A Day in the Life in Tia's World: Dancing With The Stars=Dirty Politics

DWTS back row from left to right David Hasselhoff, Kurt Warner, Kyle Massey, Rick Fox, Hosts Brooke Burke and Tom Bergeron,front from left to right, Brandy, Jennifer Grey, Margaret Cho, Audrina Patridge, Florence Henderson and Bristol Palin. (Not pictured) Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and Michael Bolton.

First couple eliminated David Hasselhof and Kym Johnson

Second couple eliminated Michael Bolton and Chelsie Hightower

The Dancing With the Stars program is something I started watching off and on in the 8 and 9th season, one reason why I stopped watching is the people I voted for or were pure entertainment were voted off by other viewers, after learning the lineup for Season 11, I didn't want to keep my fingers crossed for a particular couple, only to see them voted off. One thing I noticed is contestants with a formal dance background don't win the competition, they're usually the runner-up. This year's celebrites include: R&B singer Brandy, Michael Bolton, David Hasselhoff, America's favorite mom Florence Henderson, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino from Jersey Shore, former NBA player/actor Rick Fox, comedian Margaret Cho, Dirty Dancing's Jennifer Grey, That's So Raven and Cory in the House star Kyle Massey, The Hills Star Audrina Patridge, Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol Palin, and former NFL player Kurt Warner. Each week the couples are paired with dancing pros to deliver either one of these dances" The Cha-Cha- Cha, Quickstep, Jive, Argentine Tango,Charleston, Foxtrot, Jitterbug, Lambada, Lindy Hop, Mambo, Rumba, Samba, Tango, Two-Step, Vienesse Waltz, Paso Doble, Bolero, and Freestyle with the scores ranging from 1-10 for performances, and a total of 30 points overall for the dance. The show is going into week three, and the dances that have already been performed are the Vienesse Waltz, Cha-Cha-Cha, Quickstep, and the Jive.

The performances airs on Monday nights and the results show on Tuesday, which also includes live performances from the professional dancers, and singers. The first week's couple to be eliminated was David Hasselhof and partner Kym Johnson after receiving tying in third place with the lowest scores alongside The Situation, which the judges were critical of his "club dancing and fist pumping" and Margaret Cho's performance was a "over the top, and they just didn't get it". This week, Michael Bolton and partner Chelsie Hightower's interpretation of the Jive to Elvis Presseley's "Hound Dog" was met with much criticism. Judge Bruno Tonioli stated "That was the worse Jive I've seen in 11 seasons," giving the duo a score of 3. They were ultimately eliminated from the competition with Bolton stating that Tonioli's criticism was disrespectful. So far the duo with the highest scores are Jennifer Grey and partner Derek Hough. During week one's airing of practice, Grey became emotional with the song they were to perform the Vienesse Waltz to, a song from the movie "Dirty Dancing" with co-star the late Patrick Swayze. The performance was so endearing, that judge Carrie Ann Inaba became teary eyed in her critique.

Highest scoring couple for Weeks 1 & 2- Derek Hough and Jennifer Grey

Grey and Hough's performance this week was followed by a total score of 24 was met with boo's from the crowd, and it wasn't determined yet what the boo's were for. Soon after the boo's host Bergeron introduced Sarah Palin. Rumors began swirling around the web, some guessing the boo's were toward Sarah Palin being in the audience, while others and ABC suggested the boo's were for the score of 24 for Grey and Hough, they believed their scores should've been higher. The facts were choppy with ABC claiming it was because of Grey and Hough's score, 24 was the highest score of the evening. Tuesday's night events became even more suspicious when visiting other blogs former season 10 contestant Kate Gosselin emailed family and friends encouraging them to vote for her, and a viewer stating she was trying to vote for Kyle Massey and the recorded voice stated "Thank you for voting for Bristol and Tony," some believe it is a political chess move on Palin's part due to her having a tv show, behind the scenes footage of Bristol's partner visiting the Palin home, attention given to her sitting in the audience, and her possible appearance on season 12 to boost her run for presidency in 2012.

Hmm... I smell some political bs going on. I for one do not want to continue to watch the show, if coverage is going to be given solely to Sarah and Bristol Palin. Also, what are the requirements of being a "Star" on this prgram? Bristol Palin is not a star, she's the single parent of a former Vice-President contender for the 2008 election, in my opinion, reality stars The Situation and Audrina Patridge aren't stars either, but hey, it does make for great entertainment. One person's behavior that surprised me was Brandy, she's whiny, irritating to watch, and she complains too much. I tweeted Tuesday night that if she were eliminated that night, she would probably cry, ugh, I do not vote for her, I'm rooting for Fox and Grey's teams. I believe the producers of DWTS wanted to shake things up by the younger "Stars" being on the show, to draw in younger audiences...the proof is in the pudding with the past two eliminations. Perhaps the most controversial DWTS news is former contestant Mario being arrested Friday for assault against his mother?! What is that all about?
(I didn't continue to follow that story, sorry guys).

Okay, it's the end of week four for the competition. Last week was story telling week, where Audrina Patridge and her partner Tony came in first place, knocking Jennifer and Derek out of the top spot into second place, and Brandy n Maks finishing in third. Last week's couples in the bottom were The Situation and Karina, Maragret Cho and Louie Van Amstel, and Bristol and Mark. Ultimately, the couple eliminated was Maragret Cho and her partner Louie Van Amstel after their Cha Cha Cha to "Coppacabana" dressed in colors of the rainbow,Maragret stated thy decided to bring awareness to the recent string of suicide with gay young adults.

This week, was Acoustic Week with Jennifer and Derek reclaiming the top spot with their rendition of the Aregentine Tango, the bottom couples were again the Situation and Karina, Bristol and Mark, and Ana and Kurt. Sadly, The Situation's slow improvement with his dancing went unnoticed with his fans and the two were voted off of the show.

Okay, I haven't been keeping up with this blog entry and I apologize, after some upsets of couples going home, Bristol Palin is still holding on. Following The Situation and Karina's departure from the show, Florence Henderson and Corky were the next couple to be eliminated. I was a little bit disappointed with her elimination, especially after she danced according to the judges, her best dance yet. Unfortunately, there weren't enough votes to keep her on the show. The next week, was rock week where Audrina and Tony were at the top of the leader board, second was Brandy, and Jennifer and Derek landed in the middle after several missteps and stumbles during their Paso Doble. Audrina and Tony received their best scores yet, but shockingly were the next couple to be voted off. I thought with Bristol's inconsistency in her performances, she would be sent home, but to no avail "Bristol the Pistol" was safe for another week.

Last week's show celebrated Dancing With The Stars 200th episode with many musical guests and appearances from former contestants, runner-up, and winners of the competition. The show began with a group dance for former DWTS winners Kristi Yamaguchi and Apolo Ohno serving as team captains. Both groups did extremely well; however, there were missteps from both groups, with Team Apolo receiving the higher scores. The best performances of the evening was Rick and Cheryl, Kyle and Lacey, Brandy and Maks, and Derek and Jennifer redeemed themselves with their Tango. Rick and Cheryl received their highest scores of the season, but after an awkward clip of the two practicing with Rick's girlfriend Eliza Dushku in tow, and Kyle and Lacey joining them in the bottom two, Rick and Cheryl were sent home. Either the judges were great actors, or they truly did not know that Rick and Cheryl were next to receive the axe.

I find it amazing that Bristol is still a contestant on the show. Most of the message boards have viewers explaining their reasoning for voting for Bristol and Mark. "She's doing well for someone with no prior dance experience...I love her personality and she's refreshing to watch...I'm tired of all of the complaining Jennifer is doing and Derek is too arrogant...," and so forth and so on.There's no way to sugar coat the truth...she can't dance...I feel bad for Mark because he's an excellent dancer, and he's in my opinion, the only reason why Bristol is on the show from his loyal fans. How ironic is it that tonight's instant dance had Bristol dancing better than before...hmm...something tells me she won't be sent home tomorrow, while another great dancer gets the boot.

Tonight's results show called for the encore of Kyle and Lacey's Jive to Little Richard's "Good Golly, Ole Molly," which was the most entertaining dance of last night. I was elated that they were the first couple announced to be safe from elimination. I put my votes into overdrive for these two since Rick and Cheryl were sent home last week. Highlights from Jennifer and Derek's Rumba last night showed that the choreography was simplistic;however, nonetheless, the dance was well preformed. The couple received a score of 30 last night and were the next couple safe from elimination. Kurt and Anna danced a Cha Cha Cha that showed Kurt's improvement on the dance floor, I studied his facial expressions, and through the smiles he looked worried that he would be the next star eliminated. Last night, Bristol and Mark performed an Argentine Tango that was their best performance yet; however, there were still missteps and times you could tell she lost her steps. Their Cha Cha Cha was uninspiring to say the least, a lot of shoulder shaking which any "dancer" can do. Brandy and Maks continue to go neck and neck on the leaderboard with Jennifer and Derek. Their Instant Dance was heavily criticized by judge Carrie Ann, and showed an indignant side of Maks. Brandy looked like a deer caught in headlights. Bristol and Mark were the next couple to be safe from elimination. I say it every week, this girl can not dance, and people are voting for her because she's supposed to be the most improved dancer? Over Kurt Warner? I don't think so. Once Rick was sent home last week, I knew it was going to be a miracle if Kurt continued on in the competition, but I held on to the shred of hope that people would clean their glasses in a sense to stop voting for Bristol. Sadly, Kurt and Anna were sent home tonight.

So the semi-finalists are Brandy and Maks, Bristol and Mark, Jennifer and Derek, and Kyle and Lacey. This is my prediction of the finals: Brandy and Maks winner, Jennifer and Derek runner-up, and Kyle and Lacey third place or Kyle and Lacey winners, Jennifer and Derek runner-up, Brandy and Maks third place. It would be so unfortunate to me as a fan of the show if the finals are read like this: Bristol and Mark winner, Brandy and Maks runner-up, and Jennifer and Derek third place or Brandy and Maks winner, Bristol and Mark runner-up, and Kyle and Lacey third place. If Bristol wins this competition, I will NOT watch this show anymore.
Sorry this is a week late, but this was the final results of the Season 11 of DWTS. Unfortunately I missed the results show for the semi-finalists, but it didn't take long until I hit my unofficial source for news twitter, to read that Brandy and Maks were eliminated. This came as a huge shock to me, Brandy hands down was one of the best performers on the show, and I was certain that she would have a spot in the finals. I was baffled at how she could be at the top of the leaderboard consistently but is sent home after performing her best dances of the season. Low votes from the viewers? Hmmm....the plot continued to thicken, there was no doubt in my mind that something wasn't right with those results.

When last Monday's two part episode finally aired, my hunch was correct. After watching both Kyle and Jennifer perform, I started my phone votes. I was only able to get two calls in and could not get through again until phone voting for my time zone expired. My next step was to vote online, the site either crashed or there was a serious overload on abc.com website. My votes continued via the web last Tuesday morning. I missed the first half hour of the results show, but saw that all of the seasons contestants came back to perform their last dance. The final dance of the evening from the three finalists: Bristol and Mark, Kyle and Lacey, and Jennifer and Derek was the Cha Cha Cha.

Although the judges have critiqued Kyle on his lack of footwork, both he and Lacey put on a great performance, this was also the best overall performance of Bristol Palin, often times she would miss steps and was critiqued for lack of emotion in her face, she did a great job, although I grew tired of seeing her "shimmy" her shoulders every week. Jennifer and Derek performed a near perfect performance, with all of her injuries it was clear that Derek's choreography was on the simple side. I was nervous and on the edge of my seat to hear the two finalists. Although Bristol and Mark received low scores since the beginning of the competition, viewers votes and "the tea party," and mother Sarah Palin played a significant role in Bristol still being in the competition. It was announced Bristol and Mark were eliminated and I sighed a sigh of relief. It didn't come much of a surprise that the winners were Jennifer and Derek. Although Kyle made it to the finals and was made popular from shows on the Disney channel, Jennifer Grey's movie Dirty Dancing is a cult classic, and Kyle simply couldn't compete with her legions of fans.

Okay here's my wrap-up of this season 11. David Hasslehoff and Michael Bolton, although eye candy for women 40+, the younger viewers aren't really familiar with the two to keep them in the competition. Maragret Cho's comic relief may not have been suitable for network television. I believe her biggest mistake was dedicating her performance to the suicides of gay young men and women, more conservative viewers may not have particularly cared for her personal views and that's why she was eliminated. The Situation couldn't dance at all, slew footed and pigeon toed made for a bad "situation" on the dance floor. Although he's a reality tv celebrity, he didn't generate enough fans voting to keep him in the competition.

Florence Henderson (Carol Brady) was a joy to watch, especially for the Brady Bunch fans. Her age may have played a factor in her elimination, especially with the lack of voting from younger viewers. The first shocker of the season was the elimination of Audrina Patridge and Tony. Considering how well she was doing in the competition, Tony was paired with a better partner this season (last season his partner was Kate Gosselin), the low votes came as a surprise, with the success of The Hills for the younger viewers. Perhaps, Audrina was lacking votes from older viewers. The eye candy of the season was undoubtedly Rick Fox and Kurt Warner.

The second shock of the season was Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke's elimination. A clip of Rick's girlfriend Eliza jumping on Rick and the two of them galloping around was awkward for Cheryl and for viewers. There was a lot of sexual innuendos in their behavior, and may have not sat too well with older viewers, and fans of Desperate Housewives (ex-wife Vanessa Williams is now a cast member). Kurt was critiqued harshly by judge Len Goodman throughout the competition, and although former contestant and retired football player Warren Sapp won the competition a few years back, the former athletes weren't successful on this season.

I couldn't quite put my finger on Brandy's elimination especially since she was doing so well, as I aforementioned earlier, and people posting on the message board further stirred my apprehension of the voting process, some couldn't get through on the phones, while other stated she was eliminated for her bad attitude and Maks was responsible for them being eliminated with his verbal altercation with judge Carrie Ann Inaba. I didn't see an attitude from her, she was more so annoying but humbled by her experience on the show, and wanting to win for her daughter and build up her confidence from her current stalled career. Bristol was just a bad dancer, and it made me angry that better performers were being eliminated while she stayed in the competition. I believe that ABC magically changed the final results to keep the integrity of the show intact. Although Kyle was a great performer who bought excitement to the competition, but he wasn't competition for Jennifer and Derek, making her win very predictable. The finals would've been interesting if Audrina and Brandy made it to the finals because the three of them were the best performers of the season, then Jennifer would've had direct competition.