I'm sure most of you have heard about the Kirstie Alley fall on Dancing with the Stars, but if you haven't, here is a link where you can read more about it and watch the actual video from the episode:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/05/kirstie-alley-falls-dancing-with-the-stars-_n_844916.html
We have talked in class about whether or not watchers vote to keep people on the show because of their dancing abilities or because of their star status, and this one instance shows me that in a lot of cases it's for the crowd appeal. Kirstie is still on the show, and although the fall was said not to be her fault, many show watchers report they like the added comedy people like Alley and Wendy Williams bring. Do you think this hurts the credibility of the ballroom dancer they are matched with? i.e. do you think it makes them look bad?
I don't think that it necessarily hurts the reputation of the people that they are paired up with. This is just part of the nature of the show. It is ultimately about a celebrity's transformation as a dancer but a lot of time voters are swayed by the elements of certain celebrity's personality. This is similar to how famous they are. Sometimes a controversial celebrity stays on the show longer simply because of the events surrounding him/her not necessarily because of their humorous personality or their dancing skills. I still love the show either way!
ReplyDeleteI think what is also interesting is that some of the contestants have had dance experience. Nicole from the Pussycat Dolls was an amazing dancer on the show and consistently did well however she is a trained and professional dancer. While dancers like Kristie Alley may fumble, I think they better fit the demographic of contestants. What fun is a celebrity dance competition if they pick people who are already trained dancers?
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you- that was the criticism Jennifer Grey received from the last season. I personally love Jennifer Grey and understand that maybe her last experience dancing was in Dirty Dancing, but still, her experience is more than that of Kirstie Alley or somebody completely outside of the dancing world.
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