Dancing with the Stars: Kelly vs. John Dance-Off Announced

by Jill Jones -- 08/19/2005
Ever since the finale of Dancing with the Stars, some fans have been calling for a rematch. Kelly made obvious mistakes but received perfect 10s from the judges – was it a fair match? Now ABC is giving viewers what we want, a dance-off! Jill has the details.

Hello, friends! The summer has been extremely hot here on the east coast. As I was looking at the calendar today thinking that it would cool off a bit in the next month or so, I heard that it’s actually going to get hot again… thanks to ABC!

In response to the controversy that surrounded the finale of Dancing with the Stars, ABC has announced its plans for Dancing with the Stars: Dance-off. (You obviously can’t see me, but I’m doing jazz hands right now.) The 90-minute live competition will pit John O’Hurley against champion Kelly Monaco to determine once and for all who the best hoofer is. Well, once and for all until the winner is announced and more debate ensues.

The celebrities, along with their professional partners Charlotte Jorgensen and Alec Mazo, will perform Latin, ballroom, and freestyle routines. Viewers will then have a chance to vote via the telephone and internet for their favorite performer. The show’s judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli will be back to analyze the performances, but not to vote on the winner.

Many people feel this is ABC’s way of acknowledging viewers’ complaints about the original outcome of the competition; Kelly was awarded perfect 10’s for her freestyle performance despite making obvious mistakes in her routine. The scores helped her to beat John, who was a fan-favorite throughout the competition – though Kelly had plenty of her own fans who kept pulling her through.

Regardless of public opinion, Kelly gladly welcomed a dance-off during the Television Critics Association summer press tour. She has also been quoted on metromix.com as saying, “If we do a dance-off, hopefully John and I will get to dance together once." As Bruno would say, “That would be suxy!”

Whether you agree or disagree that the best dancer won, tune in for Dancing with the Stars: Dance-off and then join us at RealityNewsOnline for the show’s tantalizing recaps. (There go my jazz hands again.) The competition is scheduled to air on Tuesday, September 20, while the results show is planned for Thursday, September 22. Whatever the outcome, one thing is for sure… it’s going to be hot!

Jill is an east coast mama who loves sharks, zombie movies, and reality television. She welcomes your comments about these and other subjects, and can be reached at jilljones@verizon.net.

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