Many people roll their eyes when this show is mentioned. Others shake their heads or laugh. These same people probably tune in as a guilty pleasure when they think they are completely alone. You know what I'm talking about. Yes, that's right: the one, the only, Dancing With the Stars.
Here's the basic premise: celebrities pair up with ballroom dance professionals. The couples prepare one or two dances based on different genres each week and perform for a panel of three judges. Viewers of the show vote for their favorite dancers, and the popularity votes are added to the judges' scores. Couples are eliminated until only two are left, and then there is a final face-off to determine the champion. This seemingly generic formula has made Dancing With The Stars one of the most-watched shows on television, second only to American Idol.
Dancing's ratings always have depended on the fame and success of its celebrities. I've enjoyed the show in the past when I have known of at least a few of the celebrities, but when I started the 12th season, it seemed that I was in for a boring couple of hours. I didn't know which celebs would be dancing, and even when I found out, I barely recognized anyone. This season's batch of celebrities include boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, former 'Karate kid' Ralph Macchio, supermodel Petra Nemcova, Steelers' wide receiver Hines Ward, television personality Wendy Williams and actress Kirstie Alley. I'll admit, when one of the show's commentators mentioned that this was the "widest range" of celebrities ever seen on the show, I mentally added, "Yeah, and the most boring."
As I kept watching, however, I became increasingly interested in watching these B (or C) list celebrities. That's when I realized the show's selling point: its "reality television" tag. I became involved with the celebrities' struggles in practice. It didn't matter if I had heard of them or not. The producers made it interesting and made me feel invested in the lives of people I never had heard of in my life.
The show knows how to grab interest. Whether it's hearing how Nemcova fractured her pelvis in a Japanese tsunami a few years ago or watching the almost 50-year-old Macchio dance into first place during his first week on the show, I always was curious to see what would happen next.
Dancing may not be deep, but it's entertaining, relaxing and surprisingly addictive. I went from thinking, "This is going to be boring," to, "What are the judges talking about? I thought that couple danced well!" It may never be one of my favorites, but Dancing achieves a powerful and influential appeal across the audience spectrum by combining choreographed dance steps with an in-depth look into the lives of celebrities. It's hard to roll my eyes at a show that is able to that.
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