"I think lots of people see themselves in me because I'm pretty untouched when it comes to celebrity status. I'm pretty raw and vulnerable when it comes to this whole thing. I'm just having fun and people see that," Bristol Palin told E! Online about her DWTS adventure, which, as seen here, began with the Sept. 20 debut of Season 11 of the ABC hit.
"The complaining amuses me to no end. Whenever someone says that Bristol shouldn't be there to me, I almost inevitably say, 'Of course, you're voting for…?' And they go, 'Yeah, I didn't vote.' I have no sympathy for people who are kvetching about who's still there and who's gone …If you want a technical dancer, watch PBS," DWTS host Tom Bergeron told TV Guide in support of Bristol Palin, seen here with pro dance partner Mark Ballas in week two, on Sept. 27, when all of the couples returned to dance their second routines in a two-hour show.
"She's a good dancer, Bristol …Here's a 20-year-old girl who everyone's screaming at. This should be the best week of her life. I really feel for this girl. Everyone's acting like she's getting together with Dick Cheney, trying to start an evil empire. It's crazy. It's a dancing competition. She's a lovely girl. Give her a break!" demanded DWTS executive producer Conrad Green in Entertainment Weekly. Palin showed her waltz moves on Oct. 24 during the third week of the competition.
"She accepted the challenge. …She's willing to put herself out there, and she's in the finals …The left can't stand this, and her mother's TV show on TLC's getting higher ratings than any cable news network show. They can't stand it. And throughout all of this character assassination, throughout every attempt to destroy this family …they're laughing, they're smiling, and they're having a good time. They're enjoying life as Alaskans and as Americans. It just ticks [the left] off to no end. And that's what makes it enjoyable," Rush Limbaugh said on The Rush Limbaugh Show in support of Palin, seen here in the Oct. 11 episode when the season's nine remaining couples danced the Rumba or Argentine Tango in-the-round for the first time in the show's history.
"Our country was built on people taking advantage of the basic freedom to do everything in our power to excel with the God-given talents with which we have been blessed. During this season, I've seen firsthand how those rights shouldn't be taken for granted, much less allowing others to take that basic human right away from you. Thank you, Bristol, for helping me understand how important that freedom is," wrote Palin's professional dance partner Mark Ballas in his Nov. 21 DWTS journal entry for USA Today. Here the pair is seen in the Oct. 18 episode's TV theme night, when the eight remaining couples did the Quickstep, Tango, Rumba, Foxtrot and Jive to themes from popular shows.
"A lot of people make fun of her, implying that she is not a good dancer. And I'm gonna defend her …here's why: Because I have seen 'the Johnston' …and once you do the Johnston, you can't just do ballroom if you feel like it. I mean, come on, she's not a bad dancer; she's just sore," Kathy Griffin offered in her Nov. 2 Bravo comedy special Whores on Crutches about Palin, seen here on Oct. 25, when the seven remaining couples danced the Paso Doble and Tango to rock songs and tore up the dance floor in the show's first ever rock and roll dance marathon.
"What if Bristol Palin wins Dancing with the Stars? How afraid can America be of her mother? She can't dance. She's not a star. The only part of the show that applies to her is the 'With the.' I wouldn't have believed that a dancing competition could make me question whether I really live in a democracy or not," Jimmy Kimmel pondered recently on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Here Palin tries to prove nay-sayers wrong on Nov. 1, when the six remaining couples celebrated the show's 200th episode with the challenge of performing an iconic dance from the DWTS history vault.
"Her fan base is her mother's fan base — the Tea Party not only vote in the primaries, they're gonna vote for this also to keep their girl out there," Joy Behar said on The View about Bristol Palin, seen here on Nov. 8, when the five remaining couples performed two individual dances, a ballroom number and an "Instant Dance" in which they had to master a Latin number.
"Bristol knows how thankful I am to call her my partner and friend. What Bris doesn't know is how thankful I am for what she has taught me this season. It can be summed up in two words: determination and respect," Mark Ballas, seen here performing a Ballroom dance with Palin on Nov. 15, said in a recent blog entry for USA Today.
"Watching someone develop stage presence is actually quite fascinating, and I think that's why some people are rooting for her. You see her gradually unfolding and unfurling and all, as a performer. I can assure you that she's really enjoying doing it …I think she just feels uncomfortable with a lot of the things you see on our show — wearing tiny costumes, being over-the-top. She just feels slightly embarrassed doing it. She just doesn't come from this world. I think that's one of the things that's absorbing about watching her," DWTS executive producer Conrad Green told Entertainment Weekly about Palin, seen here on the Nov. 15 episode, when the four remaining couples performed a new Ballroom and new Latin dance.