‘Dancing with the Stars’ season 17 spotlight: Keyshawn Johnson and Sharna Burgess
What is it about “Dancing with the Stars” and wide receivers on the show? If you look back at the show’s history, Jerry Rice, Michael Irvin, Hines Ward, Donald Driver, and Jacoby Jones are just some of the people from this position to have appeared. The only reason we can think as to why wideouts are so popular here is that they are well suited for it: They’re fast, athletic, and many of them have huge personalities and love to be the center of attention.
Speaking of the latter, we now turn to a man in Keyshawn Johnson whose reputation in football was such that he once published a book called Just Give Me the D**n Ball. (That also happens to be his Twitter handle.) He’s an outspoken guy who was supremely talented during his career, even if he occasionally gave people headaches with some of his antics. If we were to pick one former wide receiver in the league best suited for this show, he or Terrell Owens would have been at the top of the list. This should be entertaining.
Professional partner – Sharna Burgess. This is going to be quite a change here going from a guy like Andy Dick to someone much more athletic in Keyshawn. However, she has shown a knack already for dealing with people with very big personalities, and who are also perceived a certain way by the public.
Strengths – Just from an athletic standpoint alone, Keyshawn ‘s in great shape. He’s fast, and most football players have a natural sort of rhythm. We also have hopes that he will be a better entertainer than most athletes. During his career, this was a guy who understands that sports is an entertainment business better than most, and he made sure that viewers would want to watch him play. That’s good for helping his dances stand out. He’s also probably smarter than people give him credit for, as he was wise enough to retire from the NFL on his own terms, and without getting injured.
Weaknesses – If this guy is in any way like he used to be, his ego may not fit in any dance studio on the show’s lot. He was stubborn at times during his playing career, and Sharna may have her work cut out for her there. The other disadvantage Keyshawn may have is that while many NFL players get huge voting blocks behind them, he played for four separate teams during his career. We don’t know if any Jets, Buccaneers, Cowboys, or Panthers fans are going to get out and support him.
Prediction – It’s possible that Keyshawn could win the show, but a more likely prognosis for his is somewhere between seventh and fourth place. He’s too good of an athlete to be in trouble early, but unless he just shows off the fun side to his personality 24/7, he could struggle to pull in non-football fans.
We of course want to hear your take on Keyhsawn’s odds this season below; meanwhile, click here if you want to read some more of our “Dancing with the Stars” spotlight pieces.
Photo: ABC