Talk show host Wendy Williams was the second celeb to be eliminated on season 12 of 'Dancing With the Stars.' (Reuters)
Here's one for the etiquette police, and a first for "Dancing With the Stars": Talk show host Wendy Williams — the second star this season to be told that her Dancing days are over — decided to skip the traditional "last dance" with her pro partner, Tony Dovolani.
"I want to thank the judges, and I want to thank you also, Tony, for teaching me how to dance," said Williams upon her dismissal. "Because you know, despite stereotypes, this is one black girl who can't even do the running man."
Host Tom Bergeron ushered them to the middle of the floor, urging, "Do a little dancing here if you can."
Instead, Williams threw her arms up in the air, blew past Dovolani — leaving him stranded solo — and walked to the sidelines, shaking hands and blowing kisses. Dovolani's abandonment became so uncomfortable for the audience that high up in the bleachers, the fans began to chant, "Tony, Tony, Tony."
But until the cameras stopped rolling, Williams never returned to her partner. "That's really strange," said one audience member. It became even stranger when the rest of the cast descended to the ballroom and WWE star Chris Jericho took Tony in his arms in a waltz frame — as if to say, "Hey, buddy, I'lldance with you."
Perhaps Williams, 46, was still beating herself up for choosing what she believed was the wrong personal story line — a dramatization of her struggle to succeed in radio — to inspire Monday night's dance.
"Maybe the judges didn't want to see the story of a woman and absolute strength," says the self-proclaimed "Queen of All Media." "Maybe I should've gone with something more personal, like how I met my husband and fell in love." Whatever may have been going through her head, there was certainly no love lost between Williams and the audience. "That's just plain rude," remarked a spectator. "I feel sorry for Tony."
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