Why I'm rooting for Warren
Posted: Monday, November 24, 2008 6:00 AM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
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TV
It's hard to deny that Brooke Burke is probably the most competent dancer on "Dancing With the Stars." The woman is a machine! She kicks those legs like an Olympian, not like a mom of four. She whizzes around on tiny high heels in a costume that seems to consist of a shredded kleenex and a bikini top, and never once loses the beat, forgets her steps, or trips. No question, the woman's amazing.
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Warren Sapp stole "Dancing" fans' hearts.
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But when I watch the "Dancing With the Stars" final performance show Monday night, I'm afraid I won't be rooting for Brooke. And while Lacey Schwimmer is definitely my favorite pro dancer and I'm pretty fond of Lance Bass, I won't be cheering for them, either. (My friend Linda Holmes has picked Lance to win it all, though.)
From about the first episode this season, I've been harboring a minor crush on NFL giant Warren Sapp. (Me and Carrie Ann Inaba -- have you seen how she teases him?)
It's not due to any enormous love for his football past. I'm sure he sacked the QBs for my beloved Minnesota Vikings more than a few times and I'm sure I cursed his name each time. But from the minute Warren came out on the floor, he's been hypnotic.
Start with his size. He's a giant guy who sweats up a storm while dancing, yet he doesn't seem to get tired. Some big guys are clumsy and slow, but Warren lifts his body as if it's 100 pounds lighter than it is.
Athletes often do well on "Dancing," but on the field, Warren was hidden behind a helmet. It didn't matter if he smiled or groaned when he was playing football. But on "Dancing," fans are attracted to those competitors who play their parts as if they were actors. Brooke Burke, for all her talents, lets the dancing get to her. We've seen her squabble backstage with her partner and even when she's dancing beautifully, her face is often serious. But Warren tackles each dance as if it's a mini-play, and he never steps out of his role. Even when he's concentrating on his steps, he looks like he's having a blast out there.
Low scores bum him out, but he still manages to stay cheerful. "You are truly a joyful person to watch," said head judge Len Goodman. "You come out full-on 100 percent and sell it." That's exactly right. Whatever struggles Warren may have had learning the dance, however he may be feeling offstage, on "Dancing" it's as if he's never had a bad day. He even squeezes into the show's many goofy costumes with aplomb (the black pleather "Matrix"-style coat was my favorite).
I've heard that, off the show, Sapp is kind of wacky (saying his road-trip food was poisoned? Dissing Keyshawn Johnson for having a home-design show?)
But you know, I don't have to live with the guy, and I'm never going to meet him. The whole point of shows like "Dancing" is to get briefly involved in the rooting, often for random and semi-arbitrary reasons. And based solely on how he acts on the show, Sapp is a heck of a lot more fun to cheer for than Brooke Burke is.
