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worthy of a Foxtrot
Top: Before,
Bottom: After
[Images from video stills]
I may seem like a TV junkie (well, if watching Jeopardy classifies me as that), which I'm not, but it's good to have Dancing With The Stars(DWTS) back again.
Part of the reason I don't watch much TV is because liberalism creeps in unexpectedly (although, who am I not to expect these things?) as in the Jeopardy "moment" I blogged about where a male contestant mentioned "my husband" during the show's "get to know the contestants" break.
DWTS is similar in that the dancers often come out in skimpy clothing and some lewd moves (although these moves never happen with the Foxtrot, the Waltz, the Two-Step, but always with the Samba, the Rumba, the Salsa - any pattern here?). But, their dancing talents surpass their costume aberrations (or I try hard to ignore them), and some of the dances actually inspire the designers to make beautiful costumes.
Anyway, one pair danced a good, subdued Foxtrot number to Frank Sinatra's "The Way We Were." What kind of dance could "The Way We Were" inspire anyway but the Foxtrot? Kym Johnson, the pretty Australian lead dancer, was teamed with that awful nerdy Steve from "Family Matters" who looks all grown up and mature now. Kym's dress was pretty, but almost went overboard. Couldn't they have covered the "mesh" upper part with real material, perhaps with the white feathers that make up the rest of the gown?
Still, this is one of the few shows (like Jeopardy) where the contestant's skill matters. Most of these stars have gone through some kind of dance training in their younger years, trying to get into show business, so they are actually quite skilled already. There is also a big screening process that goes on to get the ones with some dancing ability. Also, they go through grueling, day-long practice sessions, worthy of athletes.
But some invited stars just can't dance, and usually they're there because of a mischievous programmer who just wants to have a little fun. Comedian Adam Carolla was such a character, although he actually took his role very seriously! Who wants to look like a fool on the dance floor, and dancing the waltz?
Also, thankfully, there are no creepy contestants this year (I think!).