Ian Ziering was booted off
Dancing with the Stars on Tuesday in a disappointing result for the legions of Ziering loyalists in this world. Perhaps Ian wasn't the best dancer out there, but he put his heart into it, gave it his all, and maximized his potential. It's not his fault that he was up against two world-class athletes (
Apolo Ohno,
Laila Ali) and a former Boy Bander (
Joey Fatone). Ziering, the now forty-something actor best known for playing a lovable goof-ball with a blond perm on a 90's era prime-time soap opera, wasn't expected to do much of anything in this competition. He surprised a lot of people and, in past seasons where the competition wasn't as fierce at the top, Ziering could've made the finals.
Now, entering the finals with these top three was not at all unexpected. Athletes have always fared well on
Dancing with the Stars, displaying the adaptability we expect from them. Jerry Rice and
Emmitt Smith were especially impressive, and Apolo Ohno and Laila Ali have kept up the good name for athletes that those two football players began. Joey Fatone, being from N'Sync, was expected to be a natural on the dance floor, and he has been. The point is, these three making the finals seemed like a foregone conclusion from the beginning of the season.
Is this a problem? Not really, but it makes the earlier weeks a bit pointless. After the first few episodes, these three celebrities were clearly the cream of the crop and no one seemed poise to even take a run at them. Ziering was the closest, but his deficiencies were clear. The idea of a more level playing field is an attractive one. Casting must already be difficult for
Dancing with the Stars, but if they were to pre-screen the stars and only cast those who were legitimately good, think of how greatly that would benefit the quality of the program. No more Jerry Springers or Billy Ray Cyrus's biding time until their eliminations. What do you all think? Who is going to win between Laila, Apolo, and Joey?
-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of TVGuide.com)