Dancing with the Stars 2010 Predictions - Nicole Scherzinger Won't Win, Kate Gosselin Will Stick Around

Dancing with the Stars 2010 is off to the mirrorball races, with two weeks of dancing and the elimination of its first celeb - actress Shannen Doherty - in the books. So where do things go from here? Is pop singer Nicole Scherzinger really a shoo-in for the win, or is a surprise in store? Here are a few no-holds-barred predictions from a longtime DWTS fan, involving the likes of Kate Gosselin, Pamela Anderson, Evan Lysacek, and the rest of the season 10 gang.

Dancing with the Stars 2010 prediction #1: Kate Gosselin will stick around longer than you might think. The formerly reverse-mulleted Jon & Kate Plus 8 star is the villian of Dancing with the Stars season 10. Last week, she threw a tantrum directed at partner Tony Dovolani, who threatened to quit but eventually relented and returned. The duo delivered a Jive that was disjointed at best, painfully horrible at worst, and perhaps the worst offering of week two.

Despite all of that, I still firmly believe that she'll outlast more contestants than you might think. Why? Well, first off, she may have haters in spades, but she also has what may be an equal number of diehard fans. And since there's no option to vote against a celeb on Dancing with the Stars, there's no way for her to face a purely punitive elimination. Secondly, and related to point one, Kate Gosselin will likely receive loads of pity votes from the 'wow, I can't believe a regular person is competing' crowd, the 'Jon is such a douchebag that I have to vote for her' crowd, and of course, the 'vote for the worst' crowd. Finally, and I hesitate to suggest this but will anyway, ABC must be loving the Kate Hate and the increased viewership that she (and probably sexpot Pamela Anderson) bring to the show. It's not that I think they'd ever manipulate the DWTS vote; it's that I think they'd do everything in their power to spin ads in Kate's favor. The longer she's on, the better the numbers. I'm guessing that all of that will add up to another 3 to 4 weeks on Dancing with the Stars 2010 for the polarizing Kate Gosselin.

Dancing with the Stars 2010 prediction #2: Nicole Scherzinger won't win. What? I must be crazy. Not really. When it comes to Dancing with the Stars, hip shakin', smokin' hot pop princesses simply don't win. Just last season, Mya was season 9's best dancer, yet she failed to take home the mirrorball trophy, finishing second behind entertainment icon Donny Osmond of what I affectionately call The Osmond Machine. And she wasn't the first pop star to come in second behind an arguably inferior competitor on DWTS: Mya followed in the less than desirable footsteps of Spice Girl Mel B, who finished second to affable Indy Car driver Helio Castroneves at the close of season 5.

Despite Nicole Scherzinger's stellar skills in the Dancing with the Stars 2010 ballroom, some voters will withhold love because she is a professional dancer, and they feel that pro dancers - regardless of their genre of training - shouldn't compete on DWTS alongside dancing noob boobs like Kate Gosselin and Buzz Aldrin. (No disrepect intended, of course.) On top of that, you can bet your dancing buttons that while Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli will continue to blush and fawn over Nicole, head judge Len Goodman will give her a hard time. Why? I'm no crankypants, but I suspect it's because the Brit raises his expectation-bar for the more gifted dancers on the show. Fair? Not really. But it is what it is. So in the end, unless she's flawless week in and week out, I believe Nicole will be overtaken. But by whom? Who is Dancing with the Stars season 10's Helio or Donny?

Dancing with the Stars prediction #3: Evan Lysacek is most in danger of falling victim to the Sabrina Bryan Effect and be booted before his time. Again, I must be crazy. But go check out DialIdol and you'll see what I mean: The Olympic gold medal-winning figure skater finished near the back of the pack in phone voting during week two, falling in next to last place just ahead of Buzz Aldrin, if we're to believe what's reported. Granted that figure may not be accurate and doesn't include the very important internet votes, but still: It's worrisome for Lysacek fans. He rode an Olympic high into the Dancing with the Stars competition, but that doesn't mean the fame will persist long enough to win him the trophy.

My unsolicited suggestion: Don't just assume that Evan Lysacek will be safe week in and week out, and definitely don't waste votes trying to keep the more polarizing (ahem... Kate Gosselin) and less talented dancers around if you like what he has to offer. Of all of the Dancing with the Stars 2010, he's most likely to fall victim to the Sabrina Bryan Effect. And that would be a crying shame, since he may well have what it takes to win.

Dancing with the Stars prediction #4: Beware the middle-of-the-packers. As odd as it seems, it's not good to be in the middle of the pack on Dancing with the Stars. Bottom feeders get pity votes (for example, I'll be stunned if last week's bottom two survivor Pamela Anderson finds herself under the red light again next week), and elite dancers get votes from fans who feel like the best dancers should win, bar none. So mid-scoring dancers can never rest on their mediocre laurels. I mean, come on - look what happened to Shannen Doherty. She certainly wasn't the worst of the DWTS season 10 bunch, but she got the boot anyway. Granted her rep is lacking and she didn't seem to want to do the show anyway, but her mid-range scores probably didn't help, either.

Just to keep you up to date, here's a listing of the 10 celebs still in contention on Dancing with the Stars 2010, along with a quick prediction list of who will exit when:

Chad Ochocinco - week 7

Erin Andrews - 3rd place

Evan Lysacek - 1st place

Niecy Nash - week 9

Buzz Aldrin - week 4

Nicole Scherzinger - 2nd place

Kate Gosselin - week 6

Jake Pavelka - week 8

Aiden Turner - week 3

Pamela Anderson - week 5

So I've said my piece for now: What do YOU think will happen?