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Does Dancing With the Stars Have It In for Some of the Pros?

So last week Dancing With the Stars revealed their season 9 cast, and now they've released the info about which celeb gets partnered with which pro. Is it bad that I feel sorry for some of these dancers? And I don't just mean Cheryl Burke getting stuck with Tom DeLay, who likely won't take her to the finals like Gilles did last season. While I'm sure that producers spend minutes hours figuring out who to pair up with whom, it does seem like certain dancers get the short shrift more often than not.

Take Edyta Sliwinska, for example. She's been on the show since the beginning and has never won. She came close with Jason Taylor, but she's usually ousted in the middle of the pack. Not only did she have the unlucky break of being previously partnered with George Hamilton, but now she's got his smarmy son Ashley to contend with this season. That just doesn't seem fair. Meanwhile, Jonathan Roberts got paired with Macy Gray. He's never won, either, and has had the misfortune of being eliminated first on two occasions. I think he might have a three-peat on his hands, but probably not the kind he wants... unless he likes getting kicked off early.

Tony Dovolani has pulled the "older lady" card again with Kathy Ireland (he also danced with Jane Seymour, Susan Lucci and was initially paired with Nancy O'Dell until she injured herself and was replaced by Bachelor dumpee Melissa Rycroft). Not that the former swimsuit model is ancient, but at 46, she's the oldest female competitor this season. She may end up being a powerhouse, but it seems unlikely that he'll make it to the finals again this season like he did with Melissa last year.

Louis Van Amstel got the oddball/reality contestant this season, per usual. In the past he's danced with Lisa Rinna, Trista Sutter, Monique Coleman (from High School Musical) and Priscilla Presley -- and now he's got Kelly Osbourne. He just seems to be the pro that winds up with the person that producers have no idea what to do with. He may be off quickly, which hopefully means more choreography from him on So You Think You Can Dance: The Fall Edition.

Speaking of which, adorable Chelsie Hightower, who got her start on SYTYCD, is back for her sophomore season, and dancing with another unknown. Last year she got rodeo clown cowboy Ty Murray, who had a very limited fan base. This year she's got Louie Vito, who is a snowboarder and another relatively new face, at least to those who don't obsess over the X Games. So good luck to her.

I'm not necessarily a conspiracy theorist, but it certainly does seem to me that some celebs get better prospects. Though then again, Karina landed the Woz last year but traded up to Aaron Carter this year, so maybe it's just a matter of paying dues from season to season, or sheer luck of the draw. But whatever the case, I really do pity Edyta this year.

5 Comments

August 25, 2009 11:33 AM
innerjuju
Reply

Edyta loses because she is a poor choreographer. She designs dances that make HER look good instead of the partner she is supposed to be showing off. We actually have a DWTS drinking game which calls for a shot every time Edyta puts her leg above her head (her signature move, apparently.) You can get mighty drunk when she does it 8 or 9 times in a routine.

August 25, 2009 11:54 PM
Larry
Reply

Mark is not that good but he gets good partners. Louis, Jonathan, Tony, Edyta and Kym get the short end of the stick. Maks, Karina, Cheryl, Julianne, Lacey and Derek get some good partners but do not get favorites every season. Must be in his contract to have popular partners.

August 26, 2009 12:11 AM
Mecca
Reply

I loved Ty Murray! Not only did he improve the most, he had the best attitude. I do agree that I'd hate to be the dancer paired w/ say the Woz or an Adam Carolla.

August 26, 2009 7:11 PM
Jo
Reply

We've long commented that the "golden trio" (Makr, Derek, and Julianne) are favored with partners and have conjectured that there's a conspiracy against foreign-born dancers??? I actually wish they would reduce the number of dancers and only invite good ones. But the best dancer NEVER wins this show.

August 29, 2009 10:49 PM
Rylee
Reply

Last year was the second time Tony had the partner with the most ability (before Melissa Rycroft he had Stacy Keibler) but he got third AGAIN because he is not creative enough. If Melissa or Stacey had been paired with Derek or Mark on their respective seasons I have no doubt that they would have won. Sure, sometimes people get stuck with someone with no talent (like Woz or Cloris) but I think the most of problem is that some of the pros either aren't good enough choreographers to do anything more than competition type dances or don't know how to tailor their teaching styles for their partners. Do you think Ty would have gotten near as far last year if he hadn't had Chelsie for a partner, probably not. And fanbase is a factor, but talent is more important. Think of Brooke Burke who won her season despite having practically no fanbase. I think Dancing should get more people like Chelsie (maybe from SYTYCD, like Pasha and Anya from Lacey's season or Jeanette (sp?) from this season)... they need people who are just as good at choreographing as they are at dancing.

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