Grow or Go

Len Goodman on Dancing With the Stars coaches the dancers with “you either grow or go.” That seems to be the reason people (millions of them!) tune in every week to see who will do well, struggle and ultimately—win.

You might start a season cheering for one person—someone you knew or were familiar with. This season I initially rooted for Chynna. (I owned the Wilson Phillips CD).Then sometimes you grow to like someone else as you get to know them—that’s me and Rob Kardashian. I’ve never seen the Kardashian reality show. Rob just seemed like the boy next door. Yet, why you want someone to win, why they are successful and why they get votes might all be different when you look at behavior.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Hope Solo

At first they seemed like a good match. They looked good together! Her athleticism couldn’t be beat. Many stars start the show with a plan to get in shape. Here, she had an edge. Yet, she is used to winning, being a leader and being in control. So is Max—and here comes the conflict. Hope had to literally follow Max. She needed to give in and be soft—none of which came naturally. In the world of behavior styles (DISC)—one might guess her to be a high D (dominant/driven) and Max might be one too. They both want to talk, fight and lead—but they had to learn to take turns. Also, when it came to their dancing—they didn’t look like they were dancing together. Hope ended up in the bottom 2 or 3 several times. It had less to do with her skills and more to do with their chemistry. Voters vote for people who are happy—not people who make them exclaim “can’t we all get along?”

Nancy Grace

On her show she has the hard edge—she’s gets the bad guys, says what she thinks. Her approach on DWTS is more of the high C (stable/analytic). She is methodical, does the work, asks questions and communicates directly. With two children, a full time job and rehearsing 7-8 hours a day—she fits it all in. She listens to the judges and applies the feedback—doesn’t argue or show any emotion when she gets the scores—on camera. When she’s behind the scenes—she’s frustrated because she wants to do better. Her behavior type has the highest standard for everything they do—and when it’s not achieved—it’s not okay.

J.R. Martinez,Ricki Lake, Chaz Bono, Rob Kardashian

The “nice guys.” Yet on DWTS, nice guys often and do finish first. They are nice and we like them because of it. They are unassuming, not too much drama. We see their children, spouses and friends cheering or crying for them and booing when they think Len said something unfair. Their S factor (amiable/complacent) means they are introverts—not used to this much attention or never really comfortable with it. Their sense of discomfort makes us like them. Their smaller ego and good attitude makes us feel like they need us to cheer for them. We also know they like people, which makes it easier for us to like them.

Carson Kressley and David Arquette

Our big show people! These folks thrive on the energy because they are extroverts (ego/expressive). They are happiest on the dance floor and might struggle some in rehearsal without the lights, camera and action. They also have high influence and engagement. We want to vote for them because then we are in on the party and in the club.

Like all reality shows, we tune in to see what happens. Who wins? The behind the scenes action! We might vote for someone who reminds us of how we would approach the show or someone who reminds us of us. And this year…it’s all about J.R. Martinez. That beautiful mirror ball is his!