Drama and Romance on Dancing with the Stars

Dancing with the Stars is an intense reality show with high stakes for all the competitors. For celebrities like Pamela Anderson and Shannon Dougherty, it is a chance to jump start a stalled career. For others like Jake Pavelka and Evan Lysacek, it is the opportunity to simply start a career in Hollywood. The professional dancers need to do well to stay on the show, one of the most watched dancing shows of all time. Working together as intensely as they do, it's no wonder there's drama and romance brewing in rehearsal rooms. Kate Gosselin, Chad Ochocinco and Erin Andrews could tell you all about it, but they're not here so I will.

Every season we learn of backstage strife between a star and his or her professional partner. In seasons past, tiffs have actually been a good thing. Brooke Burke and partner Derek Hough had one and went on to win the competition. If the video clips are to be believed, at least three of the couples had difficulties communicating this week.

Edyta Sliwinska walked out on her partner and went to another room to sulk after being chided by her partner Aiden Turner. Mark Ballas was seen pushing hard at Shannon Dougherty to get the performance he wanted from her. In spite of her diva reputation, Dougherty sucked it up and kept working. Things nearly boiled over between Bachelor Jake Pavelka and his partner Chelsie Hightower when he couldn't master a move she was trying to teach him.

The biggest outburst occurred between mom of eight Kate Gosselin and teddy bear Tony Dovolani. Kate challenged Tony's teaching methods, and the sparks started to fly. Kate has already been rumored to be difficult backstage, late for hair and makeup while Tony is one of the most laid back, even tempered dancers I've had the pleasure to watch for the past 8 seasons. He took off his microphone and left the room, stating, "I quit" while the camera film Kate in utter disbelief. The pair made up, but Gosselin's performance was dismal. At times she simply stood on the stage and bounced because she couldn't remember the steps. There's a very real possibility that she will be voted out and the 80-year-old astronaut, who is the worst dancer on the show, will outlast her. And it would be no great loss from where I'm sitting.

With all the hours couples put in rehearsing and working together, it's no wonder tempers flare. Six hours a day, sometimes 7 days a week for 5 weeks now is a whole lot of time with one person. The flip side of that coin is that it can also bring couples together as it has I the past. Previous pairings included Mario Lopez and Karina Smirnoff, and Elizabeth Shannon and Mark Ballas. This year romance seems to be blossoming between Cheryl Burke and Chad Ochocinco and Erin Andrews and Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

Preview clips showed Ochocinco being playful with Burke, each of them kissing the other and Ochocinco pretending to propose. It's clear they have chemistry but how far the flirty frolics go is anybody's guess at this point. Andrews and Chmerkovskiy have also adopted a more playful posture and preview clips seemed to indicate Andrews can't keep her hands off of her instructor.

Whether its hostility or hospitality, Dancing with the Stars heightens and exposes those things in its participants which make for interesting viewing both on the dance floor and off. I have to admit, I get a kick out of watching the relationships develop or come apart as the season progresses.

Source: Personal viewing