Because of the Thanksgiving break, many readers might consider last Tuesday’s finale on Dancing With The Stars (DWTS) ancient history. Nevertheless, my previous commentaries on the Palin effect, which made this show more about politics than dancing, compel me to offer this belated denouement:
Such was the incomprehensible staying power of Bristol Palin on this season’s DWTS that even TV critics became convinced that a political conspiracy was afoot to crown her the winner. Here, for example, is how the Associated Press expressed this prevailing consternation:
Bristol Palin’s success on this season’s Dancing With The Stars defies easy explanation.
(November 24, 2010)
With all due respect to the AP, however, here’s the very easy explanation I provided in two commentaries for her success:
If there were anything fair about the voting on [DWTS], Bristol Palin would have been the first “star” eliminated from the competition. Yet, despite routinely receiving the lowest scores from the judges, viewers have now voted her into the semi-finals. Why?
Well it has finally dawned on TV critics that Tea Party fanatics – who think Bristol’s Mama Grizzly, Sarah Palin, is the female reincarnation of George Washington – might have something to do with it. Duhhh! For, as my original commentary confirms, I predicted Bristol’s stayin’-alive run from day one.
(DWTS: Palin stayin’ alive, The iPINIONS Journal, November 12, 2010)
Sarah Palin has demonstrated during this year’s Republican Primaries that she has even more ditto heads at her beck and call than Rush Limbaugh. So I have no doubt that their politically motivated voting will keep Bristol going for a very long time.
(Bristol Palin strutting her stuff…, The iPINIONS Journal, September 21, 2010)
More to the point, here’s what I predicted would be the outcome of this competition despite the open conspiracy among Palinistas to rig a Bristol coronation:
I am convinced that the producers have a fool-proof way of ensuring that a no-talent teletubby like Bristol does not triumph over truly talented and appealing stars like Brandy and Jennifer Grey. They are sensible enough, after all, to appreciate that a Bristol victory would turn their show into a political joke.
This is why I’m picking Jennifer to win. Mind you, I think Brandy is a better dancer. Unfortunately, her partner, Maksim, is turning off tens of thousands of voters every week with his bitching about, and bickering with, the judges. Hell, he’s acting like more of a diva than any of the female stars.
Stay tuned….
(Bristol Palin strutting her stuff…, The iPINIONS Journal, September 21, 2010)
Given this, just imagine my guffaws when it was reported that Sarah wrote the following unwittingly autobiographical critique of another talent show, American Idol, in her recently published book America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith and Flag:
Did you ever wonder where the producers of American Idol come up with the seemingly endless supply of people who can’t sing but are deluded enough to get in front of a national television audience and screech out a song anyway? [Contestants on reality talent shows like Idol are victims of] the cult of self-esteem. No one they have encountered in their lives-from their parents to their teachers to their president-wanted them to feel bad by hearing the truth.
I could not have written a better endorsement of my assessment of her daughter’s appearance on DWTS myself. But, like celebrated comedienne Tina Fey says, Sarah Palin is the gift that just keeps on giving….
In any case, the above should explain why I was not at all surprised when Brandy did not make the final three or, more importantly, when Jennifer was crowned the winner. By contrast, it must have come as a tremendous shock to virtually everyone else when Bristol was not even crowned the runner up.
I pity what this will do to her self-esteem; after all, her mother and the ditto heads who kept voting for her clearly had Bristol convinced that she was not only going to, but actually deserved to, win.
NOTE: For the record, Kyle Massey, some heretofore unknown “child-star”, was the runner up. But you know DWTS has jumped the shark when its relying on Palin’s no-talented daughter to make it seem relevant. Accordingly, this marks the last commentary I shall write on this show.
That’s a wrap!
Related commentaries:
DWTS: Palin stayin’ alive
Palin strutting her stuff…
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