Smith's victory proves ‘Dancing's’ charm

There were endless recaps of the season, in which we saw over and over that Mario nailed basically every dance he was given, only taking real hits when he hammed up dances like the quickstep and the tango and was clipped for breaking the rules. Emmitt, on the other hand, was the purest of underdogs. He started out surprisingly promising, took a stumble or two, kept working, and eventually got to be good.

Friends and family in interviews continued to feed the same dynamic. Emmitt’s friends — including fellow football players Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach — were just amazed to see Emmitt able to dance well. Mario’s friends, including “Desperate Housewives” star Eva Longoria and “Showgirls” and fellow “Saved By The Bell” alum Elizabeth Berkeley, were amazed at Mario’s skill level. In fact, Berkeley thought Mario could make it to Broadway. Nobody was suggesting Emmitt was going to Broadway. They were only suggesting he would be by far the most awe-inspiring dancer in any room full of football players — and in most rooms full of people who weren’t born dancers.

When the two pairs talked about their affection for each other, it became even clearer that Emmitt needed to win. Mario and Karina were so busy being coy about their budding relationship that they barely said anything of substance, and Mario did nothing but flash that oddly blank grin as he talked about his affection for her. Emmitt and Cheryl, on the other hand, talked warmly about their bond. At 37, Emmitt is quite a bit older than 22-year-old two-time champion Cheryl, and he brought her to tears when he thanked her, simply and straightforwardly, for being such a good teacher and such a good friend. Who wouldn’t love that?

In the end, the audience was in control. The judges maneuvered themselves to a tie on Tuesday night, so it was all about the popular vote, and the popular vote crowned Emmitt and Cheryl. In all likelihood, nobody who voted was unaware that in a technical dance-off, Mario would beat Emmitt. Emmitt, however, did what the show asks of its celebrities. He started out not knowing what he was doing, and he learned. And sometimes he looked silly, and sometimes he fell down in practice, but he kept going. Strangely enough, that’s really what the audience is looking for. It’s a popularity contest, and Emmitt probably wouldn’t have won without a great deal of personal charm. But he also won because he had going for him the one thing that rescues this show from being completely stupid: he taught himself something difficult.

A few weeks ago, Emmitt said of his efforts on the show, “A real man tries to do something he thinks he cannot do.” In that sense, he got what he came for, and the show got a surprisingly satisfying ending. Besides, never bet against the football fans.

Linda Holmes is a writer in Bloomington, Minn.

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