"Dancing with the Stars" Producers Acknowledge Voting Issues
NEW YORK (CBS/AP) "Dancing with the Stars" producers said Tuesday that "a record amount of activity" overloaded its online and telephone voting systems after Monday's episode.
Complaints flooded Twitter after the show that fans were having trouble getting through on the phones and on ABC's website to cast votes for the three finalists - Kyle Massey, Jennifer Grey and Bristol Palin.
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"Some viewers reported experiencing difficulties registering their votes for the Dancing with the Stars finale, which affected each finalist equally," show producers said in a statement. "The issue was promptly addressed" and voting times were not extended.
The finalists performed their last dances for viewer votes on Monday's episode, which count for half of their overall scores toward the title. The judges' scores for each competitor's two dances Tuesday will be added to their overall Monday totals. The dancer with the highest combined total of judges' points and viewer votes will become the new "Dancing" champ.
Grey comes into Tuesday's season finale in first place. The 50-year-old actress and her professional partner, Derek Hough, earned a perfect score of 60 for their two dances on Monday's show. Massey finished in second place with 56 points, while Palin landed in third with 52 points.
"Dancing" executive producer Conrad Green said it would be fair game if Palin's voters send her to victory Tuesday.
"If she ends up winning the show, she ends up winning the show because more people decided to make the effort to vote for her - for whatever reason they're passionate about her - than they did for other people, and that is a valid part of the show," he said.Palin said on Monday's episode that "there's lots of haters out there that are waiting for me to fail," but added after the show that she feels she and Ballas deserve to win.
"We've been working our butts off," the 20-year-old single mom said.
Grey said she won't consider the mirrorball trophy until Tuesday's dances are done.
"I think it's bad juju," she said after earning a perfect score Monday.
Massey and his partner, Lacey Schwimmer, said they've been having so much fun dancing together, they can hardly believe they actually have a chance at the title.
"We have a one-in-three shot," Schwimmer said.
"It'll be crazy if we win," Massey said. "I'll be excited. I'll probably do the worm again." (The 19-year-old Disney Channel star did the retro dance move during his freestyle routine on Monday's show.)
