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March 24, 2009

Woz survives again on 'Dancing With the Stars'

Posted: 09:49 PM ET

Did the geek vote do it?

Steve Wozniak’s 10 out of a possible 30 from the judges Monday on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” gave him one of the worst scores in the show’s six seasons, but that didn’t matter when the results were announced Tuesday night.

As host Tom Bergeron announced that Wozniak and his dance partner Katarina Smirnoff were the fourth couple safe from elimination, Smirnoff let out a shocked, shrill and piercing scream as the Apple, Inc. co-founder appeared to mouth the words, “Oh my God.”

You could almost hear the collective sigh and mass cheer in Geekville.

Standings on the show are determined by a combination of 50 percent of the judges’ scores and 50 percent of the viewers’ votes, and “Woznation” has been in full effect as his fans have taken to social-networking sites like Twitter and Facebook to drum up support.

So despite Wozniak’s dismal performance - which one judge declared to be the worst Samba he had ever seen - the philanthropist survives to dance another week. And in a nod to the burly Woz’s attempt at the break-dance move “the worm” during his Monday night performance, host Bergeron quipped, “The worm has turned!”

After the stunning announcement that Wozniak and his partner were safe from the dreaded “dance off” round, the visibly surprised Silicon Valley icon said he was “more shocked than anytime in my life, except maybe when I got served with divorce papers.”

The great Woz seemed to acknowledge his many followers.

“It’s amazing what we can do, and I’m going to keep trying to entertain,” he told host Samantha Harris.

–Lisa Respers France, CNN.com Writer

Filed under: Uncategorized


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anony   March 25th, 2009 11:41 am ET

this is amazingness

Mike   March 25th, 2009 2:27 pm ET

Steve is a personal friend and one of the most decent, kind people I have ever known. If anyone ever deserved to win Dancing (and, I have been a fan of that show for two years, now), it is Steve. He could simply walk on stage and deserve the votes of every viewer. I'm an engineer and want you to understand that the floppy disk drive, the person P.C. hard drive, heck, the personal computer itself, wouldn't exist without the Steve's – Wozniak and Jobs. So... get on line and vote, Vote, VOTE for Steve.

Allan Hanson   March 25th, 2009 2:39 pm ET

This is not the first time a total incompetent has advanced. The stupid idea of letting "fans" have 50% of the vote is ridiculas. It makes a sham out of the "contest". Several more qualified dancers have been sent home, talent should be more important. It should not be a game, so far the most talented have not won, as itshould be.

Marc   March 25th, 2009 6:01 pm ET

Really? It's Dancing W/ the Stars. Who cares. We shouldn't be debating this, just enjoy it.

Dan McElroy   March 25th, 2009 8:32 pm ET

Go Steve! You are out there for the rest of us. Not everyone in this world fits the "Barbie and Ken" image. You are out there giving your best, and we love you for it. There are so many "Reality" shows out there that choose a "looser" for the week so that we can watch them go home all so sad or in tears. Steve, you are a winner, having a great time even as those professional judges try to cut you down as they have done to so many other people. It is so wonderful to see you enjoying yourself. Go Woz! You have my vote, and apparently the vote of thousands of others. America is speaking and they are voting "Woz – Woz – Woz"

John   March 25th, 2009 8:49 pm ET

I approve, Its the entertainment value that matters.

C Mak   March 25th, 2009 10:21 pm ET

It IS entertainment not a real dance competition. GO WOZ!!! This show hasn't been this much fun in ages.

betty c   March 26th, 2009 12:11 am ET

Having had a lot of dance training, I pain for 'Woz', but on the other hand he is showing more spirit, and competitive drive than at least half of the others. The man is delightful and certainly put an enormous amount of effort into the routines. Hopefully, he will be recognized at some point for his level of improvement. Not everyne can start late, and having the advantage of much dance training, as the fill in girl and look like a pro. Woz started early, knew nothing about dance, worked hard, and having little ability in this area, had to rely on the fairness of the people – and the people responded. You see, folks, we recognize just how many ringers you have had, and we really cheer for the man who is making Dancing With The Stars fun to watch. Go, Woz, and continue to charm the rest of us.

Franko   March 26th, 2009 3:50 am ET

Amazing grace, amazing footwork - the next step, a suprise
Why the insults ?

Xan   March 26th, 2009 6:46 am ET

Let the man dance, da#@it!!

Brian J   March 26th, 2009 7:25 am ET

I think Gates and Woz should have an epic dance-off.

Dante   March 26th, 2009 9:00 am ET

Go Steve! Good for you...

S Callahan   March 26th, 2009 11:14 am ET

Cute article Lisa, the last I'd expect in Science Tech.....
goes to show even nerds/geeks know how to have fun!

Maybe , just maybe, he will develope a nice program to hook up to the WII to learn the tango, ballroom dancing..etc....now that would be really cute! :-)

rlsrd   March 26th, 2009 1:20 pm ET

Mike;

This is a dance contest not an humanitarian or enginerring compitition.

Would you feel the same if Denise Richards took home an engineering award based on her design form?????

Common fair is fair

George   March 26th, 2009 2:57 pm ET

Really Allan? I mean really? Its dancing with the stars, not the olympics. I think we abandoned any last semblance of serious competition when Steve-O showed up. Its a tv show, and most of its popularity comes from audience participation, voting for their favorites. That is the point of the show. Arguing that the point of the show is not fair is like saying that basketball is unfair because tall people have an advantage, and thus the hoop should be closer to the ground. Its a giant popularity contest with some dancing thrown in. Thats about it. If 'talent' were the same issue it would be so you think you could dance (or whatever the idol clone for dancing was). If you only care about talent, watch that show. Dancing the stars is entertainment first and contest... like 5th.

And to be honest, I am of the opinion dancing is good dancing when you have fun doing it. Wozniak for all his technical deficiencies (and boy are they many) was/is having fun out there. There are plenty of rigid if more 'talented' people up there that deserve to go before he does, because they are not enjoying the dancing and taking it far too seriously.

Sarah   March 26th, 2009 3:29 pm ET

Allan, you take this way too seriously. It's a TV show intended to show celebrities outside of their comfort zone. Some shine, some entertain, and some stumble. Woz is in the middle category, so fans vote to keep him around. This ain't the Olympics.

BooStinky   March 26th, 2009 5:20 pm ET

Steve is not a great dancer but he is a great sport. He's self deprecating but a very likable guy. Some people on these reality shows are talentless and arrogant (Omarosa are you listening?) and regardless of how well they "perform" I will not vote for them.

Appeal and determination goes a long way on this show. The contestants are taken out of their element and try to do something that is phsyically tasking and mentally challenging to say the least. Lawrence Taylor, with all his past problems, is putting everything he has into learning these dances. He's not great by any stretch of the imagination, but he is trying and that is what really matters to me.

Go Steve, L.T. and all the others. I wish I could get the instruction from a professional then have the chance to compete like this. I think its great.

DWTS Week 2 is kinder to Woz « Apple Rumor Blog   March 26th, 2009 5:28 pm ET

[...] scorn, and general lack of grace or terpsichorial skill are drawbacks? Fuggedabout it. You cannot stop the Woz, you can only hope to contain him: the second-week results from Dancing With The Stars were a surprise for Steve Wozniak and his [...]

Scott   March 26th, 2009 9:41 pm ET

Why is this a science headline? This should be in entertainment. It has nothing at all to do with science.
"News" stories like this is why journalism is losing credibility and respect. Thanks for helping make America stupider, CNN.

The Woz   March 27th, 2009 12:50 am ET

Oh my god.

jj   March 27th, 2009 9:18 am ET

The guy is a train wreck out there, but he is obviously enjoying himself. I like seeing people having fun, and am glad he is still on the show.
However... a little of him goes a long way. Soon, he will work his Segway into a routine, like Adam Carolla and his bicycle.
Marc has the perfect comment, and sums it up nicely.

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