nick in second position here. We thought for most of the season that he would win, but we’re starting to think more that the emotional undercurrent is more with Bindi. Both have good scores, and what continues to make the Backstreet Boy dangerous is just that: His history with the Backstreet Boys. If his bandmates and other people can drum up enough support, we still can imagine many scenarios where he and Sharna Burgess win.

As for Alek Skarlatos and Lindsay Arnold, don’t rule them out. The train hero is the weakest of the three remaining when it comes to technique, but he has made it this far by being solid on the dance floor and for inspiring many others with his story. Also, he is the one person who it is easy to relate to, being that before his heroics this summer he was just considered an everyday guy.

In case you missed it earlier today, “Dancing with the Stars” is coming back for another season! Head over here to read about that, and sign up over here to snag some more TV news on everything we cover, sent right over to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ABC.)