DOCUMENT: Celebrity, Stupid

Palin Success Triggered FCC Complaints

Voting, hug angered “Dancing with the Stars" viewers

Bristol Palin

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Bristol Palin FCC Letters

DECEMBER 6--In the days after Bristol Palin was voted into the finals of “Dancing with the Stars,” viewers from across the country wrote to the Federal Communications Commission accusing the ABC show of everything from running a “payola type program” to “encouraging and promoting teen pregnancy.”

Many of the complainants, whose letters were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, were upset that, as one Oregonian put it, “the top scores were voted off yet Sarah Palin’s daughter remained on.”

One viewer from Pittsburgh alleged that the show’s voting system had been “fixed by extreme supporters of the Tea Party and Radical Right-Wing. I find that it has become a political platform for Sarah Palin to improve her image and ooze her political slime.” The aggrieved correspondent continued, “Bristol is not a star, what did she do, she had sex and got pregnant. Lets reward her…I made several call to ABC’s complaint line and I hope that their phone lines melt. It has become a political movement, with Tea Party websites instructing on how to vote for Bristol. Ridiculousness!”

Another source of grievances was a hug delivered to the 20-year-old Palin by one of the show’s judges, Carrie Ann Inaba.

Noting that “no other dancer was called over for a hug,” one viewer claimed that the clinch was a “signal for the GOP/Tea Party supporters of Sarah Palin to ‘stuff’ the vote for Bristol Palin, who on both dates had to be dragged over the dance floor.” The writer added, “My 96 year old Mother-in-Law can dance better than Ms. Palin...I want my Government to protect me the viewer from deceptive practices.”

A Cerritos, California resident reported that the “physical contact” made by Inaba “sets the contestant up for thinking the judge will favor them. She was impartial to one and partial to the others.”

Other viewers sought an FCC probe of the show’s voting, since “people are bragging how they ‘gamed the system'.” Two other viewers (one from Indianapolis, the other a Brooklynite) were upset that Palin beat out the R&B singer Brandy for the last spot in the program’s three-person final.

Palin, whose baffling success led one man to blast his own TV set, ultimately finished third behind actors Jennifer Grey and Kyle Massey in the November 23 “Dancing with the Stars” finale. It is unclear whether the FCC received complaints about the outcome of that vote. (7 pages)

Comments (218)

Do you now see why America voted out these Libs? Congrats, Palin. You're the best.
Bristol Palin's face looks like a cabbage patch doll. She really is a disgusting little fat pig. Kathy Griffin was right. Bristol Palin did put on weight during the Dancing With The Stars. Bristol Palin is not a star. She's only a slutty sleaze. You're supposed to be a virgin until you're married. This girl went out and got knocked up out of wedlock. And now she is glamourized for it.
Was that proudVIRGINmary before you got married? I'll bet you weren't a virgin were you mary? So STFU! and get a life! It's a REALITY SHOW!
I for one hope she keeps the figure she has now. She looks good. Oh ya I'll bet you waited till marriage. prove it.
ProudMary, you have nothing to be proud of. How unChristian of you. Jealously is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Sorry you didn't get on DWTS. Bristol Palin has more class in her little finger than you have in your whole body. Get a life.
This post, by "ProudMary" is disgusting. Nobody should have to read this. Hey ProudMary -- post a link to your picture, so we can call you "disgusting" and "a little fat pig". Also, please post an affidavit that you've never had sex out of wedlock -- actually I bet you COULD accommodate that request, because in my experience, only hideous women cannot find someone to copulate with them. Your post says FAR more about you than about Bristol Palin. It says you are truly ugly on the inside.
Based on your comments ProudMary, I'd have to say YOU are the disgusting little fat pig! Your response sickens me...I suppose you're perfect, huh? We all make mistakes. I'm pretty sure Bristol is not the first teenager to have sex out of wedlock....does it make it right, no, but at least she is being responsible for her actions and proving that she is a good, loving mother. This whole issue with "Dancing with the Stars" is ridiculous! It's a TV show, entertainment, not the olympics! America voted.....end of story! Good job Bristol! Don't let ignorant people like ProudMary get the best of you! It's pretty obvious there are a lot more Americans on your side :0)
President Bush did not "steal" Florida. THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA STOPPED THE FLORIDA SUPREME COURT FROM ONLY COUNTING THE BLUE COUNTIES!!!!! How in the world is stopping an illegal (fair to only one side) count "stealing an election?" The Supreme Court of the US TOLD FLORIDA TO EITHER COUNT ALL OF THE COUNTIES OR NONE OF THE COUNTIES!!! How in the world is that "stealing?"
BRANDY WAS AN "UNWED MOTHER" Even worse, she LIED and pretended to be married because she didn't want her fans to be "disappointed" with her lapse in judgment. WHY IS BRANDY NOT CRUCIFIED FOR DROPPING A KID?????
WOW! I didn't know that! This makes all the liberals posting all the BS about BP even funnier! LMAO@OBAMAFOLLOWERS!
I am so dissappointed in Dancing With the Stars. Their reputation for delivering high quality artistry has been forever shattered for having sold out to the reactionary right. Never again will the name Dancing With the Stars be associated in the minds of discerning patrons of the fine arts with all that is beautiful and noble in art. Just reading the anguished posts of outrage from the Haute Artistes is enough to rend the heart. I just hope these gentle souls can summon the courage to pick up the shattered pieces of their devastated lives. Fortunately, there is hope. For support during this healing time, call 1-800-GET-A-LIFE-LOSERS.
I remember Mario Lopez from Chula Vista, CA. He was the best dancer they've ever had on Dancing with the Stars. He was knocked off by a football player...Emmett Smith from the Dallas Cowboys. This man could not dance at all. He just stomped around flat-footed...but he had a fan base and none of the people complaining about Bristol Palin said a word then. Emmett wound up winning and Mario went on to MC Miss American Pageants. I have not watched the show since. It's not about dancing, it's about popularity. The very tall lady wrestler that danced like a dream with all 10's was beaten out by a wooden Jerry Rice from the 49'ers. He had a fan base and she didn't. Also, a popular soap-opera star that couldn't dance won the first season..Solution: Let the professional judges do all the judging if they promise to just look at the dancing and not be PC! Those that hate 3rd-place finisher Bristol Palin should get over themselves & remember many others have been unfairly judged as well.
Geez, Never been to this site before and after checking things out, learning about how it got started and by who, and reading the very predictable responses to this article, I can see why I never wasted my time. What a bunch of right wing losers and, just assuming, little boys. Sure, dumb to complain about the show, but please explain why if it was just a show, the teabaggers spent so much time trying to make a difference. BTW circle8, where I live, the people smoking the dope, not raising their kids, and living off welfare are the redneck hillbilly republicans. Most of the libs around here have jobs, college degrees and contribute to your free time by paying their taxes. Get out much??
Are you named in 'The Persecution of Sarah Palin' by Matthew Continetti? You sure sound like it. "Most of the libs around here have jobs, college degrees and contribute to your free time by paying their taxes" AND NO MOTHERS OR MOTHERS THAT PUT OUT AND THE RESULTS WERE THEM!
Hey Everybody, arvaark65 read A book. No I was not named in Mr. Continetti's book, it seems if I were, that I would be part of the LSM and very important. But no, I am just your average joe, with a THINKING brain, that when I open my eyes I can see what is going on. I don't need Mr. Continetti to spin the facts or the liberal media, as you would say, tell me or try to convince me what 99% of the world can SEE, with their eyes all by themselves, and that is, sp is a fraud. You need to read more arvaark65 and get the REAL story.
I hope you see that BO is just as much of a fraud with the same enthusiasm.
geezz.. get a life folks. it's only DWTS, and Bristol Palin danced fine. a lot of previous contestants didn't deserve to be in the finals. get over your hating feelings. it's BORING!
Isn't it amazing how rabid the Palin haters are? Why do they care anyway? If Sarah Palin and her family are so insignificant, stupid, dumb, fat, idiots, not relevant, etc. etc. etc., then why do so many wacko lefties continue to follow the word Palin all around the internet and log on, log in, register, and spew all their hate at them? What a life that must be... hurry home from work (wait a minute, maybe I should not assume they work, since Obama and the socialists have extended unemployment now to 3 years... gosh you could retire on that and food stamps - what a life) anyway they hurry home and just like an addiction, go looking for places to yell, curse, scream, bitch and just all around hate the Palins. Liberals, marxists, black liberation theologists, democrats... the whole sad sorry bunch are a blight on the face of the earth and I hope they all just stew in their own hate and expire.
The Persecution of Sarah Palin by Matthew Continetti provides a factual, detailed, researched expose about the stupid liberals we have in this country. Everyone should read it and especially those named in the book who demonstrates they have no mothers!
What idiots! Last time I looked, a television has both a channel button and on-off switch and these dummies want the Feds to regulate. no wonder our nation is in the shape it is in!!!
Keep complaining...more publicity for Sarah. The haters are truly pathetic.
You guys are pathetic, Liberal or Conservative. Get off the couch and go do something yourselves instead of staying glued to the boob-tube night after night watching "B" and "C" List star-wannabes dancing. My wife and I don't even get cable or satellite, and have never seen an episode of DWTS. Get a book. Get a hobby. Go tutor at-risk school kids. Work at a shelter. Get a life.
Actually, I thought BP danced better than the guy who finished 2nd.
If it was Chelsea Clinton the libs would be fawning all over the show. They are becoming unhinged
Wow...the country is in as deep a hole as we have ever been...Obama refuses to do what will pull us out, he remains out of touch with reality and lives in his own fantasy world, we can't protect our intelligence or even simple cables, Afghanisitan is truly becoming a quagmire (as the liberals like to say), oil is over 90 dollars per barrel (with not much fanfare), Obama is following the failed playbook of Jimmy "dementia" Carter, I can't find a freaking product not made in China, he has thrown out the Contsitution and spits in the face of our founding fathers, capitalism and everything this country once stood for...and you people are calling the FCC about a freaking DANCE SHOW? Well at least it shows my why you types are being lead like sheep to the slaughter,..because you don't even know what's important, so how could you possibly understand any of it. I am ashamed of Obama, the liberals and what this country has become. Oh by the way, how is our standing in the world these days? WE are a complete joke! I cannot wait until 2012.
Wait, FCC Complaints? These must be the people who call 911 to report that they didn't get the correct order at McDonalds and expect the government to come fix it for them. Watch the show, don't watch the show, bitch at the people who made the show... whatever. Boycott... fine, if you feel that strongly. But trying to get the FCC involved? You need the FCC to protect you from a celebrity-based reality show now? This is the level at which you can't manage for yourself and need the government to step in? If you chip a nail, do you call the WAAAHmbulance?
Enraged liberals are funny... especially when they're enraged over trivial stuff like this.
It is amusing to see libs claim they have higher IQs than conservaitves....yet it is liberals who are always whining for more govt benefits because they cannot make it in a competitive environment. Clearly, IQ isn't everything. Oh...the answer is YES...I am a member of MENSA.
The comment about Joy Bayho was right on. It looks like the libs are really going nuts over BP.
Really? It's a TV show. Who cares.
Notice this about the Lib comments: (1) they criticize BP's size and shape, yet they are the one's who supposedly embrace diversity and tolerence, (2) they criticize her for being a single mom, yet they are supposedly the one's who champion and endorse being a single mom, (3) they accuse ABC of rigging the vote to keep BP on, yet they are the one's who sit silent while the Black Panthers commit voter intimidation and (4) they spew on about her mother, Sarah, (as if BP had a choice) yet embrace the Kennedy Klan. All of their comments only bring light to their Hypocrisy.
Hey people wake up. Your know that bristol cannot dance. Since sarah palin is her mother, you are going to take up for her. I know girls her age that have a child, goes to school, work full time job and take care of their child without getting money from their parents. Everytimes britol makes a speech, She makes between 15,000 to 20,000 a speech. She is not poor or her mother. I do not feel sorry for her because she is a rich woman.
Were it Nancy Pelosi would you libs be sniveling like this? So the gal can't meet your underachiever expectations and she had the guts to let you see her perform on a show that has no effect on anyone but you....you folks have really got your priorities screwed up.
The show is called Dancing With The Stars. How does Bristol qualify for the show? She's the un wed mother-knocked-up daughter of a quitter who chanted abstinence until she found out it doesn't work. This fawning lap dog adoration of a nobody who does stupid sh*t is sickening, but it's stupid to complain to the FCC. Just stop watching the show. It lost all credibility anyway , once they booked Bristol.
I'm conservative and I agree with the libs, but it is no different than voting for the President....the logical best choice doesn't always win. This is very evident by the predicament we're in right now in Washington @ 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Nothing these crazed liberals are complaining about is illegal, immoral, unethical. All contestants knew the rules when they entered. Only Ms. Brandy Norwood showed any class or maturity, who told people to grow and accept what happened: the audience loved Bristol and voted for her.
The complaints of Carrie Ann's hug is hysterical. Either these people have never watched a series of the show before or they have selective memory. She has hugged many in the past and did to others this season too. It's her way of congratulating someone who has finally broken through and performed to their potential.
Palin Derangement Syndrome (PDS) even extends to DWTS and now to TSG. I love to walk around our smug little college town shouting "Palin! Palin! Palin!" hoping that some trust fund baby or tenured profarasite will punch me out, resulting in a lawsuit and early retirement. Cha-ching! Does anybody care that Bristol lost to a PROFESSIONAL DANCER? (Jennifer Grey) ("Dirty Dancing")? And that professional dancers are not allowed to compete on DWTS? Probably not.
WOW, how insane can this get? This only proves how mentally disturbed the libs are. First the show puts the poor girl with a tiny mini size man for a partner who made her look much bigger than life size. She is a small person in life and they made her look huge on TV. The poor girl made a mistake in real life so she is suppose to be looked down on the rest of her life??? Come now, there are many that have performed on that show with less desirable life styles than Bristol Palin. Get a grip!!
This is pure PDS - Palin Derangement Syndrome. The libs are so hate filled it just oozes out.
If people really want to complain about something substantial, complain about Joy Behar's explosive potty mouth that actually was related to politics. I agree with the comment made earlier, ABC pimps B. Obama as a messiah, so why would they rig a contest for Conservatives? Those who are upset with Bristol Palin's advancement really need to get your priorities straight. The country is in crisis right now and all you can gripe about is a 'reality' show?
Sure the liberals are po'd. They spend most of their time sitting in front of the boob tube watching idiotic shows like this. If a conservative makes a splash they get upset. Why do you think a numb skull like Stinkie (BO) gets elected? The American people, mostly liberals only know things in 5 minute sound bites and the only place they get them is the boob tube. The demoncrats have become not only masters in rigging elections but also to mind numb the electorate in 5 minute sound bites
Seriously, why would ABC fix this for Bristol Palin considering how hard they've been pimping Barack Obama?
@rnw101563 Not only can they vote they also breed.
Sure are a bunch of poor sports out there. After all -- it is just a TV show... Wow, you libs are a touchy bunch.....
There was book written that was named "liberalism is a mental disease". With this kind of stuff coming from the idiots of America we now realize the author was right. IT IS A TV SHOW YOU IDIOTS. Who cares???? If only those who took time to write the FCC took time to raise their children properly, stop smoking dope and getting off of welfare the nation would be in better shape. The movement to write probably started in the Hollywood Moron Club with the usual suspects.
Ty Murray was about equal (and arguably worse) with Palin in talent and even had the judges saying it was "time for him to go" several episodes before he actually was voted off. Every one, including Ty, was suprised that he beat Lil Kim. He made it all the way to fourth place. Some people just resonate with the audience for whatever reason. Some people don't, some are excellent dancers and get voted off early on. The viewers are the wild card of the show, everyone knows that. It's not just a talent show, it's also a popularity show. And the liberals can't stand that Palin is popular when they feel she shouldn't be. They just can't comprehend anyone thinking differently than they do.
Where were you complainers when TIME and Newsweek put The Prophet on their covers 37 times during election year? Granted, his opponent was just a big-government Democrat who registered Republican, but still -- only four times for the opposition? I did not hear a peep from you guys.
What an unbelievable story. Talk about whining, lunatic crybabies. The FCC should publish the names and phone numbers of all of the losers who called. Get a life!
and all those who complained about Janet Jackson's nipple slip. My guess is there's lots of cross over.