Are the DANCING WITH THE STARS Professionals Now More Famous Than Their "Celebrity" Partners?

A thought occurred to me over the past two weeks of watching Dancing with the Stars, as I found myself nervous that new pro Chelsie Hightower would be eliminated the first week out, and feeling for Lacey Schwimmer as she stood alone receiving comments without her partner Steve-O -- are the professional dancers on the show now more famous than their "celebrity" partners?

Think about it --

-Three of the pros (Chelsie, Lacey, and Dimitri Chapin) amassed sizable fanbases on So You Think You Can Dance (a show that gets a lot more viewers than Holly Madison' Girls Next Door).
-Edyta Sliwinska has been on eight cycles of the show
-Cheryl Burke has won twice and is a tabloid fixture
-Julianne Hough has a country CD and has been nominated for several awards
-Former champs Derek Hough and Mark Ballas have a new CD in stores
-Maksim Chmerkowskiy and Karinna Smirnoff are engaged, and constantly in the press

Now, this is not to say that some of this year's "stars" are, in fact, accomplished -- no one can take away Shawn Johnston's gold medal or Lil' Kim's notoriety or Laurence Taylor's football records. But in the Dancing with the Stars universe, there is no doubt that some of the pros have eclipsed their partners in terms of viewer affection.

Which begs the question -- is the playing field now stacked in favor of the pros who have their own fanbases? Lacey, Chelsie and Dimitri have fans who are used to voting for them -- does this, as a result, help Steve-O, Ty and Bridget? Will Julianne and Chuck last in the competition because of the audience's affection for Julianne? Will Denise Richards hang around because viewers can't get enough of Maks?

And does it even matter?

Let me know what you think in the comments section below.

Julianne Hough Will Need Surgery to Remove Appendix; Edyta Sliwinska Will Partner Cody Linley in Her Absence

Golden child Julianne Hough revealed on tonight's Dancing with the Stars that she has been diagnosed with endometriosis, and she will have surgery to remove her appendix tomorrow.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Julianne!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's not clear that Julianne intended to reveal this information on tonight's show, and she might not have had the wench known as Samantha Harris hadn't "outed" her. Julianne also revealed that should Cody Linley make it to next week, Edyta Sliwinska will be his partner. Julianne seemed to suggest that she might be back by the following week, but that seem's slightly unrealistic after a major surgery like and appendectomy.

Get better soon, Julianne! We'll miss you!

Julianne Hough Rushed to the Hospital Following DANCING WITH THE STARS

TMZ is reporting that Julianne Hough was rushed to the hospital following tonight's Dancing with the Stars results show. She is said to have been suffering from severe stomach pains. Apparently she was complaining of discomfort all day, but after her encore performance with Cody Linley it became "unbearable."

Julianne is only the latest Dancing competitor to make a trip to the hospital. Misty May Treanor had to drop out of the competition after tearing her ACL, Derek Hough passed out after falling in rehearsal, and Jeffrey Ross scratched his cornea during the first week of competition. Susan Lucci and Toni Braxton have also experienced injuries.

Let's hope Julianne (who I absolutely adore) does not have appendicities, which would likely sideline her from the competition.

More to come...

READ: Are the DANCING WITH THE STARS Producers Losing Their Way?

READ: Lance Bass' DANCING WITH THE STARS Problem: Lacey Schwimmer Is Sabotaging His Chances!

BOLD PREDICTION: Warren Sapp and Kim Johnson Will Win DANCING WITH THE STARS

PHOTO: Dancing with the Candidates: Barack Obama and Sarah Palin Cha Cha Cha

Are Dancing with the Star's Cheryl Burke and Julianne Hough Snubbing SYTYCD's Lacey Schwimmer?

Drama in the reality TV dance world!

According to an item in today's New York Post Page Six, two-time Dancing with the Stars champions Cheryl Burke and Julianne Hough are snubbing former So You Think You Can Dance finalist and new Dancing with the Stars professional Lacey Schwimmer. Apparently the ladies are upset that Lacey was paired with Lance Bass, who is considered to be the most talented and highest profile star on the upcoming season.

While it's not hard to imagine Cheryl (who is paired with football star Maurice Greene) pulling a diva act, Julianne seems like a sweetheart, and she's got a burgeoning music career -- is she really that upset? Plus, she's got a young buck of her own -- Disney channel hearthrob Cody Linley.

I can't wait until this show premieres!

Inside Info on the Dance War Contestants: Zach and Dancing with the Stars Julianne Hough Are Dating!

The entertaining yet illogical Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann comes to an end on Monday, and in addition to seeing Drew Lachey perform the song of the opening dance routine, we'll also find out who wins this damn thing.

Here's some scoop on the contestants, according to an inside Dance War source:

-Zach is dating two-time Dancing with the Stars champ Julianne Hough!

-Chris and Elizabeth have known each other for years -- in fact, Chris' picture was on Elizabeth's MySpace profile from way back.

-Chris has a serious girlfriend that he doesn’t want anyone to know about, but he "follows Elizabeth around like a puppy-dog."

-Chris hates criticism. His feelings are easily hurt. Often times the others will try to correct him, and he takes it offensively.

Elizabeth, Zack, Mariel and Lacey all take part in a bible study. Zack leads it.

-Phillip has plans to marry his girlfriend after the show is over.

-Lacey is annoyed by Kelsey's cattiness. According to my source, "I've seen her roll her eyes at her several times. "

-While everyone loves Bradley, neither Kelsey or Alyssa was a favorite of their respective groups.

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Are Dancing with the Stars' Helio and Julianne a Couple?

On my way into work this morning, two of my colleagues stopped me to gossip. Not about fellow co-workers, mind you...about Dancing with the Stars.

"Are Helio and Julianne dating?" they asked me.

Well, hmmmmmmmmmm. Let's consider the evidence:

-About two weeks ago, Helio gave an interview to TV Guide where he admitted that his fiancee was having a difficult time being away from him and watching him get intimate on the show, but he stressed that there was not anything going on with Julianne.

-The next episode, their dance performance ended with a kiss.

-In this week's finale, their performance ended with a looooooooong kiss.

-It's been announced that Helio and his fiancee (who did not appear in any of multitude of clip packages shown during the finale) have broken up.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Now, remember, after Apolo and Julianne's victory last year there were rumblings that they were doin' the nasty. (I, for one, never believed it.) So take everything you read with a grain of salt, but there does seem to be something curious going on.

Something to keep in mind, though:

Romance = buzz = US Weekly coverage. These stars know that.

I'm just saying.

The Idol Thoughts Dancing with the Stars Endorsement Goes To...

How do they do it?

Every year, when the list of "celebrities" is announced for Dancing with the Stars, I scratch my head, wondering if I am really going to invest 12 weeks watching these C-listers dance. And every year, 12 weeks later, I'm obsessed.

Ah, the power of reality TV.

After last night's set of final performances, it's still not a shoo-in for Helio, Mel B, or Marie, the three remaining contestants. Helio gave hands down the best performance of the night in his freestyle, while Mel has proven herself the most consistent (and sensual) performer, while Marie has certainly brought the most drama to the competition, and may just have the biggest fanbase. So who is gonna win?

Well, the Idol Thoughts endorsement for Dancing with the Stars champion goes to...

Mel B!!!

Yes, Helio is charming as all get-out, and he has the best (and sassiest) professional partner (god, I love that Julianne!), but he hasn't been as consistent or shown as steep a learning curve as, say, Apolo Anton Ono did last year. And while Marie is, as the judges are so fond of saying, the "consummate entertainer," she just doesn't have the chops to warrant the title.

Which leaves Mel B, who has moved way past her "Scary Spice" moniker in proving herself a talented, versatile, and charming competitor. More than any other contestant throughout the season, Mel's dances make me sit up straight and pay attention, and it's been a joy to see Max, who has previously been known as the sulking narcissist, have so much fun on the dance floor. Even though she didn't deliver quite as strongly last night as she has previously in the competition, Idol Thoughts says...

Go Mel!!!!

Who do you think should win Dancing with the Stars? And will you be tuning in to Dance Wars: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann? I know I will!