Too Much 'Dancing'?

Marie Osmond fainting on "Dancing with the Stars" is by far the most shocking thing to happen on this show. It's also surprising it hasn't happened sooner to the contestants. The show is at the half way point through the season. Right about now is where everyone has reached their breaking point of exhaustion. The pressure, the travel, the rehearsals, the interviews and the show tapings.. its a lot of work. I mean sure they are getting paid to be there but even the toughest cookie would start to crumble after a couple of months of this intensity.

I can tell you as a TV reporter, my level of tolerance for the show has reached a crescendo. Sitting through the taping in the green room, watching the live feed and then spending the next hour interviewing each couple back to back each week is exhausting. It doesn't sound like it's a hard gig but at least when you watch the show at home you can watch commercials, get some food or switch the channel. All we see is a black screen during breaks.

Plus, as the couples get dwindled down you wind up standing around for lengths of time that seem interminable waiting to interview them. You can see it in the eyes and body language of everyone there from the dancers, the the crew to the media and beyond that they are tired. I had this conversation with someone last night who works on the show. They assured me that every single season at the half way point is where this happens. She also assured me that by next week the energy will return as everyone will start getting excited as we move towards the finale.

Personally, I just think there are two to many celebrities on the show. The number keeps creeping up. First it was six, then 10, then 11 and now 12. 10 seemed like the magic number but they wanted two more weeks out of the season so they stretched it even further.

By the way this same exact phenomenon happens during "American Idol." Their two of my favorite shows but I sure wish their seasons were just a little bit shorter.