Melissa Rycroft went from jilted fiancee to dancing dream Monday, earning a standing ovation on Dancing With the Stars' season 8 premiere. It was possibly the best PR move in the history of reality television. Eat your heart out, Jason Mesnick!
Rycroft gracefully danced the Viennese waltz with partner Tony Dovolani, who had only 48 hours to rehearse with the last-minute replacement for Access Hollywood host Nancy O'Dell. The pair earned a score of 23 from the judges, the second highest of the evening.
"I don't know The Bachelor guy, but he is a loser!" proclaimed the ever-effusive Bruno Tonioli. Added head judge Len Goodman: "The Bachelor's loss is Dancing With the Stars' gain."
Rycroft's Bachelor fan base may have helped propel the Dancing premiere to a record 22.5 million viewers Monday night.
Rycroft beamed throughout her dance, despite being costumed in a ridiculous turquoise, sequined criss-cross concoction that left her back bare. (Nice cover-up of her tramp stamp!) It was easily the most hideous outfit of the night. Could it have been the outfit originally designed for the more mature O'Dell?
Rycroft called her experience "unbelievable" and "surreal" after coming off the dance floor.
Film.com's FREE movie of the week is "Love the Hard Way." Oscar-winner Adrien Brody and Charlotte Ayanna star in this drama about a thief who falls for a curious, beautiful young woman. As their intimacy grows, a slick cop (Pam Greer) is closing in.
