John Rowles and Krystal Stuart on Dancing with the Stars. Photo / Supplied
John Rowles and Krystal Stuart on Dancing with the Stars. Photo / Supplied
Oh John. We knew it was only a matter of when, but we didn't expect when to be now. We had money that you wouldn't make it through tonight's elimination, no matter what poor
Krystal Stuart
dished up in the way of dazzling choreography. But we didn't predict you'd pullthe plug yesterday and cha-cha-cha out of the competition of your own volition. That came out of the blue.
Was it your 61 years? Did you struggle with the strenuous weekly routines? Did the cost of hair dyes get too much?
In a statement yesterday you blamed exhaustion. "I am suffering from exhaustion," you said, "and am unable to continue with the demands of rehearsing and appearing on
Demands? Advised to rest? What did you expect it would be: a night at the local Cosmopolitan Club crooning
Bing Crosby
numbers and having a wee waltz with Rita the barmaid?
The TVNZ website says you suffered dizzy spells and felt faint after rehearsals on Saturday. Low blood pressure, apparently.
You're not appearing on tonight's show with or without the doctor's certificate, which frankly is disappointing. No one will be eliminated tonight. But isn't that the only reason to watch the show? To witness which ego will feel most crushed?
Perhaps that's why Krystal was looking tres casual, relaxed and make-up free when I saw her at the supermarket early on Sunday morning. Perhaps she knew then she was out of the competition.
Krystal
may have been hoping for a little spark and sizzle this series, but let's face it: she's jinxed. After a year's hiatus, the Krystal curse is still evident, now that we see her 61-year-old partner couldn't cut the mustard. The sexpot blonde had
and his clutz appeal in 2007. Poor Krystal. There's only so much a woman can work with. I bet she was hoping, just once, she might not get the old dude with limited sex appeal and dodgy health.
Tamati and the TVNZ hypocrisy
Every season, I tell myself "I so won't be watching
Dancing with the Stars
. I totally have better things to do." But there I was last Tuesday night, eyes glued to
's matador routine, thinking he doesn't look half bad in a poncy bolero. I'd vote for him if I wasn't so tight. Which got me to thinking: if his charity doesn't get my money, at least Tams will get paid when he flogs his tell-all stories to various publications. But not so.
The
Breakfast
weather-cue reader, who charms Kiwis each morning with his easy-going nature and ability to read isomaps, will not be feeling so lackadaisical when he hears his fellow
DWTS
schlebs are pocketing pay checks for their blab-alls, while he's not allowed to take a cent. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zero.
TVNZ have a policy that anyone employed by the network's news and current affairs department cannot sell a personal story to a publication. Coffey works for
Breakfast
which falls under news and current affairs.
Poor Tamati. Oh well, it could be worse. At least he still has a job at the nation's network. A TVNZ insider leaked news that rival MediaWorks has installed a wage freeze across the company.
Brent Impey
confirmed it, saying: "Yes, we announced a pay freeze. We are aiming to keep people employed, and so a pay freeze seems sensible while the ad revenue market has declined. Other media companies, including APN, Fairfax, TRN and now TVNZ have or are making redundancies. We run a tight ship here."
at Waiheke's Mudbrick Vineyard, staff at the winery were asked to sign confidentiality agreements.
One of Oliver-Kerby's colleagues, who was not one of those invited, told me at the time: "Bernadine is anally protective" about details surrounding the wedding. The couple was reported to be selling their story to a women's magazine for an undisclosed sum. It should have been a big no-no, according to company policy.
A TVNZ spokeswoman said at the time Oliver-Kerby had not sold her story, but confirmed she had received money from a magazine to provide "security services" at the wedding. Only, a security company wasn't employed. Instead, Mudbrick staff were on hand checking off guests' names at the driveway entrance before letting cars through. Tricky, eh?
Rachel Glucina
Pictured: John Rowles and Krystal Stuart on Dancing with the Stars. Photo / Supplied
