Whats Hot On TV

For all the people that are swearing to never watch Dancing With the Stars again, because Cloris Leachman stayed above Rocco deSpirito, I offer up an explanation. America as a whole wants to be entertained more than they want to see good dance moves.

As I roamed around message boards this evening, mainly the one attached to the Dancing With the Stars blog on abc.com, I saw the same thing I see at least once a season on American Idol. A person that everyone thinks is really bad stays over someone they think is better, and some of the more diehard fans swear they will never watch this show as they have lost faith, and can’t imagine what in the world America is thinking by voting for that person.

There’s a few things going on here that I have to explain. The first is that the more people that rally against the un-talented person that is staying, the more votes they get. All the complaints do is rally everyone to watch when they normally wouldn’t be. It just increases the hysteria, and widens the gap between those that like the person and those that don’t. People that normally wouldn’t vote for such a show do, just to take part in all of it. I have one word for you to explain the phenomena. Sanjaya.

In addition, while Dancing With the Stars is a dancing show, it’s also being done for entertainment. We need to be entertained. The more we’re entertained, the more it’ll end up in votes for that person. The person that ends up winning is usually the person with the most talent and the most entertainment value. The show needs to be entertaining, as we wouldn’t sit around watching a show with straight dancing talent  and no comedic relief from the judges, the hosts, or the talent. It wouldn’t be as fun.

Every season of Dancing With the Stars has some comic relief. There isn’t any danger of them winning, but they do stick around past some people’s comfort level. Look at Jerry Springer. He wasn’t a great dancer and was there for the comedy, but we knew he’d never win. He became fun to watch, if for no other reason than he was so different than what we were used to seeing on his talk show.

This is obviously Cloris Leachman’s role on the show. There was never a moment when she was hired for the show that they thought she’d win. She has a reputation for being crazy, and that’s exactly why she’s there. They knew she’d liven up the show and bring some notoriety as the oldest person ever. And honestly, she isn’t that bad. Her comedy is at times so overwhelming that we forget. When she really tried hard like last night, she was good.

So what about Rocco deSpirito? Who knows why he’s on there, but Rocco isn’t a dancer or an entertainer. For that matter, he’s not an athlete either. The people that have wont the show have traditionally been athletes or entertainers. Reality show stars or famous chefs haven’t won yet. He was fun to watch, but he was never in any danger of winning either.

Looking at the two of them together, the judges talk often that they’re looking for performance and technique. Neither has altogether great technique, and while they’re both entertaining, you can’t deny that Cloris has that performance or entertaining edge.

She may have stayed, but Cloris isn’t going to win. She’s just going to stay on for awhile, until it’s her time to go. It may not be next week, but it will be way before those in any danger of winning leave. For the immediate future, Cloris is still fun, and like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.

Photos courtesy of abc.om

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