"Dancing With The Stars" Finale Ratings Lowest Since First Year: 19.2 Million Watch Donny Osmond Win

NEW YORK — An estimated 19.2 million people watched Donny Osmond win "Dancing With the Stars" – the smallest audience for the show's finale since the first season.

This was the ninth edition of the contest, one of television's most popular shows. The Nielsen Co. says ratings have been down all season for the show, an indication that viewers weren't as attached to the contestants as they had in the past.

Osmond said the show has been a highlight in a career of ups and downs. He competed during the show's finale Tuesday against singer Mya and Kelly Osbourne, daughter of rock star Ozzy Osbourne.

Comments

[snoopjohnny]

02:30 PM on 11/29/2009

An Osbourne competing against an Osmond? Sounds like an 80's SNL time-travel skit about how bad TV will have gotten in the future. Meaning now.....I'm sure Tom Delay is great, but I can't watch, due to an inordinate fear of seeing him in a performance environment. I'm afraid that if I ever saw him dance or even possibly wearing sequined clothing, I might go blind. Or want to.

[Musika]

01:35 PM on 11/29/2009

I cannot believe almost 20 million people tune into watch such a p.o.s show. Can anyone say vicarious living?

[inorbit]

11:51 AM on 11/29/2009

I'm sure the Mormons all called in for Donny.

[Oonagh]

09:20 PM on 11/29/2009

every one of them... he should not have won.

[neurodoc601]

04:39 PM on 11/28/2009

Watched it during the other seasons but then noted a trend...the best dancer never wins. Think Mario Lopez, Mel B, Gilles Marini. It's not a dance contest. It looks like there may be a pre-determined winner. End of viewing.

[dengal]

03:55 PM on 11/28/2009

how the h3ll did donny win?? he was awful
maya should have won, then kelly - donny should have been canned weeks ago

[lioness39]

03:41 PM on 11/28/2009

Dancing with the Stars' fans are spoiled these days. If they can't catch Tom DeLay bumping around as a contestant, shining his arse and wiggling his fanny, they don't watch. Jaded bunch.

[BannedHappyCat]

05:15 PM on 11/28/2009

They are certianly not the most cultured bunch either. Dancing with the Stars is akin to a night out at the theater to them.

[G-guy]

03:12 PM on 11/28/2009

Donny edges Kelly for finale? These are your finalists?
What a crock. Every mormon in the country must have called in.

[rakimfan]

12:45 PM on 11/28/2009

I can't believe people still watch this tripe. When they dissed Lil Kim last season I was done.

[Luv2Purple]

10:19 AM on 11/28/2009

YOU GUYS BLEW IT! I WAS a loyal fan and watcher of this show until they put the REPUGNANT FELON tom delay on the show. Now I get a bad taste in my mouth each time I look at it, and HAVEN'T WATCHED IT SINCE. This is supposed to be entertainment - and NOTHING about delay is fun in any way. YOU LOST ME!

[mss922]

08:11 PM on 11/28/2009

I'll just say, "me too." It's not just that they booked this bum, but they actually promoted the show around him-- a total turnoff to right-thinking (or should I say left-thinking) Americans. Why not Dancing with Ted Kaczynski? Dancing with Tim McVeigh? Maybe Roman Polanski is available for next season? Or Mark Foley? Knock yourselves out over there at ABC, but your audience demographic will reflect the on-air "talent" you book, and in this case DWTS shrunk its base to the wingnut fringe (interested sponsors might include Amway and that workout equipment Chuck Norris fronts for).

[carl99e]

07:54 AM on 11/28/2009

Poor Donny, he can't even scare up enough love or hate to make some numbers on the column.

[Smithn]

12:37 AM on 11/28/2009

way too many of us didn't tune in and get hooked from the beginnin because the seaspm staerted with a smarmy-slimy political felon. It alienated one entire political party--stupid move.

[mrmikes]

12:27 AM on 11/28/2009

I felt like we, the audience, were punked from the start. Mya won that competition, peri-phukin-id. If it's a dancing competition say so. If it's a popularity contest, then don't pretend the technical critiques as if it were about dancing.
This program is more like Deal-or-n-deal. There is a nameless, faceless oddsmaker calling the point spread.
Never again no more for me.
Kudos to the live band. They could-a blow.

[susanthe]

11:19 PM on 11/27/2009

Time to change the name to "Dancing With People You Might Have Heard Of."

[liberalbug]

02:14 AM on 11/28/2009

How about "Dancing with the people who would be on Hollywood Squares if that were still on television?" I always remember that show being full of has-beens.

[lpeggy]

08:08 PM on 11/27/2009

51 year old Donny Osmond won instead of Mya!

Please.....what a disgrace.

[balancedsolution]

07:28 PM on 11/27/2009

dancing with the c-list celebrities is a better name for this show.

people are tired of fluff especially when they are out of work or got pummeled by the recession.

they'd rather the networks spend more money investigating the crooks that did this to our country and report on it.

there's only so much entertainment and infotainment one can handle.

the masses want answers is my suspicion.