Will there be a dance-off for Dancing with the Stars champ Kelly Monaco and runner-up John O'Hurley? Monaco said "I'm in" when asked if she'd defend her title next season, and producers said that may be one possibility as they make changes to the ABC hit show for its next installment.
Among the big changes for next season: Dancing will feature a 30-minute results show (à la "American Idol") to expand on judging of the hourlong performances, Reuters reports.
The summer series kicked off with six couples, each consisting of one professional dancer and one celebrity, competing against one another in a ballroom-dancing contest. Judges and viewers rated the couples after each episode, but the competition was criticized because of a confusing scoring system.
As the show continued, it drew further fire when the competition became a heated match between Monaco and Seinfeld alum O'Hurley. Some viewers and critics felt that the judging favored ABC star Monaco, who ultimately won the competition.
The actress defended her win to reporters. "I did what (partner Alec Mazo) taught me to do, and I left it to the audience and the viewers to decide," Monaco said, according to New York's Daily News.
Early in the contest Monaco was criticized for her performance, yet she managed to avoid being voted out each week – even drawing perfect scores late in the competition.
When viewers and critics took note, ABC announced Wednesday that the series would add the results show.
As for talk of a Monaco-O'Hurley rematch, Izzie Pick, the show's supervising producer, said: "In an ideal world, (a rematch) would be a very positive thing to do," the Akron Beacon-Journal reports.
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