Finally, Dancing with the Stars is About Dancing!

As a ballroom dancer and avid TV watcher, I have faithfully watched every season of Dancing With The Stars. Each season, I have been duly impressed with how hard the celebrities worked and how seriously they took the competition. I have been equally impressed with how hard the instructors work-not only do they spend hours and hours in the studio with their celebrity; they also have to do their homework to choreograph their routines.

The dance routines that you see these celebrities performing on Dancing With The Stars are of a level that most dance students only dream of, and the talented ones take at least a couple of years to get there. Granted, their technique isn't perfect and in some cases it's abysmal-if they were my students, they'd be doing box steps in front of a mirror, but this is television entertainment and I digress. I am often surprised at what the judges choose to let go and what they harp on.

In seasons past, there has always been that controversial contestant, the one that people kept voting for just for the thrill of annoying people who actually took the contest seriously. Votefortheworst.com prided themselves in backing Master P, which was an insult to anyone in any way connected to the show. I think even Master P wanted to go home a couple of weeks before he was finally voted off. Then there were the various sports stars, who stayed on thanks to their fans. Some of them were ok, but most were not the dancers that their rivals were.

At last, with season five, DWTS is a dance competition. Most of the contestants have done a great job, and the worst ones have been voted off. Josie Maran, while pretty, had the least to offer and went first. I was a little surprised when Albert went before Wayne and Floyd-I think their fans had a little something to do with that, but at least they were the next to go. Mark Cuban, who isn't an athlete or an entertainer (and may be the only contestant ever, although I'm not sure what Heather Mills' experience was), worked very hard and improved a lot, but last night was his time to go and off he dutifully went.

So, who's left? Marie Osmond, Jenny Garth, Melanie Brown, Sabrina Bryan, Helio Castroneves, Cameron Mathison, and Jane Seymour. Seven stars, all doing a fantastic job! My predictions? I think Cameron and Marie will go next-while they've improved a lot and have a lot to offer, they just don't "have it" like the others do. As for the final, I think it'll come down to Jenny and Sabrina for sure, but I'm not quite sure about the third. Mel, Helio, and Jane all have their good points so we'll have to see how they fare over the next few weeks.