'''Dancing with the Stars''' is a
reality show airing on
ABC in the
United States. The show is based on the
British BBC TV series ''
Strictly Come Dancing'' and is part of the international ''
Dancing with the Stars'' franchise.
The concept of the show is to pair a celebrity with a professional dancer in an attempt to win a high score from a panel of three judges and then a high number of votes from the viewers, who can call in and vote online. The person who receives the lowest score is eliminated, but they are allowed to dance one last dance at the end of the show.
The current co-hosts are
Tom Bergeron and
Samantha Harris. In season 1, Bergeron's co-host was
Lisa Canning. The panel of judges is
Len Goodman (head judge),
Carrie Ann Inaba, and
Bruno Tonioli.
Harold Wheeler is the musical director. The announcements for the show's titles and introductions for dances and judges' scores were recorded in the United Kingdom by
Alan Dedicoat.
''Dancing with the Stars'' is broadcast live from
CBS Television City in
Los Angeles in Studio 46.
American Idol is housed next door in Studio 36.
Despite the first three seasons never having been aired in the UK, Season 4 is being broadcast on
BBC One on Sunday afternoons as of Sunday 15th July 2007.
Dances
The following are the dances performed by couples on ''Dancing with the Stars''. In addition, each couple in the final round performs a dance of any style or combination of styles of their choosing, called "freestyle".
Winners
U.S. television ratings
Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of ''Dancing With The Stars'' on
ABC.
''Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of
May sweeps.''
| Season | Season Premiere | Season Finale | TV Season | Timeslot | Rank | Viewers
(in millions) |
|---|
| Date | Viewers
(in millions) | Date | Viewers
(in millions) |
|---|
| '1st' | June 1, 2005 | '13.48' | July 6, 2005 | '22.36' | 2004-2005 | Wednesday 9:00PM | 'n/a' | '16.80' |
|---|
| '2nd' | January 5, 2006 | '17.46' | 'Part 1:' February 23, 2006 | '17.70' | 2005-2006 | Thursday 8:00PM
''(dance show)'' | '#6' | '18.57' |
|---|
| 'Part 2:' February 26, 2006 | '27.23' | Sunday 8:00PM
''(results show)'' | '#18' | '14.81' |
|---|
| '3rd' | September 12, 2006 | '20.06'[1] | 'Part 1:' November 14, 2006 | '26.80' | 2006-2007 | Tuesday 8:00PM
''(dance show)'' | '#3' | '20.73' |
|---|
| 'Part 2:' November 15, 2006 | '27.29' | Wednesday 8:00PM
''(results show)'' | '#7' | '19.42' |
|---|
| '4th' | March 19, 2007 | '21.80'[2] | 'Part 1:' May 21, 2007 | 20.19 | 2006-2007 | Monday 8:00PM
''(dance show)'' | '#6' | '19.89' |
|---|
| 'Part 2:' May 22, 2007 | 22.96 | Tuesday 9:00PM
''(results show)'' | '#9' | '18.22' |
|---|
The show's first season is not ranked because it aired in the summer of 2005. Assuming it would have the same viewing numbers from the summer, if it did air within the 2004-2005 official television season, it would have ranked #11.
10.9 million viewers tuned into the
September 20,
2005 dance-off while just over 10.4 million watched the
September 22,
2005 results show.
''Dancing With The Stars'' was the most-watched Thursday night program on
ABC since ''
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'' in 2000 and the most-watched Thursday 8 p.m. series on
ABC since ''
Mork & Mindy'' in 1979. In its second season, it attracted similarly high viewing numbers compared to its timeslot competitor,
CBS' ''.
The first part of the series' second season finale aired on Thursday,
February 23,
2006. The other programs airing opposite ''Dancing With The Stars'' (14.8 million viewers from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.) were: the
2006 Winter Olympics ladies' figure skating finals on
NBC (17.7 million viewers from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.), an episode of
CBS' '' (14.8 million viewers from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.), and a results show during the fifth season of
FOX's ''
American Idol'' (23.5 million viewers from 8 p.m. to 9:02 p.m.).
[3]
North American Tour
On the
October 25,
2006, results show, ''Dancing with the Stars – The Tour'' was announced. Produced by ABC and
AEG Worldwide, the live-action tour features celebrities and professional dancers from U.S. seasons 1-3. The tour through 38
arena venues started in
San Diego on
December 19,
2006, and ended in
Atlantic City on
February 11,
2007. The pairs performing in the tour were:
★
Drew Lachey and
Cheryl Burke
★
Joey McIntyre and
Kym Johnson (Kym hurt herself during the tour and was replaced by
Julianne Hough)
★
Lisa Rinna and
Louis Van Amstel
★
Joey Lawrence and
Edyta Sliwinska
★
Harry Hamlin and
Karina Smirnoff
Willa Ford and
Maksim Chmerkovskiy were scheduled to join the tour, but Chmerkovskiy had to withdraw for personal reasons and Ford decided not to participate with another partner.
The 2nd tour took place with the folllowing couples:
★
Joey McIntyre 3rd Place in Season 1 and
Julianne Hough 1st Place in Season 4
★
Drew Lachey and
Cheryl Burke 1st Place in Season 2
★
Joey Lawrence and
Edyta Sliwinska 3rd Place in Season 3
★
Joey Fatone and
Kym Johnson 2nd Place in Season 4
Relationships
For the most part, the stars and dancers often have a strong relationship with one another. Many have said that it's like a brother/sister relationship, or that their partner is their best friend.
Mario Lopez and
Karina Smirnoff (2nd place in Season 3) are the only couple on Dancing with the Stars that is sure to be dating, as Mario confirmed it himself. However, their wishes to keep the relationship private is to protect it. Karina is currently residing with him in his Los Angeles home.
Willa Ford and
Maksim Chmerkovskiy have also had a relationship, but was ended abruptly.
There have also been rumors about
Julianne Hough and
Apolo Anton Ohno in a personal relationship, but Apolo and Julianne have denied anything beyond friendship. Julianne was engaged, but recently canceled her wedding.
Highest scores
Perfect thirties
Judges have awarded perfect thirty out of thirty to couples on the following occasions:
| Celebrity | Professional | Season | Week | Dance |
|---|
| Kelly Monaco | Alec Mazo | 1 | 6 | Freestyle |
| John O'Hurley | Charlotte Jorgensen | 1 | Dance-Off | Waltz |
| Stacy Keibler | Tony Dovolani | 2 | 5 | Samba |
| Drew Lachey | Cheryl Burke | 2 | 6 | Tango |
| Stacy Keibler | Tony Dovolani | 2 | 6 | Jive |
| Drew Lachey | Cheryl Burke | 2 | 8 | Paso Doble |
| Freestyle |
| Stacy Keibler | Tony Dovolani | 2 | 8 | Jive |
| Samba |
| Emmitt Smith | Cheryl Burke | 3 | 9 | Cha Cha |
| Joey Lawrence | Edyta Sliwinska | 3 | 9 | Rumba |
| Mario Lopez | Karina Smirnoff | 3 | 9 | Tango |
| Emmitt Smith | Cheryl Burke | 3 | 10 | Samba |
| Mambo |
| Mario Lopez | Karina Smirnoff | 3 | 10 | Paso Doble |
| Freestyle |
| Apolo Anton Ohno | Julianne Hough | 4 | 5 | Samba |
| Laila Ali | Maksim Chmerkovskiy | 4 | 7 | Samba |
| Joey Fatone | Kym Johnson | 4 | 7 | Jive |
| Apolo Anton Ohno | Julianne Hough | 4 | 8 | Paso Doble |
| Joey Fatone | Kym Johnson | 4 | 9 | Jive |
| Joey Fatone | Kym Johnson | 4 | 9 | Foxtrot |
| Laila Ali | Maksim Chmerkovskiy | 4 | 9 | Quickstep |
| Laila Ali | Maksim Chmerkovskiy | 4 | 9 | Cha Cha Cha |
| Ian Ziering | Cheryl Burke | 4 | 9 | Jive |
| Apolo Anton Ohno | Julianne Hough | 4 | 9 | Quickstep |
| Apolo Anton Ohno | Julianne Hough | 4 | 10 | Free Style |
| Joey Fatone | Kym Johnson | 4 | 10 | Free Style |
| Apolo Anton Ohno | Julianne Hough | 4 | 10 | Paso Doble |
| Joey Fatone | Kym Johnson | 4 | 10 | Tango |
| Laila Ali | Maksim Chmerkovskiy | 4 | 10 | Mambo |
Number of Perfect Thirties
★ Note that in Season 4, they were required to do more dancing than in earlier seasons; an example would be that dancing twice in one night started earlier when it is usually done in the semi-finals or the finals.
★
★ 5:
Apolo Anton Ono;
Joey Fatone
★
★ 4:
Stacy Keibler;
Laila Ali
★
★ 3:
Drew Lachey;
Mario Lopez;
Emmitt Smith
★
★ 1:
Kelly Monaco;
John O'Hurley;
Joey Lawrence;
Ian Ziering
Scoring and voting procedure
Starting in Season 3, the procedure for eliminating couples changed. Previously, only the overall ranking between competitors by the judges and the public was relevant. Starting in Season 3, the differential is now relevant.
The scoring begins with the judges' marks. Each judge gives a 1 to 10 score, allowing for a perfect score of 30. With multiple performances, the scores would all be added at the end of the program. The scores for all competitors are added together and each contestant's "judge share" is determined by dividing their score by the sum of all the scores combined and recorded as a percentage. This percentage is then added to the percentage of North American votes received by each contestant. The bottom two couples are identified in the results show, and the couple with the lowest combined total is eliminated.
[4]
Public voting is conducted via a toll-free number and the ABC web site. Voters can place up to five calls per phone line during and immediately after each performance show. Technical difficulties during Season 4 sometimes told the viewer that the maximum number of votes had been reached but persistent dialing enabled all five votes to be cast.
Viewer voting has been primarily based upon the popularity of the celebrity rather than their dancing ability especially in the early episodes. The three judges tailor their marks to "stack the deck" against really poor performers or even the playing field to allow the viewers to decide who wins the session.
There is no evidence of collusion between the judges and producers to "stack the deck" for the less popular celebrities. However, like many of these shows, conspiracy theories abound especially when one's favorite contestant doesn't fare as well as they might have hoped. Stacking the deck would be in clear violation of FCC rules and regulations that govern competitive television programs.
Withdrawals
Sara Evans in the third season was the first celebrity to withdraw from the competition. She cited her divorce as the reason for leaving the competition. As a result, her professional partner,
Tony Dovolani also became the first professional dancer to withdraw from the competition.
Another withdrawal occurred during the run-up to Season 4, on
February 28 when
Vincent Pastore withdrew from the competition after only one week of training. Pastore said he did not realize how much work was needed during a ten-week period, and that he was not up to the physical demands of the show. He was replaced on
March 2 by actor
John Ratzenberger who was partnered with
Edyta Sliwinska.
[5]
Len and Bruno
During the third and fifth seasons Judges
Len Goodman and
Bruno Tonioli were filming both
Dancing With The Stars and its UK counterpart
Strictly Come Dancing simultaneously, and had to fly across the Atlantic twice a week for almost the entire season.
DVD
A
DVD titled '' was released on
April 3,
2007 featuring
Kym Johnson,
Maksim Chmerkovskiy and
Ashly DelGrosso-Costa. The program contains
cardiovascular workouts adapted from
Cha-cha,
paso doble,
samba, and
jive dance routines.
See also
★ ''
Strictly Come Dancing'' (original
BBC version)
★ ''
Dancing with the Stars (Australia)''
★ ''
So You Think You Can Dance''
★ ''
Skating With Celebrities''
Notes
1. Primetime Tuesday Ratings: ABC's Dancing With the Stars Explodes Out of the Gate
2. 'Dancing' a dynamo for ABC
3. Variety.com: 'Idol,' Olympics top Thursday
4. ★ class=wikiexternal target=_blank> Dancing With The Stars Voting Summary, abc.go.com
5. http://www.abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/DancingStars/story?id=2912176
External links
★
Official ABC Website
★
''Dancing with the Stars'': The Tour
★
★
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