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.

Video: Dancing with the Stars Karina Smirnoff Talks About Being Cheated on by Mario Lopez

It has not been a good month for Mario Lopez.

First, news hit the internet that he and A Chorus Line co-star Nick Adams have been feuding over costumes and who has the bigger biceps. According to Page Six, 2xist Underwear was thinking of using Lopez for their new campaign, but elected to go with Adams instead.

As if the great Underwear/Biceps Scandal of '08 wasn't enough, now former girlfriend and Dancing with the Stars partner Karinna Smirnoff is going public regarding Lopez' cheating ways. Apparently he was screwing around while they were living together! AC Slater, no!!

Watch what Karina had to say in the interview she gave to Chelsea Lately below.

Who's going to turn on him next? Mark Paul Gosselaar? Elizabeth Berkeley?

Watch the video and let me know what you think.