‘Dancing With the Stars’ knows what works

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This season, with Jerry Springer already publicly calling himself an overmatched, underqualified disaster, promises to keep us elbow-deep in klutzes. Tucker Carlson also does not seem to have been born with bells on his toes, so it may be an 0-for-2 showing for the talk-show hosts.

But it’s not just about the bad dancing. There are always some celebrities who find themselves surprised at how easily and happily they take to dancing. Lachey was one of these; so was newscaster Giselle Fernandez, who was sent home before her time, but not before winning a lot of fans with her obvious delight in doing something so different from her usual routine. Given Hamlin's delight at Rinna’s success and his obvious personal stake in participating, he seems like a good bet in that category.

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Of course, somewhere between the bad dancers and the surprisingly good dancers, there are those who keep plugging away in spite of what appear to be terrible odds. These are the plucky underdogs. Jerry Rice fit into this category last season, and ultimate winner Kelly Monaco represented it in the first. Plucky underdogs are the hardest to pick out ahead of time, because the role requires a unique mix of determination, genial appeal, and an almost complete lack of innate ability. Mario Lopez and Joey Lawrence seem too steeped in athletics and performing to be all that bad, and Sara Evans seems like an unlikely choice, because well-known country musicians are usually not rhythmically ignorant enough to really fit the mold. My pick for plucky underdog is either Shanna Moakler or Willa Ford. Sure, Ford is a musician, apparently, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see either of them struggle.

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"Dancing With the Stars" is a show on a roll. It seems to have hit the jackpot again with genius moves like casting an unlikable blowhard like Carlson in a role almost guaranteed to make him uncomfortable, as well as bringing back teen idols like Lopez and Lawrence. Even in a tough time slot, this show, which knows enough not to mess with what works, will probably stomp its way through the fall, fancy shoes or not.

Linda Holmes is a writer in Bloomington, Minn.

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