The Conical Glass: Joanna

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Joanna

My friend Janet is outraged over Joanna Krupa's elimination from "Dancing with the Stars." Yes, Joe and I are still watching "DwtS," and we were both surprised by her ouster.

Unlike last season, when I gave my dialing finger a workout voting for ooh-la-la Frenchman Gilles Marini, I don't have a horse in this race. The only time I've voted this season is two weeks ago, when I felt either reality TV princess Kelly Osbourne or weepy tax dodger Aaron Carter was going to get the boot, and I felt compelled to phone in for Kelly because I so desperately wanted Carter off my screen, pronto.

Krupa, a pouty Polish bikini model, was quite obviously a better dancer than Osbourne or Donny Osmond; I don't think she was as good as the season's frontrunner, pop star Mya. Of course, Mya is something of a ringer, having studied dance for years (just not ballroom dance, which I guess makes her eligible for the competition). She even appeared as one of the "Cell Block Tango" dancers in the 2002 film "Chicago."

So why were the lesser lights, Osbourne and Osmond, spared over the graceful, elegant Krupa? Well, I think part of it is their relatability. Both of them show their emotions openly, making it hard not to root for them. If Osbourne trips up during a dance, the smile instantly disappears from her face; when a judge praises her, she lights up like a 150-watt bulb. Osmond joyfully punches the air when he's nailed a dance, and if he makes a misstep, he is his own harshest critic, encouraging the judges to be tougher on him. (One week, Carrie Ann Inaba mentioned that he had made about four mistakes during a dance, and he immediately piped up that he'd actually made five.)

Also, the two Os have built-in fan bases. I had never heard of Krupa before "DwtS," whereas I practically grew up on the Osmonds (I was a devoted watcher of the Donny & Marie variety show back in the 70s), and Kelly appeared on one of the most popular reality TV series of all time, "The Osbournes." Plus, she has that redemptive arc -- she battled drug addiction and seems to have learned from her youthful mistakes.

I don't think there's ever been a contestant on "DwtS" who has wanted to win more than Kelly -- the woman has obviously worked her butt off, listened to her partner (Dutch-born ballroom champ Louis van Amstel), and she's improved tremendously over the course of the competition. By contrast, there was always something ice-princessy about Krupa. Remember those old TV commercials with the model saying, "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful"? Joanna is the woman we hate because she's beautiful. (Of course, being a bikini model isn't necessarily a ticket to oblivion in this competition, since Brooke Burke won a couple seasons ago. But she was a little older, and a mom, which I suspect helps with a certain segment of the voters.) Krupa's best, most memorable dance was her "Futuristic Paso Doble," which required her to act like a robot.

"DwtS" is not a pure meritocracy -- if it were, there's no way soulful sensation Lil' Kim would have been booted before wooden rodeo champ Ty Murray last season. I think Mya will win next week, but on a show where personality frequently trumps physical ability, I wouldn't count out either of her challengers yet.

posted by 125records @ 6:30 AM

3 Comments:

At 5:32 PM, Janet A said…

I agree Mya probably will win. I would really be thrilled for Kelly to win. She has worked hard. As I said, Donny needs to be gone.
At 9:10 AM, Flasshe said…

N and I were also surprised to see Young Busty Cameron Diaz get the boot. We thought for sure Donny was going home. I don't think Kelly has what it takes to win, but since it's more of a popularity contest than a technical skills showcase, it could happen. Her story is certainly compelling and there have been a lot of upsets lately. Mya should obviously win, though she is, as you say, something of a ringer. Also, something about her personality really bugs me.
At 1:30 PM, Miles said…

Mandy and I both thought Joanna was the best dancer from Week 1 onwards, and really hadn't seen any evidence to the contrary. Neither one of us knew who she was before DWTS, so we had no preexisting bias for or against Joanna.

I also didn't think Joanna was ice princessy at all! She seems down-to-earth, not stuck up at all, and very hard-working. Mya, to me, is the one who comes off as aloof and not very relatable.

Where I think you're completely on the money re: Ms. Krupa is right here: "Joanna is the woman we hate because she's beautiful." DWTS has an overwhelming female viewing and voting demographic, and it wouldn't matter if Joanna served every one of those women breakfast in bed and did their laundry - they'd still hate her. Whereas the men who salivate over Joanna probably wouldn't be caught dead watching DWTS.

We agree that Gilles deserved to win last season, so there is that. :)