'Dancing With the Stars:' It's all about Bristol, Bristol, Bristol

 

Say what you want about Bristol Palin, she's in the "Dancing With the Stars" finals and, well, you're not.

There was a virtual uproar over Alaska's most famous teen mom beating yet another opponent on Tuesday night. Yes, the 20-year-old daughter of Sarah Palin has been in the bottom two seven consecutive times and she's still standing.

Is there a "tea party" movement afoot to save this tiny dancer that involves fraudulent voting? Or are people just taken with her underdog spirit? Read this Los Angeles Times story and you decide.

One thing is for certain. The surprising exit of singer Brandy and the Sarah Palin factor have a lot of people talking, including executive producer Conrad Green and judge Carrie Ann Inaba.

"This season has definitely been more shocking than any other season," Green said in an interview Wednesday. "The one feature of this season is how unpredictable it’s been. I thought David Hasselhoff would last weeks. He’s a great character, and he's got great performance skills. So for me it was quite a thing. And then [Audrina Patridge] and [Rick Fox] going. I get that people get annoyed when good dancers leave. But there’s a way to remedy that — vote for them. It’s not rocket science."

Green said he would have loved to have seen a dance-off between Brandy and movie star Jennifer Grey, but he's not disappointed that Palin is still in the running.

"I feel bad for Brandy because I would have loved to have seen her go head-to-head with Jennifer, like she has been all season," he said. "We all have been a bit robbed of that. But, at he same time, if Bristol had gone, I’d been devastated because she’s grown more than any other dancer on the show. It’s an inspiring story, and she’s a representation of the audience on this show. If you take the party politics out of it, she’s inspiring. I feel for her. She’s 20 years old, she’s got no experience, and everything people are springing on her is pretty unfair, really."

Inaba echoed Green's sentiment, saying both Palin and Brandy had grown a lot in the competition.

"Yes, we all expected Brandy to be in the finals," Inaba said. "I think that goes without saying. But it happens. It happens every season. People forget the uproar that we had when Mario Lopez lost to Emmit Smith. Emmit wasn’t as good of a dancer but he had something that touched America’s hearts."

Inaba believes Palin's draw is her underdog status as the one contestant who has no entertainment industry experience.

"There is something about her that touches you when you watch her," Inaba said. "There’s a vulnerability, there’s an honesty in the way she moves. She has good technique. Her dance movements may be smaller than Brandy’s or Jennifer’s. And she doesn’t have the flair of Brandy or the performance level of Kyle Massey or the fine-tuned grace of Jennifer. But she hasn’t gotten their scores either.

"What’s sad is that, while people are upset about Brandy, and I completely understand that, I don’t think they should be taking down somebody else who is doing well," she added. "You can be upset and please express yourself but young kids read message boards. We don’t want to teach our kids that when you don't like something, you should spew."

The election, oops, the competition ends on Nov. 23.


— Maria Elena Fernandez
twitter.com/writerchica

Video: Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas perform a praise-worthy pasodoble in Monday's episode. Credit: ABC.

Photo: From left, Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, and Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas wait for the verdict on Tuesday night's show. Credit: Adam Larkey/ABC.


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"Dancing with the Stars: Blogosphere in a tizzy over Bristol Palin's advance to the finals

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Comments

[Truth Speaker]

The FAMILY OF HYPOCRTES do not want people to use the word RETARDED because of family members mental handicap yet they use FAGGOT and GAY, etc. The mom, Sarah can’t finish a Governorship and her daughter can’t DANCE, she should know enough to stop making an ass of herself, but then look at who she has for a role model.

[Alistair mackay]

I also was disgusted at the skewed results in last nights show, and the judges should have a mechanism for disallowing 'packing' of the phone in results, where its obvious the performance in question does not merit it. We have lost confidence in the program.

[Laura]

I enjoy watching Dancing With The Stars and will continue watching future shows for the dancing, music, costumes, etc.. But what disappoints me is the show is titled Dancing with The Stars and I don't understand how Bristol Palin is a contestant. How is she a star? Teen Activist? Abstinence can work? It obviously didn't and still doesn't. haave you read the statistics for Teen Pregnancy? She is not a pro or olympian athlete, she is not an actor, not in the music industry or television and hasn't achieved anything spectacular. How does being a pregnant teen declare you a star? It's her Mother which is unfair becasue I would truly hope we could leave politics out of this show. If Bristol's stardom is being a pregnant teen what does that say for all the other teen mothers? Why weren't they asked to be on DWTS?

[Bluehill]

Shame on DWS and ABC! They should never invite a political figure like the Palin family to the show and destroy real talents. We should boycott DWS and ABC.

[Symone]

Well said Laura

[Leslie]

So many people have talked about Bristol getting votes because of her mother or the tea party, but each week she is introduced as a "teen activist." Bristol has been on the speaking circuit. Her audience watches the show too. I was a teen mother. I give my votes to Bristol... from my cell, from my landline, and through my abc account. AND, I have my children, 4 siblings, their spouses and children, etc... etc... do the same. Bristol has been mostly critized by a couple of judges, sometimes "talked down to" (CAI -Episode 2?) when her dancing really was no worse than Rick or David (no one would ever be so rude to an actual "star")
Yes, I hated to see Audrina go, but she's the only one (well, besides Shirley) but I am not sorry to see Brandi go - at all.
I have to question why DWTS asked Bristol. Did you hope to make a fool of her?my personal goal was to see her make the final three. Now, I want to see her make the final two (sorry Kyle.)
Bruno STRESSES the importance of voting- well Bruno, WE ARE VOTING!!

[rosy]

this is it for me, I will no longer watch that show, because all ms Inaba did was praising Pailin and put Brandy down so of course the public follow the lead of the judges. What did bristol accomplish to be a star how about call teachers and Nurses to be on the show and call them stars. Inaba shoulb be ashame

[Lea]

Uhhhhhh No one cares about your life symone anyways what a shame! Im done with DWTS forever, that double chin cow can have that freaking trophy, we all know who the best dancers are anyways its all good.

[bernie]

DWTS is a travesty. The executive and Carrie Ann can justify all they want with what is going on but if Bristol's last name is not Palin she'd be long gone and that is the truth. It is also digusting to see how the judges are so nice to her but mean with their comments to the other contestants.!!!! As far as I am concerned I am done with DWTS.

[Carol Lantz]

You people have appartently forgotten what the show is about ? I have watched it since the beginning . Its the dancers that shows the best improvement ? Most of the people in the show this year has had background in acting & dancing, Bristol had none of this, however has improved every week, give the girl a brake judge her on her improvement not her mother, that's so unfair, its not suppose to be a celeberity fan fare ?
Cl

[Michael A. Lesso]

If Bristol Palin wins I will have nothing to do with the Tea Party, in fact I will
do everything I can to undermind it's existentence.

[SJD]

The show is called "Dancing with the Stars", Bristol is not a star.
Bristol, "inspiring"?....Really. They talk about her like she is a RETARD (this is not the Special Olympics) .Again, the show is called "Dancing with the Stars", not "The Inspiration of the Stars". And as for an activist...would she have been an activist is she never got knocked up? Or would she have been an activist if her mother wasn`t into politics? Well we`ll get Sarah when she tries to run for president, we won`t vote.

[E]

@ Leslie, perhaps you must be forgetting how Bruno handled the whole Michael Bolton thing and he has more star status than Ms. Palin.

It is interesting to me when I see many people talk of Brandy rubbing them the wrong way. I really wonder why that is. Because she wanted to win. To this I ask to those who say this, haven't you ever wanted something really badly. Then of course, there are those who rant about the fact she wasn't too upset about the fatal accident. Well was Jennifer Grey falling over in her package when she discussed the accident she and then-boyfriend Matthew Broderick were in that caused two people to die. The fact is we don't know what either one of them feels nor do we know what it's like to be in their shoes.

As for Ms. Palin, I can see bits of improvement here and there. I won't begrudge the fact she has grown in some ways, however she shouldn't be in the finals. There are too many times when she looks lost and unsure. Dancing whether pro or amateur has to contain some kind emotion and expressiveness of which she has neither. Whereas Kyle's dancing shows so much of that. Sometimes it is about the technical aspects as we can see when Jennifer performs. But more than anything, we the audience should feel moved by what we are seeing. There has to be some kind of connection. At the end of day, ask yourself if someone said they had tickets to see Bristol Palin dance, would you spend the money to see her perform?

[Colleen]

This Family is so Phony. What Bristol and Willow proves that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Look at the mouth on Mother Grizzle when she used the B word on Fox News. Bristol is no star except for the fact that she was PG and if her New show is any indication she better sit and have along talk about Birth Control with the other Daughter who was sneaking her boyfriend upstairs. So sad . People open your eyes. This was a fun Family show to watch but no longer .

[damaris]

I am really proud of Bristol Palin's blossoming in dancing with the stars. She may not be a celebrity like the rest of this season's casts, but she represents the ordinary person, who can really shine and blossom when given a chance. I am so happy with her costumes, sexy, but it still is consevative and with taste.
I would like to thank her partner Mark Ballas, who was so patient with her, he taught her a lot, as a non dancer and performer.
Whether she gets the trophy or not she is already a winner.
I think she is getting a lot of votes, not because of her mom, but because a lot of ordinary people like us, identify with her.
All the best Bristol and Mark!

[Diana Copp]

Bristol should have been out long ago but it doesn't help that Entertainment Tonight promotes the Palins ever night on their show. Interviews, updates on their homelife, pumping her new reality show............ET did the same thing when Donny Osmond was on the show and he won. They seem to focus on one person and the others don't get as much exposure. It is like running for the Presidential Election........hmmmmmm surprised I am not. Palin quit her state and Bristol is a teen mother...........great role models. I will not watch DWTS anymore. Go Jennifer I hope she wins.

[Ruben]

I was completely stunned to watch Brandi lose. Bristol should not even have made the top 5 let alone reach the finals. Something is afoot. The voting process is flawed. It seems that the Judges are afraid of saying anything wrong with Bristol's dancing. Carrie Ann Inaba can you quit the show for DWS sake.

[Goldie]

I personally feel that the phone lines were rigged. Or that Palin paid people off to vote for Bristol. I think everyone who watched DWTS knows that Brandy is far more a better dancer than Bristol is. I mean Bristol's been at the bottom of the board 7 times in a row and she's still there. What does that say? But I do have to give Bristol her props for showing the most progress as she was definitely not a dancer in the beginning and now has a couple of moves. So, my DWTS viewers I say it's up to us to keep Jennifer and Massey in the competition and knock Palin out, so PLEASE VOTE VOTE VOTE!!!

[Leslie]

@E-yes, you're right. Bruno was very harsh on Bolton and he has more star status than quite a few of those contestants! That was uncalled for and I believe Len called him out on that one, didn't he?

@Bernie- how do you think the judges are nice to Bristol, but mean to the other contesants?

@Demaris- I share your wishes to Bristol & Mark

[Elly Malone]

This article is very well written. I appreciate the reminder that if we didn't want Brandy gone, we should have given her more votes. Even more importantly we must remember that this girl went in front of the world with no experience! That is a lot more than most of us would be willing to do. Let's don't make a 20-year old girl feel like the entire world hates her. It is just a t.v. show!