I wasn’t even going to report on this but everyone is covering it and making a big deal about it so I might as well. Chaz Bono got voted off DWTS finally. He probably held on a few more weeks due to the novelty factor and the fact that he was doing ridiculous theme dances. Two weeks ago it was a Rocky dance complete with ugly matching boxing robes, a set of stairs and fists in the air. This week it was Phantom of The Opera. It wasn’t as bad as I was expecting, but there was an organ, a mask and some fake laughing involved. That video is below. Dude can’t dance and it has to do with his rhythm and footwork, not his size. When Chaz was voted off this week he said a bunch of stuff on camera about being inspiring for kids going through transgender issues, only he was more vague about it to make it acceptable for ABC’s viewing audience. It was nice and didn’t come across as preachy as some are trying to make it.
Anyway apparently Chaz took issue with some of the negative ways that outspoken judge Bruno Tonioli described him.
Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer, who once again scored the lowest (with only 19 points) for their Phantom of the Opera tango, feel particularly wounded by the judges’ use of animal comparisons in critiquing the couple.
Bruno Tonioli offered this reaction to their routine: “It was like watching a cute little penguin try to be a big, menacing bird of prey. “It has to be menacing, dark, dangerous, hypnotic … like a panther stalking.”
“I always go out there and give my best and I feel like I’ve improved week to week and I don’t feel like this week was any different,” Bono, 42, told PEOPLE after Monday’s show.
“They called you an animal,” Schwimmer said. “They said you have a bad personality … I think it’s fair to say he’s not a favorite.”
Bono elaborated about the “disrespectful” animal comparisons. “I’ve been called an Ewok, a cute and cuddly bear, now tonight a penguin,” he said. “It’s disrespectful to me. ”
“It’s rude and unnecessary, and as his friend I’m embarrassed,” Schwimmer said. “We are both anti-bullying … And having the judges refer to him as animals or dis his personality, it’s unnecessary. It’s rude and it’s going back on everything that people are trying to fix. It’s disappointing that it has to be here and it has to be one of my friends.”
Schwimmer says she was so upset about what the judges said that she couldn’t hold back tears. “I cried today because I was so hurt, and I was so embarrassed that they had said that,” she said. “I’m glad that Maks stood up, because I was about to jump on that table and rip their heads off.”
[From People]
Schwimmer is referring to the fact that professional dancer Maksim mildly went off on the judges, particularly Len, when he said that his partner Hope Solo’s performance was the worst she’s given. They’re working very hard and emotions get heated, that’s understandable. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal that Bruno called Chaz a penguin. He uses animal analogies all the time. The Ewok one was kind of rude, but look at Chaz. It fits!
Cher tweeted her disappointment at the judges this week. It’s hard to tell what the hell she’s talking about, but if you put her tweets in order it’s obvious she’s pissed. “Thank u Carrie Ann 4 your Gentility u r beautiful inside & out ! To the Gentleman? I didn’t know who u We’re b4 which I guess is a blessing ! Going Home is Fine but why insult him b4 he Goes! Maybe Rudeness & Flapping Arms take the place of TALENT ! As for the Older Gentleman ….every Show Needs A Grumpy Old Man !”
Cue the freakout on Cher’s twitter in 3, 2, 1…
Long overdue, Chaz CANNOT dance, that was barely walking around the stage and occasionally throwing his arms up in the air. Hope is a fantastic athlete, but she too cannot dance, she seems incapable of moving gracefully in the dances
Guess Who Got Voted Off Dancing With The Stars? a female.
The penguin and ewok comments sound like classic “fat shaming.” Both are cute little creatures, but they both happen to be fat and waddle when they walk. “Fat shaming,” the last acceptable prejudice. smdh.
UGH CHAZ sucked from Day one.. okay he is a man now.. everyone says he’s a man. speaking from a dancing point of view.. there is a small area that has yet to click over from woman to man with him.. the animal ferocity man leading taking what’s his part. from day one he was terrible timid scared uncoordinated. he lacked conviction. he and Lacey looked odd. i saw a male and female dancing.. a soft male.. sorry! but he lacked that cocky .. I have a massive pair hanging you know where for the phantom dance.. he was a penguin these little baby steps so sweet like I’m going to take control but oh i’m so sorry! he needed to be I’m gonna take control and if you don’t like it tough!
the judges were being honest.. how do you tell someone they suck? and they should have been voted off 1st but by some weirdness your still here? still sucking and sucking harder?
An important part of anti-bullying campaigns should be learning to evaluate criticism.
You ask people to judge your effort in a visual medium, and then get all butthurt when they judge your appearance? And if Chaz doesn’t want to be called an Ewok, he should lose that horrendous neck beard.
There is a difference between saying “penguin” as a descriptive and literally calling someone an animal. I think Chaz, Cher and Lacey were being just a bit oversensitive, especially since the judges have said things like that to other contestants.
He should have been voted off long ago from the clips I have seen – he cannot dance. He stayed only because of his “fan base” and maybe because of his mother. I dont know.
From what I have seen, Nancy Grace should be voted off also except she is really pushing this show on her own show so that is probably why she has stayed – her fans!
Maks is an egotistical jerk, and cannot take criticism.
Sad that Chaz got booted, because he was losing weight, and he needed to.
I am not that bothered by the animal comparisons, as they were used as descriptions not saying “Chaz, you are an animal”.
Cher should talk about old grumpy people, as she has most definitely turned into one herself.
Both sides have a point here. Yes Bruno makes animal references from time to time, when he says it needed to be like a panther stalking it’s a valid reference. Calling Chaz a penguin is borderline but a tuxedo does have a well established nickname as a penguin suit for obvious reasons but I guess on top of Ewok and other names it just got too much. Heads says bullying, tails says it’s a dressing down in front of 20 million people week in week out. Voters put the guy out of his misery! THe judges are NEVER rude in this way to overweight female contestants.
As for Maks well… he seems to have a go at the judges at least once a season. He was a little OTT but like Chaz I think it was a build up. The judges should judge on the dancing (this includes character of dance etc) but to come out and say things like the celeb needs to work harder and they’re just not putting in the effortwhen they’re practising 8+ hours a day is just fucking rude. Just once I’d like to see every dancer judged solely on the dance without any fawning and embellishments with no regard given to day job and it’s perceived effect.
Maks and Derek have a major beef going in the vein of student overtaking a master but Maks’ offhand comment that Derek’s three last partners have been Nicole S, Jennifer Grey and now Ricki Lake so why would he be unhappy? suggests a few more rankles. Not hard to believe so much drama on a show with egos, make up and sequins as major ingredients.
Chaz should have been the first one voted off. Girlfriend cannot dance. She put herself out there but expected no criticism?? Now she is crying bully?? Chaz needs to grow-up & grow a pair since it appears that that is what she is really after.
Agree- Chaz needs to lose the ridiculous beard and cover up the belly and arms.
Its fine.. the poor guy isnt a great dancer-thats okay. I like he got the chance though. He isnt tall enough or imposing enough to do Phantom.. in the book the phantom is comfortably over six feet tall and very physically imposing.
They should have picked better dances.
And please do not refer to chaz as “her” and “girlfriend”. He is a trans man not female. And “grow a pair”? to a trans guy? thats just viciously unnecessary.
I’ve heard animal comparisons w/ dancing forever. graceful like a swan, glide like a bird etc….. it’s not insulting. Chaz wasn’t a good dancer EVER. Maks is a pig. JR Martinez should win this competition, he’s awesome.
I think it’s outrageous that Chaz is even mildly sore at being voted off and insulted by the judges critiques and scores which were spot on. Chaz should have been booted weeks ago; he probably stayed on the show because of organized and/or sympathy votes. Why should he take someone else’s place? Because he’s transgender? So what? This is a dancing show mothereffer and Chaz is grossly obese and he has no rhythm so he’s an unattractive “dancer”, plus he’s just a regular guy with a pretty boring personality so he was not entertaining to look at.
Chaz’s transgender stuff wasn’t even a factor for me in all this- He was AWFUL. From day one, he was awful, and he regularly got ridiculous, unjustified praise from ther judges- looking at you CarrieAnn- Then Chaz has the stones, (or not) to whine about how “he was fat and he didn’t get cut any slack for it”. Excuse me, but I don’t think Kirstie Alley or Ricki Lake, or Nancy Grace, got any slack for being fat either. He came off as such a self entitled person. In my opinion, you go on a show like DWTS, you know what kind of crap is going to come your way and you can just deal with it.
And by the way, Maks- your partner is not only an awful dancer, but a bitch on wheels- the only reason you’re still on is because there is some segment of viewers that find you attractive. Fools.
Well, Chaz’s vote off was inevitable, but why is Hope still there. She checked out weeks ago and said as much. Sometimes, the instructor is their own worst enemy when they are partenered with celebrities. Oh well, I guess it increases the drama factor.
I hope Nancy Grace is next. Chaz was pretty bad and he needed to go weeks ago. I thought it was messed up Carson went first. I mean Carson was pretty bad too but at least he made people laugh. I want to see it go down between David Arquette and Ricky Lake. I’m amazed at how good both of them are.
Whether it’s a criticism or a compliment, Bruno’s comments are always over the top. The penguin/panther thing was supposed to reference the tux Chaz was wearing, obv., but more importantly the fact that you cannot perform a tango in a cute, cuddly way — it needs to be attacked with strength and agility, both noticeably lacking in Chaz’ performance.
About time he left. Regardless of whether he can dance, Chaz has no discernable personality traits other than self-absorption and self-pity; it was monotonous to hear about his freakin’ “journey” every week. JR Martinez, on the other hand, doesn’t keep waving his “journey” in our faces — he’s too busy learning to become a phenomenal dancer. Martinez moves past his problems; Chaz prefers to wallow in his. Don’t let the door hit ya, dude.
Frankly, it’s an insult to penguins!
In all seriousness, Chaz, man up and be gracious about your defeat. Getting voted off is usually accompanied by negative feedback, that’s just the way it is and I don’t think Bruno Tonioli’s words were even that bad.
If it really is a dance competition he should have been voted off week one. I always wondered if the producers were being creative with the votes for Chaz until Cher could make an appearance. He is a terrible dancer, and to say he keeps improving week after week is ridiculus, they aren’t judging on who improves, but who can dance the best. And Lacey made a good observation during their practice video, I can’t carry you anymore, no kidding. And I too was sorry to see Carson go, he was very entertaining, not a good dancer and he knew it. And I love Max, he’s right, Carrie Ann cried after one of Chaz’s performances, me too, for a different reason, give me a break, he is not a good dancer, but to keep going on about how he just touches her, BS! I know it’s a popularity contest, but at least the judges should be consistent, judge on dance technique!
@ Ruth
I totally agree 100%.
I don’t even watch the show … but from the few short snippets I have seen there are two very evident facts.
1. Chaz can not dance.
2. Hope Solo can not dance.
End of story.
Like all these reality competition shows… its really has little to NOTHING to do with the genre/art/skill/technique they are actually competing in. Its a glorified popularity contest.
Heaven forbid the judges actually give real constructive (and sometimes not so constructive criticisms -as would happen in real life)
We need to tread lightly here… if we all scream BULLY! ever time someone says something to us that we don’t like – the true meaning of the term and actual action is lost.
We’ve seen overweight people dance and lose weight, not the case with Chaz. He had absolutely no rhythm and just waddled throughout the dance floor. Plus no personality, he always had that serious blank look on his face. I bet Hope will be the next one to go.
You go @Ruth! I have met him on numerous differentoccasions and to be quite honest, his personality is guarded and comes across as abrasive. But he has struggled with his identity and I am glad he had this format. He isn’t a great dancer, but hopefully he helped with acceptance around the world. Good for him.
16.Marjalane
Marjalane:
October 26th, 2011 at 12:15 pm
Chaz’s transgender stuff wasn’t even a factor for me in all this- He was AWFUL. From day one, he was awful, and he regularly got ridiculous, unjustified praise from ther judges- looking at you CarrieAnn- Then Chaz has the stones, (or not) to whine about how “he was fat and he didn’t get cut any slack for it”. Excuse me, but I don’t think Kirstie Alley or Ricki Lake, or Nancy Grace, got any slack for being fat either. He came off as such a self entitled person. In my opinion, you go on a show like DWTS, you know what kind of crap is going to come your way and you can just deal with it.
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Don’t forget Kyle Massey. Sure, he wasn’t as heavy as Chaz, but dude went a long way, given his size and his lack of being a child of a celebrity.
He should have been voted off weeks ago. People who were much better dancers should still be on the should instead of hom.
I don’t watch the show, I just watched your clip.. WOW that was so bad! How did he survive that long? Pity?
Agree with every poster on here.
@ Violet I couldn’t agree more with the fact that Chaz needs to man up, he was acting more of the helpless female what with the melt down and the fact that even his own partner was getting fed up with him, stating that “I can’t physically help you remember the dance steps, and this is week 6 you need to step it up (or something like to that effect)I can’t continue to carry you.
Personally I would like to see JR-Martinez win, now he is a real man!
Seriously… I’m getting tired of Chaz. I saw that he’s going to be on Anderson Cooper’s daytime talk show and Cher is going to call in, popping off about how ‘unfairly’ Chaz was treated. IMO, Chaz is nothing but a deluded whiner. And given that he had the audacity to judge Shiloh Jolie-Pitt as a possible transgendered without evidence versus six weeks of evidence that his @$$ can’t dance is ridiculous.
And again, weight isn’t the issue-dude can’t dance. And given that Lacey Schwimmer was Kyle Massey’s dance partner, deep down, Lacey knows that there are ways of getting around the aesthetics associated with ballroom dancing i.e. having a determined, positive partner capable of learning the steps. It just irks me that Lacey is biting her tongue this hard, or rather the environment exists that this woman can’t state facts based on her past experiences/successes.
Speaking of which… back when Chaz was Chastity, she was a whiny b*tch who couldn’t handle Celebrity Fit Club either. Nevermind that she was the heaviest and typically, the weight slides off heavier people somewhat quicker than thinner people, she still whined about her weight loss and her detering her team’s progress.
Again, it galls me that she’s included on any show with ‘celebrity’ in the title, but it’s ridiculous that her failures within a competitive setting is usually twisted into some sort of discrimination whinefest for her.
I mean… DAMN!!!
The comment box notes clearly state “If you make racist or bigoted remarks, …you will be banned. ” but yet all these horrible anti trans remarks remain. Sad.