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At the Dancing Finish Line
Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough by Carol Kaelson/ABC
I don’t know about you, but I got my wish Tuesday night. Boiled down to three words: Anyone. But. Marie. Seriously folks, if Dancing with the Stars’ trophy had gone to Marie Osmond the underdog — or rather, underdoll, as I like to think of her after Monday’s bizarre freestyle nondance that would have been better suited for the Island of Misfit Toys — I might even have joined the legions of disgruntled fans who tend to declare "I’m never watching again" after each cycle when their favorite doesn’t win.
And then, of course, they return the following season, because once hooked on this deliriously entertaining reality contest, few can resist the spectacle of watching B-list celebs put on their dancing shoes with varying degrees of nerve, style and success. New stars tend to emerge from this process, and few have blazed with such effortless charm than the eventual winner, Helio Castroneves, whom I’d bet very few outside of my Indy-500-obsessed family of otherwise lapsed Hoosiers had ever heard of before September.
What a grin. What a personality. And while not a perfect dancer, what an entertainer. Carrie Ann Inaba nailed it during Monday’s harshly judged — and rightly so — finals show (a reality check after the previous week’s semifinals, when the judges went overboard declaring everyone nearly flawless) when she said of Helio that he combined Melanie Brown’s technical polish with Marie’s undeniable entertainment factor.
Dancing with the Stars does seem to be skewed against female champs. There hasn’t been one since Kelly Monaco won during the first season, and that created such an outcry there was a dance-off so John O’Hurley could share the spoils. This probably has a lot to do with the fact that the show has such a strong female following that many are likely to be voting in droves for whatever guy (Drew Lachey, Mario Lopez, Apolo Anton Ohno, Cameron Mathison, Helio) is making them swoon the most. Ultimately, Dancing with the Stars is as much a popularity contest as it is a dance competition, and while that rubs some observers the wrong way, it comes with the territory. (How else to explain, while watching the former contestants reprise their best dances in a greatest-hits parade, how relative unknown Albert Reed left before Wayne Newton, Floyd Mayweather or Mark Cuban. And don’t get us started on the whole Sabrina Bryan fiasco.)
I’d be lying if I didn’t admit Helio was my pick to win, though I was predicting to the very end that Mel would walk away with it. (While we’re at it, we probably shouldn’t underestimate the fan following of their professional partners. Helio was more than lucky to be teamed with the dynamic Julianne Hough.) Thankfully, this time around it ultimately came down to the two best dancers in what has been the most enjoyable and headline-grabbing season yet of a show that one should never take too seriously. The finale episode itself, though padded, was more enjoyable than most of its kind, with plenty of performance highlights as well as one last chance to marvel at Tom Bergeron's classy, clever mastery of the trickiest tap dance of them all: hosting live television.
Now on to Dance War, headlined by Carrie Ann and Bruno Tonioli. I think we could all use a month’s break, don’t you?
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Nov 28, 2007 8:36 AM
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I agree with everything you said for once. LOL I was so thrilled that Helio & Julienne won! She is simply refreshing. Just cute, fun and a great partner. He was so adorable with that infectious grin! They were just absolutely fun to watch. The only one that I loved every single time. I loved M&M as well, though, so if they had won, I'd have been ok with it. (Is she not him in female form? heh)
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Nov 28, 2007 8:55 AM
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I am very happy that Helio and Julianne won, and I think I enjoy her as much as I do him!
The funniest moment had to be when they handed Helio the milk at the end....wonder how many DWTS fans got it?
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Nov 28, 2007 9:02 AM
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I totally agree Matt-if Marie won I would of banned the show! I am so HAPPY Helio won. Julianne is so much fun to watch she really is a great professional dancer! I just hope they don't stick her with someone old like they did Cheryl Burk. Mel was great, but she is a professional dancer in her own way-Spice Girls I think may have hurt her a bit with all the booing they were doing while being judged on Monday night. Just my opinion. My husband seems to think that the Brazilians came through more then the English! It's a thought, but I think it is all of the Hough's family who is also Morman and has a huge family!
Also, what is with all the different people in the audience? Does someone go out and hand pick the different stars to come and sit in the audience? Do you honestly think they will pick Carol Brady/Florence Henderson to be on next season? Gosh then who will be playing the "I am xx old" card? I am glad this season is over with, with all the drama this season had I think they all need a rest before going out on Tour! Best wishes to all the dancers going on tour and I hope Marc gets better as well!
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Nov 28, 2007 12:03 PM
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Here's hoping that Cheryl and Julianne get great partners next time and the show doesn't stick them with the older contestants! It would be great to see them both have great partners and have kind of a showdown between the champs.
Love that Helio won, even though I want a girl to win!
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Nov 28, 2007 12:14 PM
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I'm not bitter or anything, but I just tell it like it is: Mel B. should've won, but she didn't only because the majority of women who watch the show feel threatened by Mel B. They're pretty much jealous of her.
I think the soccer moms voted for Helio because they're not intimidated by him; they're intimidated of Mel. Helio is the cute guy while Mel B. has the full package. I mean, Mel B. has it all: she can dance, sing, she's skinny (especially for someone who gave birth to a baby months ago), she's drop-dead gorgeous, and she has this big, fun, and amazing personality. She's the type of girl who you would want to hang out with because she is always saying something funny and doesn't seem to take herself too seriously. She's able to laugh at herself and she has this postive energy about her. And she is the epitome of "Girl Power." She has this "you can't knock me down" attitude and she has this powerful aura around her.
So I guess all the soccer moms chose to vote for Helio because they're not threatened by him. He's the cute guy while Mel B. is the girl who could pretty much do it all. She was the best dancer and the one who had a fun personality. I think all of the soccer moms who watch the show need to boost their self-esteem and give credit to the girl who provided the entertainment and always brought the house down after every performance.
And I'm tired of people mentioning that Mel B. should've never been in the competition because she has had formal dance training (well people have mentioned this on other blogs, not this one). The show is called "Dancing with the Stars." As long as you are a star (well I'm not even sure you have to be a star to be in the competition, I think any Z-lister is qualified), then you're pretty much qualified to be on the show. If you're a singer, you can be on the show, if you're an actor, you can be on the show. And if you're a dancer that has A-Z list credibility, then you could be on the show too.
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Nov 28, 2007 12:59 PM
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I don't watch the show regularly, but it does seem biased toward selecting the male celebrities over the females because the males have a professional female dancer that can be flipped around doing the much fancier movies. I would think it's easier to teach a guy how to hold/guide a woman than it is to teach her how to do those far more difficult steps/moves.
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Nov 28, 2007 1:47 PM
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So true. Tom has done a phenomenal job all year.
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Nov 28, 2007 4:39 PM
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THANK YOU for commenting that we shouldn't underestimate the growing popularity of the professional dancers. With this show its umpteenth incarnation, viewers know some of the professionals better than the so-called celebrities. They definitely have an impact on votes now, and they need more acknowledgement from the media, the judges and so on....
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Nov 28, 2007 5:15 PM
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I'm not bitter or anything, but I just tell it like it is: Mel B. should've won, but she didn't only because the majority of women who watch the show feel threatened by Mel B. They're pretty much jealous of her.[/i]
You're joking, right?!?!?!?!
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!
Threatened of what????? Anyone can (a) learn to dance like that if they really work hard, (b) have a boob job; (c) marry the wrong man (time will tell with that one) (d) have a baby out of wedlock. We just will never be able to dance with Maks!!!
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Nov 28, 2007 6:06 PM
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Thank God Marie didn't win. My faith is partially restored. I can't believe she has lasted as long as she did. She is a stiff legged middle aged mother, who only survived by her professional partner, carrying her through the competition and her doll dumb ass followers. There were much better dancers that were eliminated earlier in the competition. Marie go home and be a mother. As a dancer you really suck. Oh when you go take Donnie-Boy with you. You guys just aren't that good.........
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Nov 28, 2007 9:28 PM
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Being another Indy 500 obsessed Hoosier, I am also happy Helio won. Since he lives in Miami but gave a shot out to the Indianapolis fans, I have to assume alot of his fan base was here in Indy.
Does ABC ever exactly explain how many votes each couple get and how they calculate the winner?
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Nov 29, 2007 9:50 AM
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dobro: That was an UGLY rant. Bitter much!
I have to agree that women will never vote for women, they hold them up to different standards. Why is it that a man can do something and it's adorable but a woman does the same thing and she has an attitude? We are hardest on each other. There is a difference between confidence and cockiness and I hope that one day women will take it easier on each other and get over that. It's only fair to give everyone the same chance.
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Nov 29, 2007 9:50 AM
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re: the comment about women being intimidated by Mel B & voting for Helio b/c he's cute. I beg to differ! I voted for Jennie & Jane until they were voted off. Had Jennie (or Sabrina) been in the finals - they would have gotten my votes. I personally voted for Helio because of the JOY he exhibited while dancing. I did NOT vote for Mel B because I just did NOT like her. MY opinion only. And I'm sorry - IMO she had an unfair advantage.
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Nov 29, 2007 1:32 PM
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I much as I like & enjoy Marie Osmond, I knew she couldn't win unless the entire Morman population of Utah called in, or somebody tampered with the voting returns. As much as I loved the engaging, charming & entertaining personality of Helio C., and his splendid dancing, I truly thought Mel B would take it for technical style, and overall performance.
Candidly, I firmly believe the predominately female voters seriously assisted the returns in favor of the charmer, Helio, and put his star to the top, pleasantly surprising many of us.
Should Mel B, as a dancing/singing entertainer, have been selected as a contestant for this particular show? Even so, I feel the Mel B was hampered by something I missed. I'm still not certain why she was/is called the Scary Spice, either.
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Nov 29, 2007 2:25 PM
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