By Angel Cohn
Now that the celeb-pro pairings for this fall's edition of "Dancing With the Stars" have been revealed, I can't help but feel sorry for some of the dancers, and I don't just mean Cheryl Burke getting paired with Tom DeLay, who's unlikely to take her to the finals like Gilles did last season. While I'm sure that the show's producers spend plenty of time figuring out who to team up with whom, I can't help but notice that certain dancers consistently get the short shrift more often than not.
Take Edyta Sliwinska, for example. She's been on the show since the beginning and has never won. She came close with Jason Taylor, but she's usually ousted in the middle of the pack. Not only did she have the unlucky break of being previously partnered with George Hamilton, but now she's got his smarmy son Ashley to contend with this season. That just doesn't seem fair. Meanwhile, Jonathan Roberts got paired with Macy Gray. He's never won, either, and has had the misfortune of being eliminated first on two occasions. I think he might have a three-peat on his hands, but probably not the kind he wants... unless he likes getting kicked off early.
Tony Dovolani has pulled the "older lady" card again with Kathy Ireland (he also danced with Jane Seymour, Susan Lucci and was initially paired with Nancy O'Dell until she injured herself and was replaced by "Bachelor" dumpee Melissa Rycroft). Not that the former swimsuit model is ancient, but at 46, she's the oldest female competitor this season. She may end up being a powerhouse, but it seems unlikely that he'll make it to the finals again this season like he did with Melissa last year.
Louis Van Amstel got the oddball/reality contestant this season, per usual. In the past he's danced with Lisa Rinna, Trista Sutter, Monique Coleman (from "High School Musical") and Priscilla Presley -- and now he's got Kelly Osbourne. He just seems to be the pro that winds up with the person that producers have no idea what to do with. He may be off quickly, which hopefully means more choreography from him on "So You Think You Can Dance: The Fall Edition."
Speaking of which, adorable Chelsie Hightower, who got her start on "SYTYCD," is back for her sophomore season, and dancing with another unknown. Last year she got rodeo cowboy Ty Murray, who had a very limited fan base. This year she's got Louie Vito, who is a snowboarder and another relatively new face. So good luck to her.
I'm not necessarily a conspiracy theorist, but it certainly does seem to me that some celebs get better prospects. Though then again, Karina landed the Woz last year but traded up to Aaron Carter this year, so maybe it's just a matter of paying dues from season to season, or sheer luck of the draw. But whatever the case, I really do pity Edyta this year.