"Dancing With the Stars, where glitziness is next to godliness."
Joyce Caruso Corrigan in Entertainment Weekly (2005)

"The stars on Dancing With the Stars are six B- or C-list celebrities … John O’Hurley has the most charm, and Kelly Monaco is the sexiest. Each star is paired with a slightly sleazy-looking (the men especially) ballroom-dance professional."
John Rockwell in The New York Times (2005)
"Dancing With the Stars might just be the best television America has experienced since The Honeymooners. “How?” you ask? Because Dancing With the Stars is like Circus of the Stars, but instead of high wires and lion taming, we’re getting to watch ‘C’ list celebrities learn the Cha-Cha. Then, after a dazzling 60 minutes of that, we, the viewers, vote on who should have their Dr. Scholl’s inserts taken away. Honestly, I haven’t been this excited about a television event since Jo Ann Pflug’s final appearance on Love Boat. I predict that by the end of its six-week run, every single American will be taking dance lessons."
Michael Korb in The Saratogian (2005) 



On her elimination in Week One - "While I’m no Trista fan, I was hoping the reality-show veteran might stay another week or two, just to keep the top three on their toes. But a capricious voting result fits Dancing With The Stars the way spandex clings to John O’Hurley - oddly, yet somehow appropriately."
Michael Slezak in Entertainment Weekly (2006) 

"I thought I had great rhythm and balance. Then I saw a tape of myself and just shuddered. I look ridiculous."
Evander Holyfield (2005)

"The way we are dancing in this show is the way you would only normally dance with your boyfriend or your husband. It’s very sensual and sexual. You do get very close."
Rachel Hunter on Dancing With The Stars (2005)


Ashly DelGrosso on her rule-bending routine with Joey McIntyre - "It was an Open Foxtrot … and International."
Bruno Tonioli: "It was very Open … It was a United Nations Foxtrot."
on Dancing With The Stars (2005)

"When John ‘loses’ a step, it frequently ‘appears’ in other places where it does not belong. But he is a joy to watch."
Charlotte Jørgensen in People magazine (2005)


"Kelly Monaco, the show’s underdog, is not a brilliant dancer, but she uses her innate assets - flexibility and an unforced sexiness - to great power, eventually managing to partially overcome her initial discomfort with movement. Ms. Monaco’s performances were never flawless, but like the mythical Billy Elliot, she never gave up. Despite that boldness, she doesn’t fake it; what’s charming about her dancing is that she always remains slightly vulnerable. Even though we’re watching on television, it feels alive."
Gia Kourlas in The New York Times (2005)


VIDEO: Kelly and Alec Freestyle in the Season One Grand Final




"What I like about the show is that dancing is back on TV. I think it’s very important for Americans to see dancing. We have so little of it in our culture, especially social dancing. And another thing I love about the show is that everything is done in good spirits. The three judges, we give critiques, but we’re not trying to be cruel."
Carrie-Ann Inaba in Midweek magazine (2006) 


"Dancing With the Stars served as a remedial lesson in the notion of ‘danse a deux.’ To 21st century kids, pairs dancing must at first have seemed as bizarre and uncool an activity as synchronised swimming. For a couple of decades, dance has been self-expression, of an orgiastic, onanistic sort, not connection and communion with a partner of a different gender. Yet the show demonstrated the blend of precision and passion in an expert dance number. The contestants on Dancing With the Stars often lacked polish. But look, ma, they’re sort-of dancing, in a way she might remember with appreciative nostalgia."
Richard Corliss in Time magazine (2006)



"Throughout the past five seasons, we’ve had some stars with various physical challenges. Heather Mills had one artificial leg. Kenny Mayne apparently had two."
Tom Bergeron on Dancing With The Stars (2008)

On the judges after her week 2 elimination - "I'm just glad I'm never gonna, hopefully, run into them again. It was just brutal ... they were brutal to me."
Tatum O'Neal (2006)
On their Paso Doble - "Bruno, meanwhile, gave the most dependably absurd critique of all, saying to Giselle, 'Tonight, you’re turning into Robocop.' Okay, that really makes no sense (but then again, I also never saw Robocop 7: Paso Doble of Passion)."
'B-Side' on TVGasm.com (2006)

On his Paso Doble  - "It was a nightmare. You looked like a child at the mall looking for his mother."
Bruno Tonioli on Dancing With The Stars (2006)

Her reason for joining ‘DWTS’ - "My parents were in a professional dance troupe before I was born, so I guess I want to see how far the apple has fallen from the tree."
Tia Carrere (2006)
On his Cha-Cha-Cha - "Wearing enough fake tan to cover an entire beach-load of pasty tourists, Hamilton appears with his partner to perform the first routine. George is 66. It doesn’t matter. The actor, singer and raconteur is in his element, shimmying across the floor with all the grace of a man half his age hoping against hope that the knee cartilage holds out."
Duncan Kennedy on BBC.co.uk (2006)

"Lisa Rinna, toned and tanned and claiming that a higher power possessed her body during the Paso Doble competition, is not only giving it her all and believing in herself - she’s one hell of a little dancer."
Gillian Flynn in Entertainment Weekly (2006)

"In the annals of DWTS sexiness, there is Stacy Keibler, and there is everyone else in a distant second place. I will accept no contrary views on this point. Keibler, who was unknown prior to her season unless one really followed professional wrestling, was a revelation with her impossibly long legs and technical skill. In layman's terms, she could really shake it. I don't care if it's on Lou Dobbs Tonight, we need to get her back on TV regularly."
Charlie Toft on Film.com

On his Cha-Cha-Cha - "Of course the one guy I was really looking forward to seeing turned out to be pretty good at shakin’ his tail feathers. I sort of expected the fancy footwork, but who knew Jerry Rice would be so darn cute doing the Cha-Cha? Methinks his gentle, polite demeanor belies a fire that his strong hip action suggests lie below the surface."
Abby West in Entertainment Weekly (2006)

On learning the Samba - "I’d rather get my legs waxed."
Drew Lachey on Dancing With The Stars (2006)


VIDEO: Drew and Cheryl Freestyle in the Season Two Grand Final




On his so-called ‘Chair-Chair-Chair’ [pic right] - "When he finally began stumbling around, the strategy behind the sedentary opening became quite plain."
Brian Seibert on Slate.com (2006)

On her Foxtrot - "You’re a very pretty girl and there were very good moments, but sometimes the beauty queen turned into an ice queen."
Bruno Tonioli on Dancing With The Stars (2006)

On following his wife Lisa Rinna onto ‘DWTS’ - "I had actually been asked the first year to do it, and when I was asked, I said, 'This is the cheesiest thing' … And then I saw the truth of this show. It is a pure reality show. There is no baloney here at all. We have to learn something that we have no clue how to do. I can dance with Lisa now. We can go out and cut a rug. If I didn’t do this, I would spend the rest of my life watching her dance with somebody else."
Harry Hamlin (2006)

On her Tango - "I was wondering what the ‘A’ stood for. I’ve decided it stands for animal, attack, aggression, atmosphere, and it made me very happy."
Len Goodman on Dancing With The Stars (2006)


On her choice of costumes - "At first I was like, 'You know, I don't know if I want to go full blown sexy.' Then it's like, these dances are so hot and sexy, especially the Latin stuff, you just want to break it out.  You just want to do something so hot! … There are quite a few young, sexier couples in the competition this time.  But, I will be damned if they are going to out sexy us!"
Willa Ford on StarryMag.com (2006)


On her Foxtrot - "Well Sara … there is a strange case of split personality. Some times you’re like Jackie O then you turn into Barbara Bush. What's going on?"
Bruno Tonioli on Dancing With The Stars (2006)

On being asked his preference to ‘shake his hips’ in a Rumba or a Samba - "At my age, we don’t shake hips, we replace them."
Jerry Springer on Dancing With The Stars (2006)

On their Foxtrot - "You've got to take her out to dinner and get closer together ... They had about as much romance as an autopsy!"
Len Goodman on Dancing With The Stars (2006)

On his Cha-Cha-Cha - "He couldn’t Cha-Cha for Cha-Change on the street."
Alynda Wheat in Entertainment Weekly (2007)


On his Cha-Cha-Cha - "I took a point off at the beginning because of the Michael Jackson thing.  I just didn’t think it was … we’re not at the Freestyle yet.  But I gave you a point back because the hot factor on that Cha-Cha was amazing."
Carrie-Ann Inaba on Dancing With The Stars (2006)

"Dressed up as if channelling Fred Astaire, Emmitt Smith, the show’s eventual winner, scored almost every time he twinkle-toed. And look at the music he toed to - Stevie Wonder (Samba), Frank Sinatra (Foxtrot), MC Hammer (Freestyle) - which was as diverse as a UNICEF greeting card."
John Leonard in New York magazine (2006)



VIDEO: Emmitt and Cheryl Freestyle in the Season Three Grand Final