Dancing With the Stars Review – Driving the Vote
Why Better Celebrity Dancers Lose to Dancers Short on Rhythm
Mar 28, 2009
Pairing celebrities with professional ballroom dancers should produce an entertaining dancing competition that ultimately crowns the best dancer as the winner. But that’s not always how it happens on ABC’s hit show, Dancing With the Stars.
Celebrity Winners From Kelly Monaco to Brook Burke
To date, seven celebrities in the Dancing With the Stars series have claimed the show’s mirror-ball trophy. The Season One through Season Seven winners are:
- Kelly Monaco, actress
- Drew Lachey, singer
- Emmitt Smith, football player
- Apolo Anton Ohno, speed skater
- Helio Castroneves, racecar driver
- Kristi Yamaguchi, figure skater
- Brooke Burke, actress
The Season Eight winner is yet to be determined, but when the trophy is awarded, will that victory be a reflection of the winner’s superior dance ability? Maybe.
The Jerry Springer, Cloris Leachman, Steve Wozniak Factor
While the judges cast their votes based on ballroom dance expertise, the viewers repeatedly vote with their hearts. Emotions trump technical skill. Likeability and empathy outweigh talent, and to the public, entertainment value matters most.
Further, when judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli dare to deride a favored celebrity, the wagons circle in protection, and people rally behind those celebrities perceived to have been unjustly wronged. This often results in the elimination of a better overall dancer while a less technically gifted, but more entertaining and more endearing, celebrity moves on in the competition.
Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice, Jason Taylor and Warren Sapp Know It Pays to Play NFL Football
Football players have a particularly strong following on Dancing with the Stars. NFL players have competed in four of the first seven seasons. Football star, Emmitt Smith, won his season, while Jerry Rice, Jason Taylor and Warren Sapp each finished as the runner-up in his respective season.
How is this striking statistic explained? How can four out of four football players finish in the top two? Are football players simply better dancers than celebrities from other mediums? Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. But America is a football-loving nation. That devotion insures a broad fan base and appears to guarantee football players a long run in the competition. As early elimination is not likely, it gives them time to grow as dancers.
Others are not so fortunate. Regardless of his or her dancing prowess, a lesser-known celebrity with a smaller fan base may have the most difficult time lasting in the competition.
Does Maksim Chmerkovskiy Make a Difference?
Another factor that may influence how a celebrity fares in the competition is the behavior of his or her professional partner. With his talent and style, professional dancer, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, has won the hearts and admiration of millions, easily becoming one of the most popular Dancing with the Stars pros. His controversial interview comments, however, have begun to cast a shadow over his popularity. After each questionable comment, Internet message boards soon fill with derogatory remarks directed toward him.
Does the behavior of a professional dancer influence the eventual outcome for that pro’s celebrity partner? Human nature suggests the likely answer is “yes.”
The Public’s Winner
In the end, the public speaks. If the best celebrity dancer does not win, then he or she does so at the hands of those who voted. Not everyone who watches votes. If all viewers voted, would it change the outcome? Should it matter? Dancing with the Stars is first and foremost an entertainment TV show. If it continues to produce ratings and water cooler buzz, it is more than doing its job.
Should anyone care that the best dancer may not win? As with any election, that’s up to the voters to decide.
 |
