Unfair Advantage
The fix is in on Dancing with the Stars: The Hines Ward win proves the ballroomfloor is unlevel
Kym Johnson_Hines WardABC
Mark Ballas and Kristi Yamaguchi in 2008ABC
Emmitt Smith and Cheryl Burke in 2006ABC
Professional football player Hines Ward took home the much-desired mirror ball (Why don't they just call it a disco ball?) in the latest Dancing with the Stars finale.
Not to take away from the happy winner, but it looks like something sketchy is going on with mirror ball champs in general. All but three of the 12 winners are either athletes or have musical performance experience. Doesn't this put them at an unfair advantage going into each season to begin with?
Let's take a look:
Drew Lachey, Season Two, Former 98 Degrees Member
Lachey got his start in a boy band. While he didn't have the sweet dance moves of Justin Timberlake, his obvious knowledge of music and rhythm puts him ahead of of the rest of the pack.
Let's be honest, was ESPN anchor Kenny Mayne really going to have a chance against someone who had made a career of bouncing around to the beat of pop songs in music videos? Probably not.
Emmitt Smith, Season Three, Former Professional Football Player
Being the all-time NFL rushing leader probably takes a little bit of agility. Ballroom dancing? Takes a lot of agility. The same agility that put Smith into the records brought him the mirror ball in 2006.
The perceived novelty of having a former NFL player win a dancing competition probably didn't hurt his vote accumulation either.
Apolo Anton Ohno, Season Four, Olympic Speedskater
He had won a gold medal in Turin at the 2006 Winter Olympics, and based on the fact that he competed (and did very well) in the 2008 World Championships, I'd say he hadn't exactly been sitting on the couch eating potato chips while watching reruns of Sex and the City.
His intense level of fitness probably contributed to him getting out of the gate well ahead of voice actor John Ratzenberger.
Kristi Yamaguchi, Season Six, Olympic Figure Skater
Figure skating is basically dancing in ice skates. Yes, I realize there is a very distinct difference between figure skating and ice dancing, but the premise is basically the same thing.
Choreography on ice. Not too much different from choreography on wood floors.
Shawn Johnson, Season Eight, Olympic Gymnast
DWTS loves those Olympians, don't they? Part of being a well-rounded gymnast is the floor routine, which is suspiciously similar to dancing. Gymnasts are also accustomed to flips and other acrobatic maneuvers, making them more easily adaptable to partnering lifts.
Much like Ohno, it is reasonable to assume that Johnson was very much already in shape before her championship season on DWTS began.
Donny Osmond, Season Nine, No Introduction Necessary
He starred in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Beauty and the Beast (as Gaston) on Broadway. Did I mention he was a teen idol? He's been performing his entire life and is no stranger to being in front of people.
It's unlikely that Osmond suffered any type of dance-killing stage fright while on DWTS.
Nicole Scherzinger, Season 10, Former Pussycat Doll
Before she was a reality TV judge and a Pussycat Doll, Scherzinger was a member of Eden's Crush. Remember them?
Didn't think so. They were put together on the WB reality series Popstars in 2001. Based on the video for their song Get Over Yourself (Goodbye), it looks like the gig required some dancing.
Nothing too strenuous, but still enough to give her an edge on the competition. And she had experience dancing in heels, which definitely gave her an advantage.
Jennifer Grey, Season 11, Dirty Dancing Star
I'm pretty sure that lift she did with Patrick Swayze in the Kellerman's talent show wasn't just luck. A lot of training went into that — in the studio, not just the lake.
Even though Grey was quite a bit older when she began Dancing with the Stars and had suffered a neck injury in the late 1980s, dancing is like riding a bike. And her obvious base of talent put her ahead of the likes of Bristol Palin.
Hines Ward, Season 12, Professional Football Player
He was a Super Bowl MVP. He's currently a wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Like with Emmitt Smith, it probably takes a fair bit of agility to be a good wide receiver. The difference between Ward and Smith?
Ward is still an active player. He's clearly in impeccable physical shape since he played in Super Bowl XLV six weeks before the start of the show.
Is it fair that people who are accustomed to the physical and mental intensity of preparing for a competition like DWTS are included on the show? Shouldn't the ballroom floor be a little more level?
