Well, I am happy because the contestant I most wanted to win "Dance Your Ass Off" actually did win - Ruben, I hope that prize money takes care of your honey's medical bills.
Just for the record, the two ladies in the final were handicapped - not by their weight, but by their partners. The show had an ... interesting ... selection of professional dancers, and the two gentlemen who accompanied finalists Shayla and Pinky were not deeply skilled in the ballroom dances. This, I am sure, contributed to some lower scores on nights that ballroom dances were featured.
Ruben, on the other hand, drew a partner with good overall skills and his background as a chorus dancer filled in any gaps. And that's not to say that his teacher wasn't covering all the necessary ground; it's just that given the time constraints of this kind of competition, most of his performance (especially in the first few weeks) had to come from him; his partner couldn't give him everything. He was a good dancer from the start, and after losing nearly 70 pounds was looking great on stage.
This competition had its share of drama, and almost as many injuries as Season 8 of Dancing with the Stars. The eliminated contestants had all lost additional weight since leaving the program. That's the kind of result that makes you feel there can be more to reality television than just prurient entertainment.
It does seem that there is an insatiable appetite for reality TV. There's only so much HGTV and Food Network I can take, so I'm glad there are a number of different shows that center on dancing. It's been quite the feast this year. "America's Best Dance Crew" just wrapped its Bollywood challenge, which resulted in some really stellar routines. "So You Think You Can Dance" starts up this week with a greatest-hits show, then goes into Season 6 auditions next week. "Dancing with the Stars" premieres on the 21st and the stars are already Twittering away about their training process.
With all this going on, it's hard to find time to dance!
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