I admit I watched Dancing with the Stars

I loved Almost Live! growing up. When I heard that Bill Nye was going to be on Dancing with the Stars, I couldn’t resist watching him. I initially forgot that the show was on, but I caught the first part of the first day through our On Demand service.

It doesn’t seem like most of the contestants are that bad for just learning to dance, but the presentation was a little too corny to me. I didn’t like how every performance was worthy of a standing ovation. I didn’t like the cutout to the scoreboard with the judges trying to pop as much as they can with their scores. Overall, it felt like the show was low budget and developed by amateurs.

I didn’t watch the second part On Demand. I didn’t feel that it was worth it. It’s too bad that Bill Nye had the worst performance of everyone I saw, but he is the only one that I’m interested in at this point. I have somewhat mixed feeling about whether or not I want him to succeed. On one hand, I can stop watching as soon as he’s eliminated. On the other hand, he’s Bill Nye.

There’s a show on CBC called Battle of the Blades. The idea behind this show is that former hockey players compete in a figure skating competition for charity. There are some similarities to Dancing with the Stars. For example, there are three judges who tell the skaters what they think of their performances. Afterwards, each judge reveals a score that will be combined with votes from viewers to move skaters forward.

Dancing with the Stars started years before Battle of the Blades, so I’m sure that Dancing with the Stars was an influence on Battle of the Blades. Battle of the Blades, however, has actually found a way to make the format work. Now that I have seen Dancing with the Stars, I can say that Battle of the Blades is definitely a better show.

Don’t get me wrong. Battle of the Blades has its problems. Voting has been a big one since some people vote based on players and charities. This reduces the relevancy of the actual show (don’t worry Dancing with the Stars fans, this Bill Nye fan will abstain from voting). They have also had problems with judges. I have to admit that I get sick of every performance being “fantastic.” They have changed judges this year, but I haven’t heard anything about addressing their voting issues. Compared to the problems that Dancing with the Stars has with corniness, this is nothing.

Let me finish up this post with a quick comment to Americans who don’t have access to CBC. I’m sorry, but you’re stuck with Dancing with the Stars.