‘Dancing’ bows to controversy, adds results show

By Paul J. Gough

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – A day after coming under
critics’ fire about the “Dancing With the Stars” voting
procedures, ABC said it will return the hit competition with a
results show next season.

The 30-minute results show will follow an hourlong episode
in “Dancing’s” second season every week. There will be two
dances per hourlong episode with judges’ scores and comments,
followed by a period of viewer votes via telephone and Web
site. The couple with the lowest combined score will be
eliminated at the end of the results show every week, the
network said.

“Dancing” has been a big hit for ABC this summer, pitting
celebrities with no ballroom dancing experience with
professionals to train and then perform as couples.

But the show, which became a competition between “General
Hospital” actress Kelly Monaco and former “Seinfeld”
personality John O’Hurley, raised eyebrows among some viewers
– and Television Critics Assn. attendees — about whether the
voting was somehow skewed to favor the ABC personality. Network
executives and the judges vigorously denied the charge.

Still, ABC and “Dancing” executives believed there could be
some changes when the show returns for a second season. A
premiere date hasn’t been decided yet. Producer Izzie Pick said
Tuesday that with the U.K. show, there’s only one time zone, so
it’s easier to have everything happen in one show compared to
the continental U.S., with three time zones. But the “Dancing”
show in Australia, which also has several time zones, has a
results show.

“In an ideal world, we would have a results show,” Pick
said.

ABC granted that wish Wednesday afternoon in a decision
that was hailed — literally — at the TCA summer press tour at
the Beverly Hilton. Several critics, who had a day earlier
pressed ABC Entertainment president Stephen McPherson and
“Dancing” producers about the judging, cheered when the results
show was announced.

In an interview following the announcement, McPherson said
the critics’ concerns were only a part of the decision. It had
been in the works anyway. He said there weren’t any other big
changes on the table for the show.

“A lot of it is great, so we don’t want to fix what isn’t
broken,” McPherson said.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter