In February of 2007 it was announced that Apolo Anton Ohno would be participating in the popular reality show, Dancing with the Stars. He would be teamed up with professional ballroom dancer and country western singer Julianne Hough. This turned out to be a perfect match as the weeks went past starting March 19, 2007 until the final on May 22, 2007.
In week 1 with his partner Julianne, Apolo danced a Cha-Cha-Cha to the song by Deniece Williams "Let's Hear It for the Boy". It was not the start to the season that Apolo and Julianne were looking for as each judge scored them 7 out of 10 for a 21 out of possible 30.
As the weeks went by the obvious chemistry with Julianne Hough was becoming more and more evident. The Apolo Ohno personality that made him so popular with the short track speed skating public was swaying the T.V. viewing public also. Comments such as "His chemistry with Julianne is adorable and perfect and I'm just really glad to see more of him in the mainstream media, in Olympic offseason even!" were stated since week 1 of Dancing with the Stars.
Apolo and Julianne Hough started to separate themselves from the rest of the competition with a Samba danced to "I Like to Move it" by Reel 2 Reel in week 5. The judging up to this point had been very critical. It was actually at this point one of the judges had commented that he felt this group of celebrities didn't work as hard as any of the previous groups. It was reflected in the scoring as no 10 had been given to this point. This all was changed that night, when Apolo Julianne received 3 for a perfect score of 30.
One of the concerns that Apolo had was that the chemistry between him and his partner Julianne Hough was more like a brother and sister. This would make it difficult on some of the romantic dances. This impression was erased in week 6 during a rumba routine when they projected the romantic aspect of the dance to perfection. It was during the group swing dance for this week that he showed his playful side. He allowed Laila Ali, the daughter of famous heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, to carry him around.
Apolo showing the maturity of someone many years older treated this competition with respect and showed the discipline he gained by training to win Winter Olympic gold. It also gave him a new outlook into the world of dancing even if the show for him was more about increasing the awareness of short track speed skating. This new revelation can be seen by the following quote. "I have a whole new outlook on dancing and dancers in general," says Ohno. "I had no idea how much it took to train for something like this. I like training hard and it gives me the opportunity to go out there and perform, which I've never done before. I've only performed on a big stage at the Olympics, and with a poker face."
The conclusion of 10 weeks on Dancing with the Stars was on May 22, at which time Apolo and his partner Julianne Hough won the competition. Their final two dances, freestyle to Bust a Move/Young MC and a Paso Doble to Carnival de Paris/Dario G each received perfect scores of 30.
It does only seem fitting that after showing the world his personality, charm, hard work and dedication Apolo's reward would be winning Dancing with the Stars on his birthday. All we could say was Happy Birthday Apolo!
In week 1 with his partner Julianne, Apolo danced a Cha-Cha-Cha to the song by Deniece Williams "Let's Hear It for the Boy". It was not the start to the season that Apolo and Julianne were looking for as each judge scored them 7 out of 10 for a 21 out of possible 30.
As the weeks went by the obvious chemistry with Julianne Hough was becoming more and more evident. The Apolo Ohno personality that made him so popular with the short track speed skating public was swaying the T.V. viewing public also. Comments such as "His chemistry with Julianne is adorable and perfect and I'm just really glad to see more of him in the mainstream media, in Olympic offseason even!" were stated since week 1 of Dancing with the Stars.
Apolo and Julianne Hough started to separate themselves from the rest of the competition with a Samba danced to "I Like to Move it" by Reel 2 Reel in week 5. The judging up to this point had been very critical. It was actually at this point one of the judges had commented that he felt this group of celebrities didn't work as hard as any of the previous groups. It was reflected in the scoring as no 10 had been given to this point. This all was changed that night, when Apolo Julianne received 3 for a perfect score of 30.
One of the concerns that Apolo had was that the chemistry between him and his partner Julianne Hough was more like a brother and sister. This would make it difficult on some of the romantic dances. This impression was erased in week 6 during a rumba routine when they projected the romantic aspect of the dance to perfection. It was during the group swing dance for this week that he showed his playful side. He allowed Laila Ali, the daughter of famous heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, to carry him around.
Apolo showing the maturity of someone many years older treated this competition with respect and showed the discipline he gained by training to win Winter Olympic gold. It also gave him a new outlook into the world of dancing even if the show for him was more about increasing the awareness of short track speed skating. This new revelation can be seen by the following quote. "I have a whole new outlook on dancing and dancers in general," says Ohno. "I had no idea how much it took to train for something like this. I like training hard and it gives me the opportunity to go out there and perform, which I've never done before. I've only performed on a big stage at the Olympics, and with a poker face."
The conclusion of 10 weeks on Dancing with the Stars was on May 22, at which time Apolo and his partner Julianne Hough won the competition. Their final two dances, freestyle to Bust a Move/Young MC and a Paso Doble to Carnival de Paris/Dario G each received perfect scores of 30.
It does only seem fitting that after showing the world his personality, charm, hard work and dedication Apolo's reward would be winning Dancing with the Stars on his birthday. All we could say was Happy Birthday Apolo!
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