Tom DeLay may be a wild thing on the dance floor, but when it comes to boosting ratings, he seems to have two left feet.
The controversial former Republican congressman was supposed to spice up this season of "Dancing With the Stars," but it hasn't worked out that way. In fact, the dance-competition show, a bulwark of ABC's schedule for more than four years, is shambling through its worst season since it first premiered in the summer of 2005.
DeLay -- who created a mild sensation during premiere week when he and partner Cheryl Burke did the cha-cha to "Wild Thing" -- dropped out last week because of injuries, joining Debi Mazar, who was voted off.
That will leave this season's fate in the hands of such remaining luminaries as Donny Osmond, Kelly Osbourne and Melissa Joan Hart.
The ratings pose a worry for ABC, which has been helped through some very difficult times by "Dancing." Last year, when executives brought back several second-season scripted series that promptly tanked, the ballroom dance-off helped keep ABC competitive overall -- in fact, the network was ranked No. 1 among young adults at this point in the season. Now, ABC is locked in a virtual three-way tie for first with CBS and Fox, and further declines for the show could spell real trouble. Even though the network has seen some encouraging signs with new comedy series "Modern Family" and "The Middle," the unexpected problems for "Dancing" are creating headaches.
All series suffer viewership erosion over time, of course, and compared with most prime-time shows, "Dancing" still pulls enviable numbers, with an average of 17 million viewers, according to the Nielsen Company. But that's a dip of 13% compared with the same period last year. Among adults ages 18 to 49, the viewers advertisers care about most, the show has slipped 19%, to a 3.8 average rating.
During fall 2007 -- crowned with highlights that included Osmond's sister Marie passing out as the judges critiqued her samba -- "Dancing" leaped to its most-watched season, averaging 21.7 million viewers. And in fall 2006, the show high-kicked to a 5.8 rating among young adults. (Those record figures, however, include DVR viewing up to one week following the initial broadcast; those statistics are only just starting to roll in for this season.)
So what happened? Neither executive producer Conrad Green nor an ABC executive would comment for this story, according to a network spokeswoman. Privately, ABC officials concede that, the competition, particularly from Fox's hit medical drama "House," is much stronger this year.
