Chynna Phillips & Tony Dovolani: 'Dancing With The Stars' Is 'A Popularity Contest'
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Singer Chynna Phillips just couldn't hold on for one more day on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars." She and partner Tony Dovolani, who had been at the top of the leaderboard for the first three weeks, were eliminated from the celebrity dancing competition after a somewhat poor performance on the dance floor.
However, Phillips wouldn't necessarily call "DWTS" a dancing competition. "It really does come down to the votes," Phillips told The Huffington Post before her elimination. "And that's kind of sad because it's supposed to be a dance competition, but it's actually a popularity contest, which makes me kind of sad. You know, you have to have a little bit of faith that there are people out there who are truly voting for their favorite dance, not their favorite person, because it is a dance competition and people are working really hard. It would be very sad if that was undermined, and it looks to me like that keeps getting undermined."
Even the judges seem to agree. On Monday night's performance show, Len Goodman told Carson Kressley that even though he's not the best dancer, if he was watching at home, he would vote for him. And after Kristin Cavallari's shocking elimination in week three, it became even more apparent to the professional dancers as well.
"It's something that scares all of us, especially the years when you might feel like you have a contender," Dovolani told The Huffington Post before his elimination. "In this particular case, I really feel like I have a chance to make it to the end. I've been on the show for 12 seasons, and Chynna has been a breath of fresh air for me. As much pull we have as teachers, in the end, it's all about the celebrity. At the same time, as a teacher, you have to make sure you have to showcase the celebrity more than you showcase yourself. So if people don't vote, they think that we might be safe, then we might end up going home."
Unfortunately for Dovolani, it looks like this just wasn't his year for "Dancing" glory, and he will just have to wait until Season 14 to have another chance at winning the coveted Mirror Ball trophy.
“I’m disappointed, I’m sad. But I have to take responsibility, I messed up,” Phillips said after her elimination, before thanking her pro partner Dovolani and the fans who voted for her. But Phillips shouldn't be too hard on herself. After all, she's got a few projects in the works, including a new reality show.
Thanks to their appearance in the celebrated comedy "Bridesmaids," Wilson Phillips is ready to fully launch their millennial comeback. The Grammy-nominated 90s girl group is getting their very own reality series on the TV Guide Network, titled "The Wilson Phillips Project." The show will profile and follow Phillips, along with singing sisters Carnie Wilson and Wendy Wilson, as they try to reclaim the top of the charts.
"I've gone to some pretty high places through that little television box [laughs]," said Phillips. "The good news about the reality show is that the cameras won't be coming into my home. It's more focused on following Carnie, Wendy and I on our tour and recording our next record, and us doing really important things like getting manicures and pedicures [laughs]."
And Wilson Phillips fans, get excited because new music is coming soon -- really soon.
"Right now we're working on a tribute record. It's a The Mamas & the Papas and The Beach Boys classics record. We're about a quarter of the way through with it. We'll have it out probably in February of next year, and it's called 'Dedicated.' We're really excited about it because we get to honor our parents."
Even though Phillips lost her chance to bring home the Mirror Ball, she's still rooting on her former competitors.
"J.R. [Martinez] is amazing and Ricki [Lake] looks phenomenal," said Phillips. "I mean, I have seen the transformation, and she's not even a quarter of the way through yet! It's scary [laughs]. But she looks fantastic. I'm so happy for her."
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First Posted: 10/12/11 02:06 PM ET Updated: 10/12/11 06:04 PM ET