Dancing with the Stars

Dancing with the Stars kicks off on September 22 at 8pm on ABC with a three-night premiere event. We'll have two consecutive days of two-hour performances followed by the first results show on the third night. This season, we've got 13 couples at the starting gate instead of the usual 12, and I've been taking a close look at each couple's strengths and weaknesses.

Continuing with my almost-daily analyses, today brings us to perhaps the most attractive couple of this season. One's looks don't necessarily have anything to do with one's dance abilities, but I think everyone can agree that it's more fun to watch people dance if they're pretty.

Brooke Burke

Pros:
I have to admit that I don't know that much about Brooke Burke, other than what I saw of her on Rock Star: Supernova. I was one out of probably nine total people who actually tuned into that show. All I learned of Brooke on Rock Star is that she always made the most bizarre wardrobe choices and she always enthusiastically referred to the attractively pierced and tattooed contestants as "rockers." I'm not sure how this will help her on Dancing with the Stars, though. However, I do know that she is the mother of four children. Something magical happens when you become a mother, or so they say. You develop infinite patience and an iron will, plus your tolerance for pain goes sky high. Brooke will need all of these things to learn how to ballroom dance.

Cons:
People who have made a career on looking pretty for some reason have a very difficult time on Dancing with the Stars. For examples, consider, models Paulina Porizkova, Josie Maran and Albert Reed, and former Miss USAs Shanna Moakler and Shandi Finnessey. I'm not sure why exactly this is. Maybe they have spent so much of their lives perfecting their runway walks that they can't do anything else. Brooke, however, does have television experience outside of modeling, not only from Rock Star but also as the host of Wild On! so hopefully she picked up some diversity of skills along the way.


Derek Hough

Derek Hough is a great dancer, a great teacher and such a cutie. He is definitely a favorite in the hearts of many Dancing with the Stars faithful. He proved last season that he cares a lot about the competition when he spoke (some might say whined) bitterly and impassionedly about how unfair he thought the judges were to his partner Shannon Elizabeth, although that might have been because the couple were also locking lips outside of the competition. If there is anyone who can break the Curse of the Pretty People, then it's Derek.

Read more pre-season analyses:
Maurice Greene and Cheryl Burke
Ted McGinley and Inna Brayer
Kim Kardashian and Mark Ballas
Jeffrey Ross and Edyta Sliwinska
Cody Linley and Julianne Hough
Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson
Toni Braxton and Alec Mazo
Cloris Leachman and Corky Ballas
Lance Bass and Lacey Schwimmer
Rocco DiSpirito and Karina Smirnoff
Susan Lucci and Tony Dovolani
Misty May-Treanor and Maksim Chmerkovskiy





-Debbie Chang, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Images courtesy of ABC)