BLOGS

TWoP 10: Worst Dancing With the Stars Celebrities

by Angel Cohn March 6, 2009 11:50 AM
TWoP 10: Worst Dancing With the Stars Celebrities

It's that time of year again when a new season of wannabes and has-beens put on some uncomfortable shoes and inappropriate flesh-revealing costumes in order to boogie down for the American public. This season is shaping up to be interesting, with Jewel and Nancy O'Dell dropping out because of injuries before the first episode even airs. But while some celebs are working hard, to the point of physically breaking, we imagine there are some who are just not going to get it (Steve-O, we presume). So with that in mind, we looked back at the celebrities (and we use that term loosely) from seasons past who were unable to wow us with their skills on the dance floor, no matter how hard they tried (or didn't try, in some cases). It was really a challenge to narrow this one down to 10.

1. Master P (Season 2)
Yes, the rapper stepped in and took his son's place at the last minute, but that only explains why he stomped all over the place for the first week... not for the subsequent times he was on the show. He ignored advice from the judges, blatantly refused to wear proper footwear and drove his poor little perky partner Ashly to the brink of tears. Clearly, he didn't want to be there and had a bad attitude, which was really fun for no one.

2. Cloris Leachman (Season 7)
We've got to give her credit for even trying at her age, but this hammy actress turned Season 7 into an unbelievable joke. She didn't (or couldn't) learn proper dance technique, so she just goofed around and did raunchy or inappropriate things for a laugh. It was amusing (for the first couple weeks), but not really suitable for a dancing competition. If America insisted on keeping her around, she should have really shocked us, by actually doing what she was there for.

3. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (Season 5)
Was there ever another celebrity (aside from Master P) who wanted to be on this show less than Floyd Mayweather Jr.? He spent entire interviews talking about his upcoming boxing matches instead of actually learning to dance. He seemingly had a huge fan base and an opportunity to do well, but his lack of attention to the task at hand thankfully snuffed him out fairly quickly. Which is probably what he wanted all along.

4. Sara Evans (Season 3)
She actually quit. So that makes her pretty terrible. And she wasn't a great dancer. So did she really quit because of personal problems, or did she opt out of the show before she could be voted out? Either way, quitters never win.

5. Billy Ray Cyrus (Season 4)
We'll give him an award for trying, but some people are just not born to dance, and the "Achy Breaky" crooner is one of those people. He sure did try with the hand that he was given, but his popularity (some of it from being Miley's dad) kept him around long past his peak. At which point, he just seemed give up and start pandering to the audience with his hillbilly shtick.

6. Kenny Mayne (Season 2)
It's hard coming on this show with no discernible fan base, meaning the ESPN fans who tune in to see Kenny talk about sports aren't necessarily the same demographic who watch this particular brand of reality hell. Sports stars are a bit different, because athletes have a leg up (in most cases), but sportscasters? Not so much. He was awkward and goofy and uncoordinated and was out in Week 1. However, we're delighted to have his continued commentary on the show that features him behind a desk. That's the perfect place for him.

7. Wayne Newton (Season 5)
You'd expect someone who has made their living as an entertainer to be a little bit more fluid on the dance floor. Not so in the case of Wayne Newton. He couldn't master the footwork, so he relied on comedy instead, which is a cop-out, even at his age. and that faux ponytail and masked outfit? We're still having nightmares about that one. Nearly as horrifying as Marie Osmond's doll dress later that same season. Scary.

8. Jerry Springer (Season 3)
Another case of someone being bolstered along way too far into the season, not because of their dancing skills, but because of their vocal and voting fans. Springer's fans ate up his silly style and his plea to stick around to learn how to waltz for his daughter's wedding, needlessly pulled on the heartstrings of the public. It's not nice to manipulate people like that. We're quite sure with all his money he could have afforded some lessons at the local Arthur Murray Dance Center.

9. Monica Seles (Season 6)
While some celebs have an overabundance of personality (Cloris and Jerry for instance) some have too little, and in order to charm the viewers with your dancing performances, you've got to be a little interesting. We're not saying you've got to be a total idiot out there, but if you can't move well (which is strange for someone who can bounce around a tennis court) at least try and smile, or pretend like you aren't being tortured. Something.

10. Mark Cuban (Season 5)
He did improve as he went along (not to mention lost a ton of weight) but he was in way over his head. Which again, is fine. Some stars aren't cut out for this. But bribing people to vote (even if it is jokingly) isn't exactly playing fair. Not all the fellow competitors are billionaires... that's why they're on this show in the first place, not to use it as a substitute for Jenny Craig.

Got more celebs who stumbled on Dancing With the Stars? Share below.

16 Comments

March 6, 2009 1:36 PM
Ali
Reply

I mean, I love the guy, but I'm shocked at the lack of Tucker Carlson mention.

Kenny Mayne FTW!

March 6, 2009 1:45 PM
Amy Z
Reply

I feel the same about Penn (of Penn & Teller). I love him, and I do think he tried (although I know not all believe that), but he really wasn't good.

March 6, 2009 2:51 PM
Amy
Reply

I'll agree that Cloris normally didn't try, and that she stayed waaaaay longer than she should have, but don't forget her tango. Not amazing danced compared to someone like Kristi, but it was some effort. (Also, don't forget Kim Kardashian. She couldn't even dance to baby got back!)

March 6, 2009 2:52 PM
Amy
Reply

I'll agree that Cloris normally didn't try, and that she stayed waaaaay longer than she should have, but don't forget her tango. Not amazing danced compared to someone like Kristi, but it was some effort. (Also, don't forget Kim Kardashian. She couldn't even dance to baby got back!)

March 6, 2009 4:35 PM
Faye
Reply

Evander Freaking Holyfield and Tatum O'Neal

March 6, 2009 7:23 PM
OshitIforgot
Reply

Here was Kim Kardashian's chance that she's more than just a pretty face on top of a pretty body, and well, you know what happened. Sometimes people are just skin deep.

March 6, 2009 7:24 PM
OshitIforgot
Reply

Here was Kim Kardashian's chance that she's more than just a pretty face on top of a pretty body, and well, you know what happened. Sometimes people are just skin deep.

March 6, 2009 11:02 PM
Ellen M
Reply

I thought Chloris was inappropriate for what is supposedly a family show. But, to be fair,a lot of the fault lay with her partner, who always ended up dry humping her at some point. Ya gotta wonder about a middle-aged man named Corky.

March 7, 2009 10:37 AM
Ann
Reply

Nothing in the history of this show will ever be as bad as Master P was was. AS horrible as Chloris was, she was entertaining for a little while. Master P stomped around from day 1 and his fans kept him on far too long.

March 7, 2009 11:00 AM
redrabbit
Reply

Marie Osmond - for being a whiney talentless drama queen

Heather Mills - for being a vile excuse for a human being

March 7, 2009 7:08 PM
moonriver
Reply

I loved Mark Cuban! I thought he did a great job, especially considering he had a hip replacement right before the rehearsals started.

Other people who were a joke:
Kim Kardashian
Adam Carolla
Jeff Ross

March 7, 2009 11:54 PM
tam1MI
Reply

I'm a little surprised that Adam Carolla, of the infamous "Unicycle Tango", didn't make the list.

March 8, 2009 11:18 AM
HoneyBee
Reply

what about Marie Osmond? that doll dancing shtick was so scary.

March 8, 2009 12:20 PM
sandy
Reply

tatum o'neal seem to think she was sooo hot.wonder how long she will replay her childhood acting gigs??

March 8, 2009 5:08 PM
Taralynn87
Reply

I think it's a little unfair to put Sara Evans in here...she quit because of the crazy divorce she was going through. I can think of other competitors that could go there, such as Kim Kardashian or Rocco!

April 7, 2009 3:26 PM
abby67
Reply

Master P and Billy Ray Cyrus were the worst two dancers ever. They should hang their head in shame.

Loading...

Add a comment

BLOG ARCHIVES

The Telefile

November 2009

34 Entries

October 2009

65 Entries

September 2009

66 Entries

August 2009

58 Entries

July 2009

72 Entries

June 2009

71 Entries

May 2009

50 Entries

April 2009

57 Entries

March 2009

66 Entries

February 2009

52 Entries

January 2009

56 Entries

December 2008

51 Entries

November 2008

71 Entries

October 2008

88 Entries

September 2008

86 Entries

August 2008

120 Entries

July 2008

115 Entries

June 2008

90 Entries

May 2008

44 Entries

April 2008

30 Entries

March 2008

27 Entries

February 2008

30 Entries

January 2008

44 Entries

December 2007

31 Entries

November 2007

66 Entries

Blog Categories

Awards

30 Entries

Character Corner

78 Entries

Cool Stuff We Need

8 Entries

Crossover Alert!

2 Entries

DVDs Unwrapped

4 Entries

Everybody Dance Now

25 Entries

Fall TV

5 Entries

I Hate Procedurals

5 Entries

IMDb Fun Times

2 Entries

Irrational Exuberance

191 Entries

Judging Strangers

149 Entries

Let's Go to the Video

133 Entries

Notes and Comment

22 Entries

Olympics

26 Entries

Picks

7 Entries

Producers Speak Out

11 Entries

Show vs. Show

6 Entries

Soap Auditions

10 Entries

Stars Making News

66 Entries

That's F&*!ed Up

100 Entries

The Biz

132 Entries

The Forgotten

7 Entries

The TCAs

5 Entries

Today's TWoP News

185 Entries

Top of the TWoP

5 Entries

True Confessions

5 Entries

Tubey Awards

13 Entries

TV on DVD

13 Entries

TWoP 10

73 Entries

TWoP On The Town

4 Entries

TWoP To The Rescue

18 Entries

Very Bad Things

39 Entries

WGA Strike

32 Entries