TVSquad

Dancing With the Stars is a show that makes no sense to me. I understand the appeal of it; I'm usually very interested in any program that involves celebrities doing ridiculous things on national television and I know that people love bright shiny costumes, but it still somehow manages to hold no interest for me whatsoever.

With that said, I know that the announcement of each season's DWTS cast is heavily anticipated and rumored for months before the actual announcement. We heard that Dan Marino may be a contestant; a claim that was soon denied. 82-year-old Cloris Leachman was another name floated, as was Magnum, P.I. himself, Tom Selleck. Kim Kardashian and Kathy Griffin were also said to have been approached.

As with most rumors, some of these turned out to be false, but others had some truth to them. Follow me after the jump for the official (and completely insane) cast of Dancing With the Stars' seventh season, along with some twists the producers have cooked up for this go-around.

(S04E10) With only seven couples left, it's getting tough to fill that 90 minute block. Rather than force ABC to trot out another sure to disappoint sit-com, the powers that be at DWTS added the group swing performance. Having now seen it, I have to say it was a good idea. We'll get to that in a moment though. First, the couples all had to perform for the judges.

(S04E07) They opened the show tonight by naming Apolo and Joey as the standouts. I think they have it right on that one. Ian and Laila have the stuff to get themselves back in contention, but as we sit now, Apolo and Joey are a step ahead of everyone else. Two steps in front of a few people.

When it came time to pick the encore, Len credited Ian, Apolo, and Heather as having great performances the night before, but the encore went to Joey & Kym. It was a good choice. They were the best of the night, and their paso doble was just as good the second time around. They were followed up by the first musical performance of the night.

(S04E03) I'm always amazed at just how much programming ABC is able to mine from Dancing With The Stars. The performance recap show that led up to the live results show was another good example. Not that there's anything wrong with it. I'm guessing that when the numbers come in that recap show will do two, if not three, times as many viewers as George Lopez and According To Jim would in the same slot.

(S04E02) Two weeks in and I have to say that this is a pretty good group of contestants. The new format with two weeks of performances before the first elimination was a good idea. Sometimes a contestant just doesn't handle a particular dance well, so it's nice to see them get a second shot. Lots of contestants, so a lot to cover. Let's get to it.

Apolo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough (Quick Step) - At its base, the show is about the "Stars." The partners certainly factor in though, and I continue to be impressed with Julianne. She might be just 18 years old, but she carries herself as well as any of the other pros. It doesn't hurt that she is absolutely adorable either. Apollo has officially impressed me now. I didn't have high expectations for him coming in, but he really shows the potential to be a contender. Len said Apollo is going to stay for weeks and weeks. Bruno called it cool, fresh, young, and exciting. Carrie Ann was impressed with the footwork and sync. High praise all around, and deservedly so. The scores, (8, 9, 9) I like that score. A great start to the night.

(S03E18) And we're back to find out who is going to face off in the big three dance finale next week. It's been a crazy season for Dancing with the Stars. We had strange eliminations (Vivica), stranger non-eliminations (Jerry), and the two week adventure of Saragate. All things considered though, I think the voters picked a good final three. You could make a case for Willa to still be in the competition, but Emmitt, Joey, and Mario are all deserving.