On 'Dancing With the Stars,' Bristol Palin speaks, Sarah Palin gets booed? [polls]

Those boos heard in the background right before Sarah Palin spoke with "Dancing With the Stars" host Tom Bergeron were for the judges, not the former Alaska governor, an ABC spokesperson told Show Tracker.

Asked her opinion on the judges' performance, "guest commentator" Palin said, "It's like before a hockey game, you're not going to chew out the refs before your team is up to, you know, on the ice."

Throwing a double thumbs-up, she said to the trio, "They're great, you guys are doing great!"

The booing, heard from off-camera in the ballroom while host Brooke Burke was doing a post-dance chat with Jennifer Grey and partner Derek Hough, confused Grey and caused a stir among viewers posting to Twitter. The pair had received a total score of only 24 after their crowd-pleasing performance. (See clips from all the dances in the video below, and see the clip with the booing here.)

But enough about what may or may not have been a weak display of bad manners, especially with Willow Palin sitting at her mother's side -- the bigger news from Monday night's "DWTS" was that Bristol Palin actually spoke more than a word or two, coming out of her shell to chat with the (friendly, encouraging) judges and letting viewers hear her voice.

Partner Mark Ballas seemed awed by the landscape in footage from when he accompanied the younger Palin to her family's home in Alaska, and judge Bruno Tonioli encouraged Bristol to become a bit more of "an actress" when she's on stage.

 

-- Christie D'Zurilla

 

Photo: Mark Ballas, Bristol Palin and Brooke Burke during the first week of "Dancing With the Stars" Credit: Adam Larkey / ABC

Related dispatch from the Ministry of Gossip:

PREACH IT! Introducing the Bristol Palin's Gams Fan Club!

Comments

[AlCrownover]

In my opinon, anyone that boos judges of a contest of the caliber of DWTS that is being viewed by the public should be asked to leave the building. This does nothing to guide the youth of America and they are having a hard enough time as it is trying to grow up as decent citizens. You would think the audience of Dancing with the Stars would have more class than to boo or show disdain for professional judges.They should either show appreciation or shut-up.
It should never have been a question that Sarah Palin was booed by the audience, anyone with any common sense knows that Palin has more character and integrity in her little finger than many people have in their entire being whether they are in public or private life.

[Diogenes]

Ugly dress, so-so dance. But she'll raise ratings because people like me will watch who don't ordinarily. Yep, I'm curious eventho' can't stand $arah.

[Liars]

The boos were for Palin. I would have boo'ed her too.

[Linda]

Bunk...What was seen last night and what was shown tonight are two different things. Last night the booing didn't start until after the scores were announced and after the dancers said how happy they were with the scores. Those were the best scores of the night and very high for a second week. There was a delay from score announcement and the booing started.

Tonight, in a rebroadcast, the boos started with Bruno (last judge), and the female judge started mugging and asking what's wrong before the booing even started. The audience still applauded the first two judges scores. Clearly, clearly, the booing was not connected to the scores.

And why didn't anyone ask audience members themselves what they were booing? They were muzzled.

Clumsy sanitation ABC.

And why is Bristol there at all? She's no star. Why wasn't her father there? Doesn't he care about his daughter's dancing? He's really disappeared for months.

I resent this politicizing of the show. I won't be watching the rest of the season. Good Luck Jennifer.

[Dave]

All I can say is, ABC / Disney should be ashamed of their selection of Bristol to appear on the show. She is not a celebrity nor is she famous. She is an unmarried teen mother and a poor example to teen girls everywhere. Here is another scenario of Disney pushing one image and ABC pushing another.

[Thomas Chi]

Bristol Palin - The daughter of the next U.S. President Sarah Palin gets whatever she wants.

Will President Sarah Palin make Bristol Secretary of Staff, Secretary of Defense, maybe Secretary of State? How many of Palin's friends and family will have their run of the White House?

Is the United States going to hand over the U.S. Presidency to Sarah Palin and her Dancing with the Stars daughter, Bristol Palin?

Thomas Chi
Author
Selling Sex with Sarah Palin

[Tom DePeter JR.]

Get a grip you Palin haters.

[publicO]

Keith Olbermann puts it best " That woman is an idiot"

[Jessica]

I think Bristol need loosen up a bit. I think she has potential to win this competition. She is very shy. I've noticed that Bristol with or without make up is still very pretty.
I will continue to support Bristol. I think she deserves to have a shot of this competition. After all this is all about learning and she is in a good position without any experience and deserves to go further in this competition.

[Stephanie Bennett]

I think Keith Olbermann is an idiot

[rebroker]

Bristol needs to get out from under her Mother's thumb and grow up. Mama is a loser and Bristol has talent if she just gains confidence.

[joyce friedland]

ole mama palin is keeping her little bristol on the show!! nd they are taking off all the good dancers i couold not beleive it when they picked bristol as the best dance from last week! she was better than brandy???? ha! get the votes in mama!!!she sure cannot dance!

[joyce friedland]

playing favorites with bristol insults all the good dancers that are real celebrities she also has a fat body not at all graceful. are the judges afraid of sarah palin? worst show i ever watched i expected to see the last of her last night