Dancing with the Stars? Maks Takes Goodman to Task

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Maksim Chermovskiy and his partner Hope Solo suffered the sting of a bad review when judge Len Goodman told the team it was "their worst dance of the season."  Following that comment, Maks lit into Goodman and criticized the panel of judges for inconsistency in their evaluations of the contestants.  Chermovskiy went too far when he retorted, "Maybe it's time for you to go," following Goodman's statement that he had been in the business for 50 years.  No need to show such bitterness.

Ham on Wry does question calling this production Dancing with the Stars, when many of the guest contestants do not warrant that title.  Many, like Bristol Palin,last year and Rob Kardashian this year are merely wannabes.  Chaz Bono's mother Cher is a star; he is not.  To his credit, he shows no overwhelming desire for fame and stepped out of his comfort zone to do this show.  Nancy Grace has almost no dancing ability and should have been off the show many weeks ago.  It's well past time for the producers to take stock of how the show has turned into a circus rather than a dance contest. 

When the show first aired, the contestants dressed with class and performed with as much grace and elegance as they could muster.  Now, it's more like a peep show with acrobatic moves.  Bruno Tonioli is given to emotional outbursts that go beyond judging into rapturous adoration.  Carrie Ann Inaba and Len Goodman stay closer to the real responsibility of judges in a dancing contest, by usually stressing strengths and weaknesses in technical execution and style.

Ham on Wry suggests that producers stick with real stars and focus on the kind of judging done in ballroom dance contests.  Perhaps that will bring back the appeal of the show.  Instead of making it a popularity contest, allow the judges to have the final say to the point where three couples remain.  Then the public can weigh in with their choices.  At least then viewers could be assured they would be seeing people with actual talent instead of hangers on that get votes in any way possible.