"Dancing with the Stars" Reluctantly

"Dancing with the Stars" has had eight strong seasons featuring Olympians, singers, millionaires, rappers, actors and many other celebrities. The careers of many of these stars have been re-launched or sent into a different direction, such as gold medalist Apolo Ohno's successful appearances on many television shows, including as a guest judge on "Project Runway". Unfortunately, there are more than a few stars that have looked the "Dancing with the Stars" gift horse in the mouth.

Bristol Palin
Poor Bristol Palin shot to fame as the pregnant teenage daughter of 2008 Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Even after her mother lost the election, Bristol was back in the tabloids when she and boyfriend Levi Johnston broke up, got back together, got engaged, and broke up again. Even though Bristol has appeared on a variety of talk shows, it is crystal clear that she is not comfortable in front of the camera, much less in front of an audience. The look on her face while she is dancing does not convey that she is having a good time. After performing the jive, Brooke Burke asked Bristol what she thought about the jive the first time she tried it and Bristol answered, "Um, I hate the jive." How about a little positivity, Bristol? There are a lot of other children of failed politicians that would love to be in your dance shoes.

Kenny Mayne
Razor-tongued sportscaster Kenny Mayne appeared on the first two episodes of the second season of "Dancing with the Stars". During his cha-cha with dance partner Andrea Hale, Mayne missed a step and actually waved off part of the dance. Unsurprisingly, Mayne was the first star voted out of season two, and poor Hale never danced another episode. Fortunately, Mayne was a good sport about it, and now comes back every season during the finals to be one of the hosts of DanceCenter, a parody of ESPN's SportsCenter. Well, at least he's got a sense of humor.

Master P
Nothing quite says disrespect than not wearing dance shoes in a dance competition. Master P's son, Romeo, was supposed to be the "Dancing with the Stars" contestant, but was injured in a basketball game and Master P stepped in. It appears as though the sole reason he stepped in was to plug his clothing line ans record label. Master P lasted four episodes. Perhaps he should have been voted out of season two right after Kenny Mayne, but voters kept him around a little longer.

Steve-O
Season eight of "Dancing with the Stars" brought us "Jackass" and "Wildboyz" star Steve-O. Even though Steve-O is used to embarassing himself on camera without batting an eye, he looked outrageously uncomfortable in every episode he appeared. He never gained confidence, and was clearly out of his element. Perhaps he believe that he would be able to come on "Dancing with the Stars" and act like an idiot, but Lacey Schwimmer whipped him into place. Unfortunately, Lacey couldn't change his attitude, and they scored the second lowest average during the season. Here's a hint, Steve-O: Not all television shows want you to act like a buffoon. It's a shame ABC gave him a chance. Perhaps Wee Man would have been a better choice.

Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
When boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr. first appeared on "Dancing with the Stars", he actually showed some promise. Unfortunately, it soon became clear that Mayweather wanted to dance his way, or no way at all. He joined the show because he was "up for the challenge," yet didn't fully conform to what dance partner Karina Smirnoff was trying to teach him. Mayweather appeared as though he felt "Dancing with the Stars" was beneath him. Fortunately, he was KO'd in week four.