Reasons Why Being on Dancing with the Stars is Nothing to Cha Cha About

In the days of "Dirty Dancing" and "Footloose" interest in dancing sizzled and the largely successful movies had America tapping their toes and shaking their hips. The interest died off, however, and now America has decided to breathe a little life into the dead dancing phenomenon by ripping off another UK reality competition show. Dancing with the Stars is now a successful reality competition in the United States that involves pairing B, C, and D-List celebrities with professional ballroom dancers in a live weekly dance-off competition. However, I question the use of the word "star" in the television show title and I certainly feel that it's a slap in the face to be invited to appear on the series.

First of all, we're not talking about Janet Jackson or Michael Flatley gracing the stage with their mind boggling dance moves. Some of the recent competition has included Kelly Monaco, former New Kid on the Block Joey McIntyre, child star Joey Lawrence, and John O'Hurley, who had a minor role in the long running Seinfeld series. More than anything, Dancing with the Stars highlights the questionable use of the term "star." Personally, despite the ratings I think the show clearly fails during the casting process. Modern America wants to see rich and famous celebrities falter on a national spotlight. We want a reason to care and consider all of the angles involved with the show. Just like with any television show, we associate with certain characters. Often times, we'll find ourselves subliminally rooting for someone to succeed. In a show that is centered around the celebrity craze, we cannot identify with any of the B-List celebrities simply because we don't know anything about them. They were long forgotten for a reason.