Is Woz the new Sergeant? Posted on March 29th
emember John Sergeant, the former political journalist who almost walked away with the top prize on the last season of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing even though he couldn’t actually dance?
Well America has found its own John Sergeant in the equally unlikely shape of Steve Wozniak, the 58-year-old co-founder of Apple, the computer company.
The parallels are clear: both men are middle-aged and overweight; both were paired up statuesque blondes from the former Soviet Union; both were ridiculed by the judges but miraculously saved by the public telephone vote.
On Monday, “the Woz” and his partner, Karina Smirnoff, were given just 10 points out of 30 by a clearly exasperated panel of judges. Eviction loomed until, last night, the viewers rescued them. (”I was more shocked than any time in my life,” said Wozniak. “Except maybe when I got served with divorce papers.”)
But then you notice that two of the three judges on America’s Dancing With The Stars, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli, also feature on the original UK version, and you realise: maybe it’s more than a coincidence.
There are videos of both men below. There’s only one difference we can discern: at least Sergeant had a sense of rhythm.
First Wozniak:
And now the BBC report on Sergeant pulling out of Strictly..:
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