The popular ABC program, Dancing With the Stars, finished a strong season with professional dancer Alex Mazo and his celebrity partner Kelly Monaco edging out John O'Hurley and his professional partner Charlotte Jorgenson for top honors.
But in this week's Dance-Off competition, both top couples were back to vie again for first place. This time, the effort was for charity, with each call-in vote representing a small donation.
And with millions of votes cast, less than 1% of the vote moved O'Hurley and Jorgenson to number 1. (Compere Bergeron quipped that the Supreme Court might be required to adjudicate.) Even so, Monaco gained over $100,000 for her selected charity, Katrina Relief, and O'Hurley earned over $120,000 for his, Golfers Against Cancer.
The biggest difference was the voting arrangement—in the original season, audience votes from the previous week were tallied together with professional judges' votes from the current competition, to determine which couple would be eliminated from the contest each week. For the dance-off, however, only audience votes counted.
O'Hurley is best known for his role as charismatic catalogue king J. Peterman on Seinfeld, and he is currently producing The Richard Petty Story and also developing a film version of the bestselling novel Ahab's Wife. Monaco currently stars in ABC's daytime soap General Hospital as Sam McCall, the pregnant mistress of Port Charles' mob boss Sonny Corinthos.
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Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Felicia
Um, get your facts sraight, Kelly Monaco's character on General Hospital is no longer pregnant and she is no long Sonny's mistres. She Kicked some butt on Dancing with the stars and I still think she was the better sport, John took this competition way too seriously and got really bent out of shape about the loss. I have no respect for that.
2 - Theresa
I totally agree with you. What's next are we going to start rematching American Idol. This is just giving into poor sportsmanship. Kelly Monaco and Alec Mazo were the first and continue to be the champions of Dancing with the Stars in my eyes.
3 - Gene Cieplinski
A rematch was set up through the insistence of John O'hurly because he's crybaby. Kelly and her partner are the true winners because the re-match was just that. And naturally more women are going to vote for the man in the general public. And there is only one American Idol and that is Kelly Clarkson. Also keep in mind that Kelly Monnoco had to do all the stept backwards
4 - Bob A. Booey
Um yeah, you better check your facts, OK?
That was her evil twin on the show and she's now a zombie who cast a spell on the evil doctor who's really her long-lost lover Rex who was in a coma in season three, OK?
Duh.
Kelly's kind of hot, but she seems boring and sexless despite her hotness. She's also a midget.
Peterman's so white and such a square.
Golfers Against Cancer? What % of that money do you think actually goes toward cancer and not toward links fees?
That is all.
5 - Joanie
The rematch was set up by ABC for ratings.
To be honest, the first time around, Monaco had improved so much, she deserved to be recognized for her efforts. This time? O'Hurley proved that he understood the subtleties of dancing better than Monaco. It's the difference between flash and substance.
No matter what, it's nothing more than entertainment. If people are going to spend hours and hours in front of the TV watching anything, it may as well be a show like this.
6 - DrPat
I have to say that I felt O'Hurley was the better dancer in the original show, when Monaco won. On the other hand, except for the waltz, he definitely was not as good as Monaco in the dance-off, but he still won.
As for improvement, Evander Holyfield made an astounding advance in dance skills over three weeks, but not enough to stay in the competition. I really admire him for doing this is the first place.
Len was right when he pointed out (for O'Hurley) that the celebrity men had a larger task than the women. Yes, the women dance backwards, but they don't lead. That's the task of the man. They also don't lift, and O'Hurley's lifts in the dance-off were amazing for a non-professional.
It probably didn't help that Monaco fluffed her part in the lifts in the foxtrot, either. Alex lifted her beautifully, but instead of staying flexed straight (or slightly curved upwards), she draped like a sack of potatoes.
Finally, the rematch was arranged by ABC as a charity event, to capitalize on the good ratings and viewership of the original competition. Golfers Against Cancer would have received $62,500 from John O'Hurley's efforts on the dance floor even if he had lost the dance-off -- but thanks to the response by Sprint voters, they will get nearly twice that amount.
Golfers Against Cancer is totally a volunteer effort, and they carefully select beneficiaries that will devote 100% of the donated moneys to cancer research.
7 - rosemary siegel
Kelly did not dress like a ball room dancer. I think she tried to reveal as much skin as possible to attrack male votes. I think Kelly is more of a hip-hop dancer or modern dancer. I don't think she is a classy dancer. I think she is nervous and it shows. She is nervous that she is going to have a costume malfunction.
8 - DrPat
All the celebrities had costumes supplied by leading dance-costume designers. I've seen competitions where the dancers wore even less than Kelly did.
Bruno noted Kelly's nervousness in the dance-off, not surprising since she admitted she hadn't danced at all since the end of the original competition.
9 - Joyce
I don' t think there should have been a rematch. I think it was rigged. I tried several times to get through for
Kelly and it said my call couldn' t be completed. I did get through 2 times, but if it happened to me it happened to others too. I think they should have another rematch, but they won' t.
10 - DrPat
Actually, the response to the Dance-Off was so good, we may see Kelly Monaco and John O'Hurley back in the next competition. Or possibly, only John, if Kelly decides her schedule doesn't permit the ramp-up of training she'd need.
I predict at least a dance-off between the top two of the next series and O'Hurley and Monaco...
11 - Debbie
O'Hurley and Charlotta were so smooth and presented a more polished,professional rendition of classical ballroom dancing. Kelly and her partner were flashier, less technical and not smooth at all (in both competitions). Kelly is more watchable (who wouldn't love to look like that) and there's no question Kelly is easily lifted by her stronger partner (she's tiny), so their performance looks more difficult. O'Hurley had the much more difficult challenge of having to actually do more dancing than Kelly; and his final attempt and success doing lifts was amazing! Cudos for John and Charlotta -- they deserved to win (both times).
12 - jaja
I truly believed John and Charlotta should have won the first competition as well. Let's be truthful...how can someone fall more than once and get 10s!!! not to mention showing all with the wardrobe she wore. Traditional ballroom dancing was truly shown by John and Charlotta, as well as the effort and commitment. I don't believe the first show was a true win for Kelly. I believe it was something already fixed before the show even began...lets face it ---she works for abc!
13 - kittygogo
what difference does it make and who the hell really cares? John should have won the first time, justice has been served. Let's all try to get on with our lives now. shall we?
14 - DrPat
Obviously, kittygogo, "millions" of people cared enough to vote in the Dance-Off.
I doubt very much either contest was rigged. I think the judge's comments ("If you dodn't phone, you shouldn't moan") had more to do with it -- perhaps the difference was made by folks who thought O'Hurley was better in the original contast, but simply didn't vote.
There was voting by Internet as well, for both contests, although Web votes didn't contribute anything to the dancers' selected charities. Worries over a caller's inability to get through a busy signal to make the allowed 5 call-in votes should be offset against the wiser availability of the Web site for voting.
15 - Fran G.
Can anyone tell me who is the maker of the red costume that Kelly Monaco wore in the Dancing With the Stars rematch show?
16 - Kodi M.
I have to agree with the first two comments. John was being such a bad sport. Which shows us the fans that he is just a sore loser and needs to win things and have to have things his way. He's is a horrible sport. He can't handle losing which proves he has NO self confidence at all. I can't stand john hurley anymore.
17 - DrPat
Kodi, John O'Hurley probably had less to do with the rematch than you think -- I believe he was enticed back by the prospect of getting donations for his favorite charity. Same thing with Kelly Monaco, by the way.
These celebrities are both actors -- they play whatever role is appropriate to the show.
18 - tickedoff1
I agree that John O'Hurley and Charlotta should have won the regular season as well. I think the only reason Kelly Monaco got as far as she did is because of all the GH watchers who only voted for her because of the soap not because of her dancing skills.
19 - bacchus
While watching the dance off, I thought the pre-taped segments of practice and comments were edited to really emphasize the "I really want to win" angle from both competitors.
Another poster here made the comment that both of the competitors are actors and could certainly play the parts required or requested of them by abc. (Reality TV shows do have writers afterall.)
The fact the show was such a hit for the network over summer almost assured that abc would capitalize on any chance to make a bit more money from its sponsors as a result of the "controversy" over who should have won. Add the charity element and even the viewers / voters at home felt like they were doing _something_ for a good cause.
But it's just tv - entertainment in a box in our livingrooms.
On another note, I really liked Evander Holyfield. His skills as a dancer improved very quickly, just not as quickly as everyone else. I'd like to think that maybe he'll stick with dancing for a little while, even if he's not on a tv show about dancing.
20 - bookworm
Hey
Does anybody know the name of the professional dancer Charlotta danced with at the end of the Dance off? If you do can you email me with the name? thanks
21 - Anne
Question- does anyone know the name of the company that supplied the costumes for this show? Or the name of the designer?
22 - dirty mouth
u all need to shut the fuck up and get a life.
23 - Bennett
dm - Could you expand on those sentiments?
24 - johanna
I agree with dirty mouth all of u shut up!
25 - ROXY
JOHN O'HURLEY WAS A WHINNING, CRY BABY AND IF WE ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN A REMATCH AS IT IS SO CALLED, THEN WHY NOT RE MATCH THE SUPER BOWL? I WOULD NOT SEE ANY DIFFERENCE A COMPETITION IS A COMPETITION SHE WON, AND I FEEL THEY NEED TO TELL JOHN BOY TO GROW UP AND BE A MAN STOP WHINNING KELLY WON AND SHE WILL ALWAYS BE THE WINNER TO MANY PEOPLE EVEN THE PEOPLE WHO WANTED JOHN TO WIN AND REALIZED WHAT A BABY HE WAS OVER THE ORDEAL, I LIKE KELLY MONACO AND FOR ONE AM GLAD SHE WON IT BUT HOW COULD THEY ALLOW A RE MATCH BECAUSE SOME ONE CRIED, GROW UP JOHN BOY OR GET OUT OF THE PUBLIC EYE.