I'm going to say it loud and say it proud: I love Dancing with the Stars. Stereotypes be damned. For those of you who missed it, and most of you probably don't care, the new season kicked off last night with a two-hour series premier. I almost couldn't take my eyes off of it and I don't really understand why.
Now, for the record, I have taken dancing lessons. But only to keep from looking like an idiot at the first dance at my wedding reception. Up to that point, I had danced at many receptions but, mainly, after being overserved and usually incorporating a move that I affectionately referred to as "the sprinkler". It was probably a sight to behold but for all the wrong reasons. I felt like my bride deserved a little better - and my move "the lawnmower" wasn't going to work.
So I took lessons. But, I quickly learned that dancing is hard. And making it look natural is even
harder. I may not have looked like a complete idiot, but I spent the first 4 minutes of my reception counting steps in my head and wondering how much longer the damned song was going to last.
And that may be why I love Dancing with the Stars. The contestants are just like you and me - except that they are rich and famous. But, they aren't dancers. It's not their lifelong dream. It's not how they gained their fame. But, there they are. In front of me and supporters of reality television everywhere willing to look bad 
(if you saw Tucker Carlson's performance, you know what I mean). They don't care what we think (necessarily); they are learning to dance and they're having fun.
I wish I had the courage to dance like them. Or the guy at the wedding reception who actually can dance and he looks great doing it. So confident. So charming. And he gets to spend the night dancing with every bridesmaid, friend, mother and grandmother at the event while you and your buddies sit at the table wondering if it was just a hint of cinnamon you detected in the mousse you had for dessert.
But, it's not our fault. Dancing just wasn't manly when we grew up. Dancers were the guys who kept getting cut from their sports teams and whose mothers kept signing them up for classes. The football players got the girls and the dancers got the weird shoes and blisters. And now the roles are reversed.
So that's why I'm throwing my support behind Emmitt Smith for this season. He's the all-time NFL
rushing leader. He's a three-time Super Bowl champion and he says he never danced before in his life. And, you know what? He's pretty good. And he looks like he's having a lot of fun doing it.
Emmitt, you show everyone that real men really can dance. Show them that it's not a sissy thing to do and you go ahead and add another trophy to your mantle. I'll be voting for you and trying to find a place that can teach me to dance. My daughter is only 5 but I think I'm going to need some help before I dance with her at the wedding reception I'm going to get to pay for. Hopefully, I can keep it together and keep from counting every step. If that goes well, maybe I'll even break out "the sprinkler". What's cuter that the father of the bride busting a move? Right?
This post has been written as part of the Carnival of Modern Man.
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