I am excited about the start of this season’s "Dancing With the Stars." I find the show entertaining, and I’m thrilled that, for the first time since it started, I actually know who the contestants are. In fact, other than the football and soap opera guys, I know them all.
I will start off by saying that I am disappointed to learn Melissa Rycroft will co-host with Tom Bergeron. I seriously don’t get the appeal of this chick. She is cute, and deserved her 15 minutes of fame, but come on. There is no visible talent here, and the thought of her going live is painful. On the flip side, she will be blogging gold, so bring it on, I guess.
Buzz Aldrin is a national treasure and 80 years old, God bless him. I have met him a few times around town at charity events, and he and his wife are lovely. He is truly a wonderful man, a true gentleman and a hero. Buzz is partnered with Ashley, and they will be adorable. I wish him well. Break a leg, Buzz, but not literally! Be careful out there.
Pam Anderson is going to be interesting to watch. She looks amazing for being in her 40s. She is well known and people like her, I suppose, but she is partnered with Damien, who is a new pro with no following, so we’ll see if she can hang around. They look like they could be related, and will certainly be easy on the eyes. I’m guessing she goes early, but hopefully not before we see Tommy Lee sitting there cheering her on.
Erin Andrews is the ESPN chick who had the peeping tom following her around the country and videotaping her naked. She was violated and I feel for her. That said, is this the best way to recover from being seen naked by a stranger — to be seen practically naked by millions of strangers? Interesting career move. Even though she is paired with Maksim, I’m picking her to go out first.
Shannen Doherty clearly has nine lives. The problem is that I feel like she must be on life 12 at this point. Good for her that she keeps finding ways to come back. She will be paired with Mark, and I imagine they will be good together. That said, if I remember back to the 90210 school dance days, she may be out early. With Tori Spelling, Jennie Garth and Ian Ziering already having taken their shots, it was only a matter of time before she landed here. I look forward to seeing Jason Priestley next year.
Kate Gosselin is out of control, which is hilarious since she is a control freak. How is this chick going to manage to rehearse so many hours, with so many kids? I get that she needs the money, but still. Is Jon going to be with the kids while she is in L.A.? Is she pulling her kids out of school? Is that why she got new hair? I love a train wreck, and she will be worth tuning in for. She is with Tony, who just had twins of his own, so they can relate, and will be able to juggle all the kids.
Evan Lysacek was a total surprise. They must have been courting him while he was in Vancouver. He is clearly going to be the golden boy and will make it to the top three. He will be partnered with Anna, who will be tall enough to look good next to him, and I’m guessing they will be fantastic. I can’t wait to see him glide around the floor, and I’m totally stoked he is going to be there. Bravo.
Niecy Nash is fascinating to me, and by fascinating, of course I mean I just don’t get it. She is a caricature of herself, and it’s super annoying. I don’t care how good she is, I hope she leaves early so we don’t have to hear her speak. She is with Louis, and it will be sad to see him leave early because he is great. She is headache-inducing, and simply too much.
Chad Ochocinco is a football player — I never heard of him before. Interesting to note that his real name was Johnson and he legally changed it to Ochocinco to reflect his Cincinnati Bengals uniform number, 05. I suppose the guys who watch will dig that he’s there. He does not appear to have the legend status of past ball players on the show, so we’ll see how long he stays around. He’s with Cheryl, who is a favorite pro, so he stands a good chance.
Jake Pavelka, who just wrapped up his season as "The Bachelor," jumps from one ABC mega-show to another. He may never fly again, which is probably just as well since he’s afraid of heights. He is charming and I imagine he will be around for a while. He will be with Chelsie — I hope she can help Vienna get some new extensions that actually look good. Vienna is going to get jealous and I can smell a train wreck.
Aiden Turner is some heartthrob from "All My Children." I have no idea who he is, or if he’s interesting, He is handsome, and that’s always nice to watch, but I think Jake will outlast him and he will be gone in the first half. I would have preferred the heartthrob soap star position go to Mark Consuelos. I’m just saying. He’s with Edyta, who is take-it-or-leave-it for me.
Nicole Scherzinger is the main Doll of the Pussycat Dolls. This chick is so beautiful that it’s insane. One could argue that she is the Kim Khardashian of this season, but that would be an insult to Nicole. She is talented and popular, and I think she will go farther than the other women. I like her, and think she’ll be a fantastic ballroom dancer. She is with Derek, and I think she has the best chance of the women.
The only thing missing from this season is Jack Osbourne. I had hoped he would do it this year.
The best news of all is that there is no Osmond. Whoo-hoo! I wish everyone success and look forward to blogging about the season.
