John Says…Heidi Says – Donny Osmond on DWTS

This is the beginning of a little back and forth banter about the 3 finalists on Dancing with the Stars. First up is Donny Osmond.

John says…
Donny Osmond was called the biggest ringer to ever be on Dancing with the Stars. I think he’s actually lived up to that billing. His dance and performance ability has shown through and there’s no arguing his popularity after a lifetime in the entertainment industry. However, what’s been most amazing to me is that Donny has been able to reasonably battle his “ringer” status and even converted a new set of fans that were destined to hate him. This is why Donny has an amazing chance of hoisting the mirror ball trophy.

Heidi says…
You say “lived up to that billing” like ringer status is a good thing.  It’s so not!  I hate it when better dancers leave because one dancer not only has a huge fanbase, but is not the best dancer – that unbalances the show right from the start. Gained new fans? Perhaps – there is no way to actually measure that. I’m sure I’m not the only one that wants to pull my ears off my head when he makes his grab for the microphone. He battles his ringer status because he’s not a good dancer at the end of the day – that makes his ringer status easier to tolerate (and it lulls viewers into underestimating the power of his fanbase – me included). But, for me, right when Donny does something to make me like him, he pulls a stunt like he did on Larry King Live the other night – dude, shut the hell up. Not everything is about YOU. Donny has a great chance of hoisting the MBT all right – but NOT because of his dancing. He’s all performance and mouth, little technique. All that said…I love Kym Johnson, so I have to root for them (her).

John says…
Well, I’m glad to see we agree about Kym. Kym is fantastic and Donny is lucky to have her as a partner. I can’t imagine Donny with anyone else. Karina would have flipped out on him. Edyta would have just rolled his eyes when he spoke. Lacey or Chelsie would have been too many mormons. Ok, I digress.

I’m not saying I’m a HUGE fan of Donny either. He’s always a bit awkward to me on the floor and when he’s talking. However, I love that he is himself. Certainly there’s a bit of acting, but I honestly think that Donny is like he is on the show in real life. He was brought up that way since before he knew what the word actor meant and so he knows nothing else. His grab for the microphone is annoying and he’s got to stop that.

However, I do like it when someone lives up to their ringer status. I don’t care if a better dancer goes home because they’re not as popular as long as they’re not my favorite;-) Seriously though, it’s just a feature of the show and something that everyone involves knows is going to happen. I wonder how much of that is figured into what they’re paid to be on the show. If the show really wanted the best dancer, then they’d weight the judges score to be more than the audience vote.

Yes, Donny has a great chance at hoisting the MBT because of his performance, mouth and little technique and not because of his dancing. What’s so wrong with that? The trophy doesn’t represent great dancing. It’s not even “America’s Favorite Dancer” like So You Think You Can Dance. It’s just a ball that represents…well nothing. So, I’m good with it representing mouth, performance, and little technique.

Heidi says…
Well, you’re the one that mentioned “dance and performance ability” in your original comment, that’s what I was responding to. I really don’t care if the best dancer doesn’t win – I often don’t vote for the best dancer. I won’t be voting for the best dancer tonight, either. 🙂  Let’s talk about Mya and see if you still love someone living up to that “ringer status”. Heh.

John says…
I think very few people actually vote based on dance ability. Although, a great, memorable dance I think does encourage more people to vote. If you’re voting for Kelly tonight, I might have to just vote for Donny to counteract your votes. Not that I’m a huge fan of Donny, but I can’t handle Kelly winning.

Let’s talk about Mya’s ringer status. The difference is that Mya is a ringer that’s a DANCER. I don’t like this, but that’s because I think the premise of the show is to take stars that can’t dance and see them try. Mya was helping with the choreography for goodness sakes. Donny is a different story since he doesn’t have the dance skills. He’s using the other qualities he has to try and enhance his performance. I like that.

Heidi says…
We won’t argue about Mya. 🙂 I don’t know who I’m voting for tonight – either Kelly or Donny and it’s going to depend heavily on the choreography. I’ll vote for what excites me. Based on Louis’s “Pricilla Queen of the Desert” tweets, I’m just not sure. 🙂

John says…
I know who I’m voting for…