I’m addicted to reality talent shows and am fascinated with Sarah Palin. Hence, Sarah’s daughter Bristol’s stint on “Dancing with the Stars” held a particular interest for me. Two days after the final show of the season, I’m still not sure what to think of the “teen activist’s” third-place finish on one of my favorite TV shows.
First of all, she really wasn’t very good, although she was much, MUCH better than David Hasselhoff, Margaret Cho, and the Situation (who is an idiot, by the way). Secondly, she did improve a great deal as the season progressed. Thirdly, I almost felt sorry for her at the end. Other than having a famous, polarizing mom and an jerk ex-boyfriend, she really has done nothing to deserve the abuse she ended up taking, other than quit her job as a receptionist for a much higher-profile gig as a contestant on America’s number one-rated show.
A quick Google search shows that a lot of Americans cares very deeply about how well Alaska’s first daughter fared on DWTS. Reactions to her success were often extreme: a man ended up in jail after a police standoff which resulted from him shooting his television when Bristol beat Brandy to make the finals; Bristol received death threats on the set and even a envelope full of a “white, powdery substance” that looked a lot like anthrax. Wow! Those are some extreme reactions to a celebrity dance contest!
So—why all this extreme reaction to such a seemingly innocuous television show? The answer lies, of course, with the polarizing personality of the Mama Grizzly herself: Sarah Palin. ABC had no problem whatsoever showcasing Bristol’s mom every chance they had. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure Sarah did more actual talking on the show than Bristol, who appears quite shy.
Sarah’s amazing popularity and the activism of Tea Partiers were certainly the largest reasons behind Bristol’s success. She had basically no fan base going into the show and she is a very timid dancer. The fans voted for her week after week because they like her mother—and perhaps because they wanted to send yet another message to America: we’re conservatives, we’re proud, and we have POWER—get used to it!
I just can’t help, but thinking that Bristol is a pawn in her mother’s ever-present quest for media attention. As if “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” and her new book aren’t enough reason for her to be in the spotlight—she also sat right there in the front row most every week, rooting for her daughter—and looking quite fetching as she did so.
Even little sister Willow jumped into the spotlight last week with her homophobic, profane rant on Facebook, where she used words like Faggot and the f-bomb with astounding ease. Bristol joined in with some harsh language herself. So much for America’s sweetheart, I guess. Actually, I can’t say I blame Bristol or her sixteen-year-old sister for lashing back—things were getting pretty nasty and sometimes a girl’s gotta take a stand. I’m not sure Facebook is the proper venue, but sisters stick together—even conservative, Alaskan sisters—and that’s a good thing.
Once again, I find myself having a lot in common with the Palin clan. Occasional potty mouth: check. Habit of airing my dirty laundry on Facebook: check. Dedication to say or do whatever necessary to protect my family: check. Need for the spotlight: check. Not having a problem using my families’ accomplishments to get a little of that spotlight myself: check (and have you met my amazing football-playing daughter Josie?).
Too bad Sarah’s not a “Lib,” as my conservative friends call me. If that were true, maybe I would have even voted for Bristol myself—even though she couldn’t dance very well. Or maybe not. Would I vote for someone that lacked talent just because I like them? Let’s find out: someone out there there has to be a Democratic son or daughter that wants to compete on “Dancing with the Stars” and we’ll test my theory. Wouldn’t it be fun to watch Chelsea Clinton shake her groove thing against, say, the Rock and Phyllis Diller—with Bill and Hillary sitting in the front row each night? I’m tellin’ ya, ABC—that lineup would be a ratings success! Call me, let’s talk.
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