Reality Roll Call

It’s always nice to write a Dancing With the Stars post that isn’t about an injury. DTWS’ Maksim Chmerkovskiy proposed to fellow dancer Karina Smirnoff on New Year’s Eve, and she accepted.

Karina previously was linked to Mario Lopez, whom she previously was partnered with on Dancing With the Star. The two were together for two years, before breaking up almost six months ago.  Not soon after, she and fellow Ukraine Maksim became a couple.

No word yet on when the dancing duo plan to wed.

After nine weeks of entertaining drama, surprises and dazzling performances, Lance Bass, Brooke Burke and Warren Sapp have broken away from the pack and earned the right for a chance to be crowned champion of “Dancing with the Stars.” The three finalists will have their last opportunity to impress the judges and viewers on two nights of final competition, beginning MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24 (8:00-9:32 p.m., ET), which include the crowning of the Ballroom Kids champions, and concluding on the Season Finale, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET).

Tonight, the teams will face off against one another in a Samba Smackdown in which they each dance to an extended version of the same song. Each couple will take their turn in a section of the song before stepping aside for the next team to showcase their routine — giving judges and viewers a chance to compare the couples alongside each other. In addition, Lance, Brooke and Warren will show us what they’ve got in the ever popular Freestyle routine - a fan favorite.

Contestants are injured so frequently on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, you would think they were playing football the dancefloor. It’s like if you choose to compete on the show, you put your well-being at risk. This time, dancer Kym Johnson is on the injured list.

Kim injured her shoulder somehow, but she will still be able to dance. According to TMZ, there is no word on the exact nature of the injury, but it may require surgery. 

Next season all dancers will be wearing custom knee and elbow pads, and protective headgear. Mouthguards are optional.

Here’s something to put on your Christmas list: The necklace that reality show star Kim Kardashian wore in her December 2007 Playboy magazine layout will be up for sale on ShopStyleFolio.com The necklace will go on sale on October 6th at 8 AM, and it will only set you back $3,500. Best of all, shipping is free!

Yvette Craddock, ShopStyleFolio.com Founder and Style Director, states, “According to its designer Sherri Jennings, this necklace is the only one of its kind. It will be part of the www.ShopStyleFolio.com ‘Pop & Print’ collection.”

According to Ms. Craddock, “This necklace’s distinct beauty captured my eye. Only after my purchase of it did I hear the rumor about Kim Kardashian wearing it in her Playboy pictorial. I have confirmed that the rumor is, indeed, fact. The necklace is made of vintage filigree pieces in brass then finished in an antique gold. All of the stones are vintage European. It is definitely a piece that a sexy, confident woman will wear well.” Or a woman who does sex tapes and Dancing With the Stars.

Fancast announced that two-time “Dancing with the Stars” winner and recording artist Julianne Hough will be blogging exclusively on the site each day following the bi-weekly airing of the show.

Hough will share her thoughts on the seventh season competitions, and reveal behind-the-scenes views of the hit ABC show. She had this to say in her first post about Monday’s season opener:

“I thought [Cody Linley] was awesome. I was extremely happy. In rehearsal he was good, but he knocked it out of the house [Monday] night. As far as the scores, I would’ve thought the performance should’ve got 7’s instead of 6’s. But we were the first ones out. And it’s okay. The thing is, we’re right in the middle. We aren’t at the bottom and we aren’t at the top, which gives us room to grow. My season with Apollo was the same thing; we were right in the middle. The judges don’t want to see you to [sic] come out too strong and not have any room for improvement. They want to see improvement.”

When you put the phrase “passed over” with the name of someone as old as Cloris Leachman, there’s always a chance that someone will think you are writing an obituary. Today this is not the case.

It seems that the always funny Cloris Leachman had to practically beg to get on Dancing With the Stars, because they thought she was too old. Leachman, who is 82 years old, wanted to do the show for quite some time, and had her people call the producers at least twice to secure her a spot on ABC’s hit reality show, but they turned her down, citing her age as a factor. Cloris will be the oldest contestant to date on Dancing With the Stars, and if you really want to get technical, the oldest person to ever do a reality show, beating out Big Brother 10’s Jerry MacDonald, who is 75 years old.

From ABC Press Release:

It will be a season of surprises in what promises to be the biggest and most demanding season ever as thirteen celebrities take the ballroom floor on the hit series Dancing with the Stars, which returns with a three-night premiere event, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on ABC. Each week, all new surprises and twists await viewers. Season seven marks the largest cast assembled to date, the oldest and youngest competitors ever, and includes two Olympic Gold medalists, a Grammy-winning singer, a television legend, an Oscar winner, and a Super Bowl champion. Additionally, all four professional dancers who’ve previously tasted the thrill of victory return to compete against one another for bragging rights. Can one of them reclaim the mirror ball trophy?

Andrew Baldwin is a very busy man. This weekend he was spotted with Dancing With the Stars’ Karina Smirnoff at the Palazzo Hotel in Las Vegas. Witnesses saw the pair by the pool at the hotel, being very affectionate. Smirnoff just recently broke up with Mario Lopez, and Baldwin was dating Marla Maples earlier this year.

DELRAY BEACH, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–During his run to the finals on “Dancing with the Stars,” Jason Taylor not only earned the respect and admiration of millions of TV viewers, but also a significant bonus – a $15,000 contribution from the Office Depot Foundation to support the Jason Taylor Reading Room in Miramar, Fla.

At the beginning of the “Dancing with the Stars” season, the Office Depot Foundation - the independent foundation serving as the primary charitable giving arm of Office Depot (NYSE:ODP) - announced it would donate $1,000 to the Jason Taylor Foundation each time that the Miami Dolphins All-Pro Defensive End advanced to the next level of competition. In recognition of Taylor’s impressive finish as the runner-up to winner Kristi Yamaguchi, the Office Depot Foundation increased its total contribution to $15,000.

Former Spice Girls star Mel B and her husband Stephen Belafonte are hoping to turn American Pie actress Shannon Elizabeth into the latest U.S. reality TV star.
The new couple are developing a series with Elizabeth and dancer boyfriend Derek Hough through their Osirs production company.
The actress and Hough met and fell in love when they were paired up on TV show Dancing With The Stars, the contest show that once featured Mel B.