Daily Skiff

ABC has moved on from the recently concluded hit reality show "The Bachelor," and gracefully began the eighth season of "Dancing with the Stars" with a familiar face in the crowd of celebrity dancers.

"Dancing with the Stars" is a reality-based show in which celebrities are paired with ballroom dancers and compete for a disco ball trophy and the bragging rights. One couple is eliminated each week until the final three pairs compete for the title. One of the three is knocked out and the remaining two compete in a final freestyle dance routine.

Usually, the celebrities who join the show are D- to C-list celebrities who have found the show as a way to boost their time in the spotlight, and it has worked rather effectively. Joey Fatone was able to get a TV show afterward, Mario Lopez is the host of MTV's America's Best Dance Crew, and how else would we have known about Hélio Castroneves, when all the media reported was his tax evasion issues?

The show is popular every season, but this season it is garnering more attention than any previous one.

The eighth season has been riddled with drama and speculation. Two dancers, Jewel and Nancy O'Dell, were stricken with knee injuries and forced to withdraw. This led to ABC's dramatic game of "who will fill in for the two injured starlets?"

In a smooth move, the producers chose star of the E! channel's, "The Girls Next Door," and ex-girlfriend of Hugh Hefner, Holly Madison as well as jilted Bachelor contestant, Melissa Rycroft, who both have captured the nation's attention in recent months.

Hopefully, this ABC reality show will turn out better for Rycroft, who was flooded with jokes about her ex-fiancé. If you were able to catch the show you saw one of the judges stating he did not know who the Bachelor guy was, but he was definitely a loser. Have to agree with you on that one, Bruno.

This season also contains real life couple Julianne Hough and Chuck Wicks, Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.

Stay tuned, vote and hope your contestant comes out on top!

Vlora Bojku is a junior business major from Colleyville.

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