Dancing with the Stars: One of the Hottest, Most-Anticipated Returns to the Airwaves

One of the hottest, most anticipated returns to the airwaves this fall is Dancing with the Stars. Millions of loyal fans and curious newcomers tuned in recently to watch the 3-night extravaganza premiere of Season Five. During the second season, it became the most watched Thursday night series on ABC since Mork and Mindy in 1979. What is it that makes this show such a wildly popular hit?

Several threads make up the fabric of success that Dancing with the Stars has experienced. The original British version, Strictly Come Dancing has commanded global success, with franchised variations seen in more than 27 countries worldwide, including the US. In 2006, it was in the Top Ten in 17 of those countries.

Maybe it's the competitive edge of human nature has helped mushroom the success of Dancing with the Stars in this country. Maybe it's our nearly obsessive pre-occupation with celebrities. Whatever the reason, I think we find encouragement and motivation watching the transformation of the celebrities from absolute novices to accomplished dancers in the span of just a few weeks. We get to observe familiar faces step completely out of their comfort zone to attempt, and in many cases, master a brand new skill.

And then there is the mysterious allure of ballroom dancing that has drawn people to it for centuries, both as participants as well as spectators. The graceful smooth dances and spicy Latin numbers are beautiful to watch, the costumes are always gorgeous and the moves are often breathtakingly spectacular. Ballroom dancing is almost as much fun to watch as it is to dance, and in this country alone, more than 19 million people apparently agree. Every week, those millions of viewers tune in to watch Dancing with the Stars and become interactive with the show by voting for their favorite performer.

Season Five brings together some of the biggest celebrity names so far, with incredibly diverse backgrounds, including the legendary Wayne Newton and the elegant actress Jane Seymour, billionaire Mark Cuban, Cheetah Girl Sabrina Bryan, welterweight champ Floyd Mayweather Jr., and actress Jennie Garth, of Beverly Hills, 90210. Two models are also part of the line-up; Abercrombie and Fitch model Albert Reed and Sports Illustrated model Josie Maran. Rounding out the celebrity cast is a Spice Girl, Mel B., daytime soap star Cameron Mathison, lifelong entertainer Marie Osmond and 2-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves.

As the celebrities with the lowest combined scores of the judges and America's votes are eliminated, the competition heats up quickly as the cream of the celebrity dancers rise to the top. Each week they'll be attempting to out-do not just the other couples, but their own routines from the week before. Some of the top contenders this season have already begun to pull away from the pack, particularly Sabrina Bryan and Helio Castroneves. Both have already provided some outstanding routines.

What Mark Cuban lacks in technique, he makes up for with enthusiasm. His routines remind me of Joey Fatone's performances; so much fun to watch you tend to overlook the lack of styling and technique. I think Cameron Mathison will hang on for a while, due to the loyalty of soap fans, if for no other reason. For Jane Seymour, Marie Osmond and the others, I think we'll see them voted off one by one, but even so, we'll have immensely enjoyed what they brought to the show. Of course, since America casts the deciding votes, nothing is for certain and there's sure to be some unexpected results all along the way. It's part of what keeps us coming back for more.

The popularity of the show seems to have no end. In 2006, Dancing with the Stars-The Tour, was announced and featured celebrities and professional dancers from Seasons 1-3. They toured through 38 arena venues from December 2006 until February 2007. In April of this year a DVD titled Dancing with the Stars: Cardio Dance was released, with cardio workouts based on Cha-cha, Paso Doble, Samba and Jive routines. I hope we see even more DVDs like this as the show continues to bring us the very best in ballroom dancing entertainment.

Dancing with the Stars will continue to draw multi-generational viewers, as those who love it tune in to feed their passion and those who have never given it a thought are exposed for perhaps the first time to the graceful elegance and seductive heat that combine to make up the timeless magic of ballroom dancing.