Mario Lopez favored to win Dancing with the Stars

September 1, 2006

Mario López is favored to win the third season of American television series Dancing with the Stars, with 3:1 odds of winning, but close on his heels is actress Vivica Fox, with four-to-one odds. López is perhaps best known for his role on Saved by the Bell, and currently stars on soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. Gambling site BetBet released odds on its website recently.

Monique Coleman (High School Musical), Joey Lawrence (Blossom), and Harry Hamlin (Clash of the Titans), each with six-to-one odds. Hamlin's wife, Lisa Rinna, was a contestant in the second season of the series. Singers Willa Ford and Sara Evans each rank 8:1.

It is unknown how the firm decided the competitor's odds; none of this year's dancing has been previewed publicly, let alone for the press.

Dancing with the Stars enters its third season on September 12, at 8pm, with a two-hour season premiere. The series was a surprise hit for ABC, who added the program as a summer filler, with no large hopes for its success. Based on the British series Strictly Come Dancing, the series has been produced in 20 countries.

ODDS
 * 7:2 - Mario Lopez
 * 4:1 - Vivica Fox
 * 6:1 - Monique Coleman
 * 6:1 - Joey Lawrence
 * 6:1 - Harry Hamlin
 * 8:1 - Willa Ford
 * 8:1 - Sara Evans
 * 15:1 - Shanna Moakler
 * 15:1 - Tucker Carlson
 * 15:1 - Emmitt Smith
 * 30:1 - Jerry Springer