Two weeks ago, when Sean Spicer made his Dancing With the Stars debut in a lime-green situation, looking like a green M&M/Sid from Monsters Inc./Oscar the Grouch in a blonde wig, I knew this was going to get ridiculous. As the former press secretary for President Trump, Spicer's time on the show thus far has been controversial—and this is a pretty transparent effort to restore some kind of positive image in the public eye. So he decided that the best course of action is to dance terribly in front of strangers, which, sure! But could he actually win? There are a couple of indications that he might go farther than expected—let's break it down.
Spicer was a controversial pick.
Lest we forget, host Tom Bergeron was not a fan, tweeting honestly (and quite bravely): "[It was] my hope that DWTS...would be a joyful respite from our exhausting political climate and free of inevitably divisive bookings from ANY party affiliations." So even within the DWTS cast and crew, this wasn't an easy decision.
He has improved...but it's not great.
The judges said that his second dance was better, which I'm sure was in large part because he decided not to show up looking like a lime grenade/a deeply nauseous bird/a flamenco dancer that died:
But it's still not great. When they started, Spicer's partner Lindsay Arnold said he was dancing at a "pre-pre-school" level, so his improvement compared to other contestants, like the much-beloved Bachelorette Hannah Brown (GO HANNAH) probably isn't going to get him where he needs to be.
Spicer has started a "campaign."
No, really, the Spicer/Arnold 2019 campaign has a website and a video, leaning into the ridiculous and taking great care to try and "humanize" him:
He remains unfunny. Unfortunately, because of course, he's gotten support from the far-right, including Mike Huckabee, who tweeted, "Wanna create an emotional meltdown in Hollyweird? Vote for Sean Spicer to win "Dancing with the Stars" tonight and every night he's on."
Luckily, DWTS fans are calling out the strategy, and many say they're boycotting the whole season:
Critics are making sure he's not seen as harmless.
Sean Spicer is on Dancing With the Stars right now. https://t.co/YrfzpjuXvzSeptember 23, 2019
Please don’t laugh when Sean Spicer when he says he’s on Dancing With the Stars dancing for Christ.It’s in the Bible, in the Book of Morons, Verses 1, 2 Cha Cha Cha.Yes, yes. I’ll show myself out.September 18, 2019
If former press secretary Sean Spicer wins Dancing with the Stars, then I’m telling you right here and now that I’m blaming the Russian judge for vote tampering.September 19, 2019
Although I'm sure the show is benefiting off the back and forth. In a way, I'm quite pleased that Spicer decided to go on DWTS, because it has given us moments that I will treasure (read: watch with disdain) forever, like so:
And:
Oh and also:
When we need to contend with the tremendously damaging work he's done for the Trump administration, a pairing with these ridiculous gifs should really seal in the effect, I think.
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