‘Dancing with the Stars 21’ spotlight: Will Tamar Braxton, Val Chmerkovskiy stand out?

Now that ABC has finally released all of the promotional photos of the cast for “Dancing with the Stars” season 21, we are thrilled to be officially kicking off the spotlight series! We’re going in alphabetical order by last name (think of this in the style of a high-school roll call), and that brings us first to Tamar Braxton, someone who we feel pretty confident will be a good dancer.

Take a look below at some of our quick impressions of her as a contender this season, and at the bottom of this article, vote for how well you think she’s going to do this season!

Name – Tamar Braxton

Age – 38

Claim to fame – R&B singer, former member of the Braxtons, and panelist on the daytime talk show “The Real.” If you didn’t assume from the last name alone, she is the younger sister of singing star Toni Braxton, Toni competed on the seventh season of the show against Kim Kardashian, Brooke Burke, and others. She was the sixth star to depart that season, and scored better than many who lasted longer in the competition (including Cloris Leachman).

Partner – Val Chmerkovskiy. It’s a good partner to have! Val is looking to repeat after winning his first season last spring with Rumer Willis. He will push Tamar hard, and is very good at some of the more intense, passionate routines.

Strengths – Tamar already knows how to perform, and she probably has a good sense of rhythm just from her time on stage. There’s really not anything to worry about when it comes to whether or not she can dance. In terms of votes, it may be an advantage to her that she can go to her other job and campaign during the day, and since “The Real” also films in the Los Angeles area, she doesn’t have to worry about it being a huge inconvenience when it comes to rehearsal time.

Weaknesses – There is a fear that the same thing could happen to Tamar that happened to her sister. She’s probably going to get good scores, but there’s always a chance that this won’t matter much and viewers will forgot to vote for her, thinking that she is safe almost by default. She may not have the biggest built-in following out of the stars this season.

Prediction – We think Tamar’s got a good chance of getting further than Toni did when she was a part of the show. She’s going to be entertaining to watch, and having a partner like Val is going to help her to get the most out of her routines. We’re slightly worried about her not having either the nostalgia vote or some sort of inspirational story on the onset, and we feel like fifth or sixth place could be her natural landing spot.

How well do you think Tamar is going to fare on this season of “Dancing with the Stars”? Vote right now in the attached poll, and head over here to get some other news related to the series. Also, you can sign up now in the event you want some other TV news on everything we cover via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ABC.)