Debbie Chang of Buddy TV has written an amusing piece, Six Things I Want for ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 8, noting some of the hit ABC-TV show’s more noticeable flaws.
Among her wishes:
* That the show’s producers provide more voting transparency, letting viewers in on the somewhat secretive public vote tally each week. She notes that knowing the final tally would go a long way toward lending the show and its producers more credibility. It should also be noted that the British counterpart of DWTS, “Strictly Come Dancing,” suffered a major blow last season when the BBC had to suspend public phone voting because of technical problems. “I do think that everything was above board,” says Chang, “but I'd rather minimize the potential for malfeasance.”
* That the judges get rid of the ban on dancing lifts, which seems to be a waste of everybody’s time and detracts from some interesting dance moves. Last season, the show added four new dance styles: the West Coast swing, the hustle, the salsa and the jitterbug, and I’m sure they were the crowd favorites.
* That the dancers be encouraged to perform less traditional dance styles, although I happen to think there was plenty of that, with Lance Bass and Lacey Schwimmer last season. I’m not a ballroom dancer or a judge, so this one is a tough call.
* Add an all-star season to the mix. In this case, contestants from previous seasons, particularly the finalists, would be invited back to compete against one another. Why not? We could watch Kristi Yamaguchi battle it out with Brook Burke, or Lance and Joey Fatone go at it. Chang argues that these veterans would already have dance experience under their belts, so the dancing would be a cut above the rest
How would you improve
Dancing with the Stars? Any suggestions out there?