Dancing with the Stars 24 spotlight: Normani Kordei of Fifth Harmony, Val Chmerkovskiy hope to win

One of the great casting coups for Dancing with the Stars 24 was getting a chance to see a member of Fifth Harmony make the cut as a part of the cast. Was the move worth it to producers? Will Normani Kordei be a boss in the ballroom? Okay, we’ll stop it with the Fifth Harmony puns now. The truth is that the show’s very much lucky to get someone with Kordei’s star power, let alone someone who could compete against the other female bosses this season like Heather Morris, Simone Biles, and Nancy Kerrigan.

In case you didn’t get the memo, this may be the most competitive female season of the show ever. Let’s dive in further now on what Normani Kordei and Val Chmerkovskiy could bring to the table, and also what we’re most concerned about when it comes to her odds of winning the season.

Claim to fame – Fifth Harmony member, known for songs like “Worth It” and “Work From Home.” She was originally a contestant on The X Factor in America, where she was put into a group with Camila Cabello, Dinah Jane Hansen, AllyBrooke Hernandez, and Laurel Jauregui. Fun fact — the group was originally named Lylas before being named 1432 before being named Fifth Harmony. Cabello left the group over the holidays, and they’re now a four-person group.

Partner – Val Chmerkovskiy. He’s coming off of winning a season with Laurie Hernandez, he’s driven, and he’s got a heck of a strong following. He should push Normani to be the best that she can be throughout the season.

Strengths – Anytime you’re in a pop singing group, you have a little bit of dance experience. Normani is more prepared to be a part of this season than many others thanks to already knowing what it’s like to perform on stage and have to move around to music. She’s also got an enormous voting block in Fifth Harmony fans, who’ve helped the group win countless awards since their inception. Her fan base is probably going to be underrated by some of the loyal viewers of the show who aren’t as familiar with her music.

Weaknesses – There are two things. First, she’s got that aforementioned competition, with Morris being the biggest ringer given that she’s got legitimate competitive dance experience already. Also, we wonder about how much free time she has given that Fifth Harmony is constantly busy in between recording, performing, and doing other promotional gigs. She may have to condense her rehearsals more than many of the other contestants.

Prediction for Normani Kordei and Val Chmerkovskiy

The easiest assessment to make on Normani is that she’ll make it to the midway point of the season, given that with her fan following and also her natural ability, it’s tough to envision her going before then. She is an underdog candidate to win the show, but it all may come down in the end to her finding a way to get the support of the diehard fans of the show in addition to her own Fifth Harmony audience. If she can do that, she’s a serious threat.

What do you think the Normani Kordei and Val Chmerkovskiy odds are of winning the entire season? Let us know in the comments below!

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