It’s only a matter of time before the Dancing With the Stars finale takes place. Scheduled for Tuesday, November 25, the contestants who’ve made it to the very end will step onto the ballroom floor one last time and battle for the prestigious Mirrorball trophy. Among them is none other than Jordan Chiles. But things are heating up, almost as spicy as a sharp tango, with Season 34 introducing a new format: a three-round competition featuring an instant dance, leaving no room to rehearse. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and Chiles is no exception. So it’s only natural to take a quick look at the opponents she’ll be up against.

Top Contenders Competing Against Jordan Chiles in the DWTS Finals

Jordan Chiles, alongside her dance partner, will be facing a total of four celebrities, including Alix Earle, Dylan Efron, Robert Irwin, and Elaine Hendrix, alongside their respective partners. Let’s take a brief look at each of these pairs:

Robert Irwin & Witney Carson

Considering the competition, it’s only natural to address the current leaderboard toppers, that too, with a commanding 60 points. It’s no surprise, actually, considering Robert Irwin, the Australian conservationist, wildlife photographer, and actor, has been a fan favorite since the start of the campaign. Even his partner, Carson, a former So You Think You Can Dance performer, by the way, never fails to garner praise. Having been a part of DWTS as a troupe member before eventually turning pro in 2014, her experience speaks for itself. All of these factors surely make them the biggest threat in the finale.

Elaine Hendrix & Alan Bersten

The Parent Trap, Dynasty, Superstar, and The Last Dance actress Elaine Hendrix enters the finale paired with Alan Bersten. A DWTS pro, Bersten participated in last season with Olympic medalist Ilona Maher. Both Hendrix and Bersten are currently tied with Jordan Chiles for fifth place on the leaderboard. This makes them quite a pair to keep track of as they head into the final.

Alix Earle & Val Chmerkovskiy

Next up, we have Alix Earle, paired alongside Val Chmerkovskiy. Consider the social media star and SI Swimsuit model, who skyrocketed to fame through her viral “Get Ready With Me” videos, as lucky to be paired alongside one of DWTS’s most decorated pros. After all, Val’s secured not one but three Mirroball victories alongside Rumer Willis (Season 20), Laurie Hernandez (Season 23), and Xochitl Gomez (Season 32), making the star pair a contender for the trophy.

Dylan Efron & Daniella Karagach

Last but not least is Dylan Efron, who is paired with Daniella Karagach. The brother of actor Zac Efron, the filmmaker and adventurer, managed to make a surprising surge deep into the competition. As for his partner, the pro has appeared on DWTS multiple times and is known for her technical precision, making this pair yet another strong contender in a stacked lineup.

While it looks like the competition is quite tough, don’t take Jordan Chiles lightly, as the American gymnast is paired with a rather special professional dancer.

Who Is Jordan Chiles’ Partner on Dancing With the Stars?

The name Ezra Sosa must have crossed your eyes this season, and even before in the history of DWTS. Born and raised in Utah, the professional dancer and choreographer has family roots in Argentina and Mexico through his immigrant parents. He became part of Dancing With the Stars in 2021, starting as a troupe member in Season 30. Over the years, he has partnered with celebrities like Anna Delvey and Charity Lawson.

Before joining DWTS, he was already active in major dance competitions, appearing on So You Think You Can Dance and World of Dance. His IMDb profile even mentions his audition for America’s Got Talent. After placing in the Top 6 on Season 16 of SYTYCD, he went on the show’s live tour in 2019. And rightly so, it’s only natural to expect such a dancing sensation to amass a strong online following, having roughly 271,000 Instagram followers.

Couple that with Jordan Chiles’ fanbase, and there’s no stopping the two from winning the competition. But note that even after this, they might face some challenges when it comes to garnering fan votes.

How Fan Votes Could Impact Jordan Chiles’ Chances of Winning?

“We made it! Now we need you!” remarked Jordan Chiles on her Instagram account, urging fans to vote as much as they can. But even though all she can do is give her all, and so will her fans, there’s a chance she might not win the competition. At least an online discussion among fans says so. For context, a pattern has been noticed where the past three champions, i.e., Charli D’Amelio (Season 31), Xochitl Gomez (Season 32), and Joey Graziadei (Season 33), all posted the highest or joint-highest semifinal scores before going on to win their seasons

Call it a lucky coincidence or trend, but if we actually follow it, you will notice that it automatically puts Robert Irwin and Witney Carson in a strong spot, as they are the ones who topped this year’s semifinal leaderboard with an almost perfect score. As if this wasn’t enough to spell bad news for other contenders and, more importantly, for Jordan Chiles, enter a prediction platform known as Gold Derby, which has also backed Irwin and Carson to secure the win.

Before you question the platform, one should know that it has correctly predicted the winner for the last three seasons. Currently, it places Robert as the overwhelming favorite with a 92.5% chance of winning. Alix Earle follows far behind with just 5%, while Jordan Chiles holds third place. This is nothing but sounding troubling than ever for the American gymnast and her partner Ezra Sosa.

Then again, would they be able to defy all the odds and secure the win? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.