Christine Klee
“Dancing with the – Stars?”
Michael Bolton. Brandy. Margaret Cho. Rick Fox. Jennifer Grey. David Hasselhoff. Florence Henderson. Kyle Massey. Bristol Palin. Audrina Patrigde. Michael Sorrentino. Kurt Warner. These stars will appear on the 11th season of “Dancing with the Stars” (DWTS), or as it should be called “Dancing with the Stars – and those other guys.”
Some of these names will probably be unfamiliar to you, and there is a reason for that. DWTS has struggled with finding real stars in recent years. This season proves that by now, the pool of talented, interesting artists or athletes to choose from is shallow.
While a few of the contestants were once famous and are barely remembered by our generation – Grey, Henderson, Hasselhoff – other ‘stars’ don’t even deserve this title.
Celebrities like Michael “The Situation” Sorrentino (“Jersey Shore”), Audrina Patrigde (“The Hills”) or Bristol Palin (abstinence-only, unwed teen mom) are famous for publicly making the same mistake as most teens and young adults. Being on a reality show or getting pregnant at 16 aren’t necessarily noteworthy ‘achievements’.
Sorrentino especially sticks out as a sore thumb. The contestants on DWTS are required to exhibit some sense of class and decorum – something he doesn’t seem to care for. Casting him to appeal to a younger and generally less intellectual audience is unlikely to succeed – viewers of “Jersey Shore” will probably not sit through 11 ballroom dances just to see him perform. More likely, this plan will backfire and turn some of the older audience away from the show.
“Dancing with the Stars” returns to ABC on September 20. The first few episodes should quickly show who has the graces to stay and who will go home early. In case you were wondering: Hasselhoff, Grey, Henderson and Massey are actors; Warner and Fox are former pro athletes; Bolton and Brandy are singers, Cho is a comedian and Sorrentino, Palin and Patridge aren’t really famous for anything outstanding.
