Odds Sapp wins Dancing With the Stars? Slim

Halfway through this week's two blockbuster finale episodes on ABC's hit competition Dancing With the Stars, one question remains:

Can a charming, crowd-pleasing 300-pound ex-football player snatch victory in TV's biggest dance contest from two better dancers?

After Monday's competition, the answer doesn't look good for former ex-Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive star Warren Sapp, who gave two spirited performances that were, unfortunately, a step below his competition.

Indeed, judging by the two dances Monday, the contest has come down to a fight for second place -- with newly resurgent 'N Sync member Lance Bass coming on strong in the final episodes. The judges' scorecard gave first place to actress/model Brooke Burke, a surprising front-runner who had led the show since the other pro athlete favorite, Misty May-Treanor, injured herself during a rehearsal and had to drop out. Bass and Sapp are tied for second -- with Sapp's audience popularity and overall charisma balancing Bass' better dancing.

Perhaps because they so consistently top the ratings, the show's producers have grown increasingly lazy about how they pad these lengthy finales. Saddled with just three finalists who can learn, at most, two dances per episode, producers now use reed-thin justifications to rerun huge chunks of previous shows in the first hour -- on Monday asking the finalists to choose two of their favorite dances from weeks past.

Stuff like this doesn't make sense in a TiVo-filled world, where regular fans are increasingly encouraged to tape the show and spin through all the filler. Why watch week after week in real time when there's so little new material -- better to record it all and skip the old stuff, along with the commercials. Yet another example of network TV cutting its own throat when it counts.

The judges Monday followed the First Commandment of Reality TV Finales: Thou shalt not criticize too harshly in the last episode. So we saw the panel disregarding past faults to shower love on the contestants, even when they repeated mistakes that had gotten them in hot water before. 

So what if Bass took criticism -- especially from old fogy judge Len Goodman -- for being too modern in past dances? This time, his hip- hop freestyle dance drew nothing but kudos from the curmudgeon, who looked ready to ditch his image as the series' Scrooge and get down to Run D.M.C.'s "It's Tricky" all by his bad self. And who cares if Sapp's freestyle take-off on Tina Turner's Rolling on the River featured a little too much of the gregarious giant twirling his lithe pro dancer partner? Goodman cranked off a 10 grade just for entertainment! Talk about ginning up a competition.

Seems to me that Bass hurt himself with a hip-hop freestyle that wasn't as impressive as expected. My prediction: after the audience votes are tallied, Bass comes in third, Sapp second and Burke takes it all -- both because she's clearly the best and most consistent dancer and because she has continually surprised everyone who last saw her picking through Axl Rose wanna-bes on CBS's ill-fated Rock Star.

I'm just hoping they keep Cloris Leachman away from the bar until tonight's episode is over.

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Comments

[iknow]

Sapp is a pig in every sense of the word.

Some of you seem to think that after he quit football he changed from being a gross bully into Mr. Nice Guy.

I assure you it ain't so. He's still a yelling, screaming, physically intimidating bull, just a bigger one now both literally and figuratively.

And now he doesn't even have football as a partial outlet for his aggression.

He's a bigger jerk than when he was playing. And he was a HUGE jerk then.

[Where is the love?]

luis....you have some serious bad vibes going on with you brah, lighten up some. Sapp grew up and moved on, he meant no harm to you personally so....whats the big deal. He'd probably tell you it was the celebrity thing but look at him now, he's all fun and no harm now, wish the man good luck and play nice.

[luis]

Sapp is a BIG A-hole. He was notoriuos for insulting all kinds of people...kids,women,whatever, when he was in Tampa Bay. I'm sure he's doing it other places, too. This is the "OJ" syndrome, he's making money as a "celebrity"...when he is actually a terrible example/person for society. Wake up people, this guys a jerk!!!This is the type of person no one needs to vote for.

[Tracy]

I find it ironic that he never had time for fans when he was playing football in Tampa and now is relying on fans to vote for him to win. Hmmm....

[tiny dancer]

I give kudoes to all the dancers, especially Warren Sapp, he's a delight to watch, he's a natural born competitor. He makes ya smile and he makes it look easy which we all know it isn't at all. All the dancers have brought game to the table but when it comes to really shakin' your bootie, Brooke has that down, and she knows it.
Doesn't she always look fantastic in those skimpy costumes.

Good luck to all the finalists, they all deserve to win.

[Sharon]

I've actually been impressed by his dancing and his entertainment value this season. It takes a lot of guts for a man his size to jiggle his body and dance in front of millions of people, which is usually done by thin, fit people (professionally, that is). Will he win? No. Will he be in second place? I think not. Did he do a good job in the competition? Yes!! It also showed a softer side of this former Buc. I enjoyed him immensely and am proud that he came this far.

[whatthel]

He could win "Talking With The Stars".

[Rich]

Sapp would be lucky not to fall off the set after tripping over his big mouth. The guy is a has been (never was?), and should go quietly away. Unfortunately, he probably won't do either

[sjn]

Hey Frank, if this show is such a "joke" in your eyes why are you even commenting? come on, you know you watch it. You're a closet dancing with the starts fan.

I personally enjoy watching it - it's a lot better than some of the other shows they have on TV.

[frank]

all sapp does is stand there while his partner dances. then he smiles and winks. if he wins, this show goes from being a joke to being an absolute joke.