The First 'Dancing' Always Hurts the Most

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(Sept. 23) -- Unlike other competition shows like 'American Idol' where the competition is whittled down to the strongest contenders, 'Dancing With the Stars' always kicks off with no vetting process, making for generally ugly first episode. The scorecards last night reflected it.
While model-actress Brooke Burke dominated the dancingcompetition with a score of 23 out of 30, several of the seventhseason celebrity participants began at the bottom of the pack.Television legend Cloris Leachman received a lousy 16. "All MyChildren" matriarch Susan Lucci was given a measly 15. Andcelebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito cooked up a lukewarm 14.
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The Cloris Leachman Extravaganza
"I forgot we had a 4," quipped host Tom Bergeron of the lowscore paddle flashed to DiSpirito.
However, the lowest number - a pathetic 12 - went to comedianJeffrey Ross, who suffered a scratched cornea after his partnerEdyta Sliwinska accidentally poked him during a rehearsal Monday.Ross wasn't the only performer to dance despite suffering aprevious injury. Professional dancer Karina Smirnoff, who'spartnered with DiSpirito, sprained her ankle.
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Leachman brought the most drama to the ballroom. After dancing,the 82-year-old actress lifted her leg onto the judges' table, fellto her knees in front of Len Goodman and then sat on Carrie AnnInaba's lap as the arbiters attempted to evaluate her routine. Shewasn't any more subdued backstage. Her reaction to her low scorehad to be censored.
"They can't even add up the numbers, they're so stupid here,"she said, grabbing an off-camera card with her score.
Celebrities who managed to score above 15 included singers LanceBass and Toni Braxton; reality TV star Kim Kardashian; actors CodyLinley and Ted McGinley; NFL star Warren Sapp; and Olympic goldmedalists Misty May-Treanor and Maurice Greene. One dancing couplewill be eliminated Tuesday. Following another routine, a secondteam will be sent home Wednesday.
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2008-09-23 06:37:43
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