Dancing themed reality shows are all the rage right now, due in part to the success of "Dancing with the Stars." ABC's award winning ?Dancing with the Stars? is based on the British reality show ?Strictly Come Dancing.? The first season debuted the summer of 2005. It featured six professional ballroom dancers paired up with six celebrities. The premiere drew in 13 million viewers, which was the biggest summer debut of any American reality show. The show continued to gain viewers and reached #1 in the ratings, where it stayed until the end of the season. Usually the celebrities that are a bit more athletic in real life are able to last longer in the competition, as they are required to perform demanding dances such as the foxtrot, the quickstep, the jive, and the paso doble. Fans also love to tune in to hear the critiques of judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli.



In fact, so popular were Carrie Ann and Bruno that they were given their own reality show, ?Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann.? The show was a bit like ?American Idol? but in addition to singing, the contestants had to be able to dance too! Carrie Ann and Bruno held auditions all around the country to find the most talented performers. From those auditions, Carrie Ann and Bruno both picked a team of seven performers and the battle began. Each week, the teams had to compete against each other by performing singing and dancing routines, with the home audience voting for their favorites. The team with the least amount of votes would send a member home. Team Bruno won the season and a recording contract with Hollywood Records. Two of the team's singles, ?Fallin? in Love? and ?Come With It? were released for purchase on iTunes.

Another dancing reality show that scored big with the fans was ?So You Think You Can Dance.? ?So You Think You Can Dance? premiered on Fox in July 2005. The show was created by ?American Idol? creators Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and the format is similar except they search for the best amateur dancers. Nigel also serves as a judge on the show as does ballroom champion Mary Murphy. The third judge of the show rotates between such highly acclaimed dance professionals as Debbie Allen, Tyce Diorio, Mia Michaels, Dan Karaty, Napoleon and Tabitha D'Umo, and Mandy Moore. The top 20 dancers are put through physically and emotionally taxing training as they must learn all types of dance, including the waltz, hip hop, contemporary, and salsa. The winner of the show receives a new car, a cash prize, and a role as a dancer in a major show.

One of the newest dancing reality shows is MTV's ?Legally Blonde The Musical: The Search for the Next Elle Woods.? This show offers ten hopefuls the chance of a lifetime ? to perform as Elle Woods on Broadway in ?Legally Blonde The Musical.? The girls must be able to act, sing, and dance as well as embody the true spirit of the Elle Woods character. They are judged by actor Paul Canaan (who performs in ?Legally Blonde The Musical? on Broadway), Heather Hach (who wrote the Broadway version of Legally Blonde), and choreographer Jerry Mitchell (who also directs the show), and casting director Bernard Telsey. By the end of the season, one lucky girl will become the leading lady of a popular musical on Broadway.

The dancing reality shows are fun to watch and may even peak viewers interest enough that they learn to dance themselves. However, there are also benefits for the dancers also. For the celebrity performers, a dancing reality show can bring about a renewed interest in their career and also help them lose weight. For the amateur dancers, even just making it to the top 10 or top 20 of a show like ?So You Think You Can Dance? can open up many doors for them to further their dance career.