So it all boils down to Bristol Palin, Kyle Massey and Jennifer Grey. That's the trio headed for the finals of "Dancing with the Stars" Monday night.
Are you really surprised? OK, maybe we didn't really think Massey would be right up there come finale night, but heck, he's been amazing this season! Say what you will, but he has consistently entertained and improved with each passing week. And clever videotape editing aside, we've never seen a footage of him throwing a tantrum, whining, being snippy with his pro partner Lacey Schwimmer, sassing the judges, rolling his eyes at comments. In short, he's taken it all in stride.
Judging from all the hoopla this season, specifically the whole Bristol Palin/voting debacle, maybe we should all take a lesson from the Massey school of taking it all in stride.
Okay, everyone right now, take ONE, L-O-N-G, D-E-E-P breath. Did you really think Bristol Palin WOULDN'T be standing come finale week? Back in September, did you think that she WOULDN'T have the biggest voting block in the history of the show? Did you really think that even if she consistently wound up at the bottom of the leaderboard (or close to it), she wouldn't be a contender for that mirrorball trophy?
So here we are on the cusp of the final eliminations and America is at war over the voting process on "Dancing with the Stars." A process that has emerged as increasingly flawed as the seasons have rolled on. I have complained about it for several seasons now, as have many, many other viewers through many, many outlets. Still, we tune in every season to watch our votes seemingly fall by the wayside. Why DIDN'T Gilles Marini win that darn trophy!!! I digress.
Take it in stride America; you are angry over a MIRRORBALL TROPHY. There is no recording contract at the end of it all, no million-dollar cash prize, no world tour. There are bragging rights, and 15 more minutes of fame for those who might have already used theirs up a long, long time ago.
I still do not understand how the votes are tabulated and tallied on "DWTS." We may never know. Maybe they should reveal total votes each week, to give fans a better grasp of just how much their favorites "lost" by. Doubt ABC and the show's producers will go for that. (Imagine the embarassment for a celeb who only manages, say, 10,000 votes against another who nabs 100,000). Still, ahem, some transparency might fix what's broke with the voting process on this show.
So who's headed to the final two? I'm putting my money on Palin and Grey, with Grey emerging the victor on Tuesday night.
Given the atmosphere surrounding the finale Monday night, wouldn't it just beat all if Massey surprised everyone by snagging that coveted prize? Somehow, I think he'd just take it all in stride. And smile.
