The Morning Cup of Black & Gold: Ward wins DWTS
Last night, Hines Ward took home the mirrorball trophy where it will sit next to his Super Bowl MVP trophy – or so he told Jimmy Kimmel. The two hour results show was filled with dancing and singing to fill as much time as possible. In the second hour each couple danced their ‘favorite’ dance from the season. Hines and Kym performed a dance from early on in the season – one that got him much acclaim from the audience and judges. Ward was able to improve his footwork and frame a bit and received 10’s from all three judges.
Even though those dances counted towards the final tally, it was more of a feel good critique of the season for each contestant. With fifteen minutes left in the finale marathon, Chelsea and Mark were crowned third place. I was a bit worried at this point because I had said to numerous people I wouldn’t be surprised if Kirstie won the whole thing. My wife, who was into the whole pre-show hype, said that Entertainment Tonight talked about how everyone would go nuts when Kirstie came onto the floor for each of her dances during the season. She truly had the popularity as her staying power, and I worried that she could ‘squeeze’ past Hines in the end.
Ward was awarded first place and hoisted the mirrorball trophy with Kym. I truly felt happy for these two with the adversity and potential life threatening fall Kym had just a couple weeks prior. The show cut to somewhere in Pittsburgh (they never said where) where fans waved Terrible Towels and held up placards that said ‘We’re 4 Ward’ – a party one would assume hosted by Pittsburgh’s local WTAE Channel 4. Jimmy Kimmel on his live show last night took that visual a step further by showing previous Super Bowl celebrations in downtown Pittsburgh as if it were the celebrations of Ward winning the show. Kimmels’ show was a fun time with Ward and Kym. Apparently, Kimmel predicted the couple would win the whole thing before the season started and even put money down in Vegas on it. ‘Thank you Hines for making me a very rich man,’ Kimmel quipped. Kimmel jokingly cornered Ward when asking him what the difference was between winning the Super Bowl and winning DWTS. Ward said that they were about the same, to which Kimmel quickly yelled and laughed at the seemingly preposterous statement. Kimmel then showed a clip from a DWTS Finals promo where Ward is heard saying, ‘This is my Super Bowl.’ ‘They made me say that!’ Hines replied. Kimmel also asked if there was anything going on between the couple when he observed that Kym kept touching his let. Ward said that they were very good friends and that Kym will be coming to see a game next season. She finds it hard to believe that Hines was awarded ‘Dirtiest Player’ by players in the legue… twice. So, she will come to a game to see him in action on the field. Kimmel gave a happy farewell to Hines and Kym (whose dress he said looked like it was made from two Terrible Towels) as they hoisted their trophies.
Hines and Kym appeared on Good Morning America this morning after taking a red-eye to NYC. I didn’t get up early enough to watch, but this PPG article summarizes what went down. It’s good to hear from Ward that he feels in great shape and shed some pounds while on the show. I read an article from a Ravens blogger yesterday that he hopes the DWTS curse continues with Ward. Apparently, it’s like the Madden curse – whomever is on the show has a terrible statistical year and the team does poorly as well. This happened with Jason Taylor and Chad Ochocinco. Meh. Look who we’re talking about? I’m not worried in the least about Ward’s performance this season and the team’s run for another shot at the Super Bowl.