Entertainment

Vanilla Ice's 'DWTS' Chances Are Pretty Good

Let’s face it — you have a better chance of winning Dancing With The Stars as a contestant if you’re already involved in a profession that involves moving your body. Gymnasts, football players, actors — these people win Dancing With The Stars because they are more in tune with how their muscles move. Journalists? Presidential candidates? Authors? They’re not out of the race completely, but it’s a little harder for them. It will be easier for a contestant like, say, Vanilla Ice, who used to do crazy dances for a living to nab the Mirror Ball trophy. In fact, Vanilla Ice’s old music videos show his Dancing With The Stars chances are pretty good.

For those of you who are too young to know Vanilla Ice, he hit the country hard with his first single, “Ice Ice Baby” in 1990. He was everywhere for the beginning of the 1990s, churning out single after white rapper single. If you don’t understand, that’s fine — I’m not sure I do, either. But this was a time where Mark Wahlberg also rapped — and was popular, too — so let’s just chalk it up to a sign of the times. Besides being a rapper, Vanilla Ice was known for being a pretty good dancer, too. That’s why I think he has such great potential on Dancing With The Stars. He definitely isn’t going to win any awards for being the best rapper of a generation, but he’ll prove his mettle on the dance floor. I’ll prove it to you — let’s take a look at his old music videos.

“Ice Ice Baby”

Ah, the jam that started it all. While the lyrics and song are meh (the bass line is killer, though, because it’s Queen & David Bowie’s "Under Pressure"), Vanilla Ice’s moves are awesome. He might have done the running man better than anyone else in 1990.

“Play That Funky Music”

There’s less choreographed dancing in this video, but, since it’s the filming of a live concert, “Play That Funky Music” shows how Vanilla Ice can dance even when he doesn’t have 10 takes to nail his steps — that’s important on Dancing With The Stars, because you get one live shot and then you are done.

“Rollin’ In My 5.0”

Because if you’re a rapper and don’t have a song about riding in a car, what kind of rapper are you, really? There’s driving, corrected color, and a little bit of dancing, but what this video shows is that Vanilla Ice has plenty of swag to spare — it’s important to be confident on Dancing With The Stars.

Vanilla Ice went from rapper to reality star, and that’s why I think a lot of people could count him out on Dancing With The Stars — he hasn’t danced for a large audience for 20 years. But, given what he did back in the 1990s, I’m sure he can still move the same way, and Vanilla Ice could be the ringer on this season of Dancing With The Stars. I can’t wait to see him dominate, especially over contestants that weren’t even born when “Ice Ice Baby” came out.