Dancing with the stars

You have some gorgeous contestants,some great dancing,some lively banter yet something seems to be missing,may be because its dated.

The seventh season of Dancing With The Stars on BBC Entertainment played in the United States three years ago. It has an 82-year-old Oscar winning actress,a stand-up comedian,a chef,a band singer,an Olympic volleyball player,an Olympic gold medal sprinter,Maurice Greene,a NFL football player and a model and mother of four among others showing off some mean moves to international dance forms like fox trot,ball room dancing,hustle,salsa,jitterbug.

What we absolutely loved about this show is its cheekiness. From the hosts Samantha Harris and Tom Bergeron to the contestants and the judges the lovely Carrie Ann Inaba,Len Goodman who minces no words and the entertaining Bruno Tonioli everyone says anything and everything to everyone and no one walks out in a huff,if there are egos,they are left at home and so when the host calls Len an old fogey,he takes it on his chin up can you imagine Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa hosts doing that ever or even the judges taking it in the right spirit. The contestants unabashedly flirt with the judges but does that affect their scores? Nah,no chance! The best part is all the three judges know what they say,mean what they say and say what they mean and last but not the least,their scoring corroborates their comments. The highest score anyone got was 22 compared to the points so generously doled out in desi versions. No unnecessary drama,no emotional back-stories yes,they too have their injuries etc but none are played up,at least not in the episodes we saw,no soppy excuses only hard-core dance!

What we also loved was the interesting mix of contestants. You actually had people who have probably never danced on stage unlike our desi shows where an item dancer also qualifies as non-dancer and gets to participate in the show!

The only thing probably missing is the excitement and the colour of the desi versions. Yes,you have some gorgeous contestants,some great dancing,some lively banter yet something seems to be missing,may be because its dated,maybe because one is used to seeing the colour and the vibrancy of Indian dance styles,or you already know who is the winner!

Verdict:

Watch it if you must.