November 17, 2010 12:05 PM

Bristol Palin's "Dancing With The Stars" Performance Leaves Viewer Shooting Mad

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Bristol Palin performs during "Dancing with the Stars," on Monday, Nov. 15, 2010, in Los Angeles.

(Credit: AP Photo/ABC, Adam Larkey)
MADISON, Wis. (CBS/AP) Brandy broke down in tears. Dancer Derek Hough was slackjawed. Judge Bruno Tonioli leapt to his feet and urged audience members to vote.

But the most violent reaction of all to Tuesday night's "Dancing With the Stars" results show came from a 67-year-old Wisconsin man, so enraged over Bristol Palin's performance that he blasted his TV with a shotgun, leading to an overnight standoff with a SWAT team.

PICTURES: "Dancing with the Stars"

A Dane County Sheriff's detective says in court documents that Steven Cowan, of the town of Vermont, believed Palin was not a good dancer and was only kept on the show because of her famous mother.

The singer Brandy, a consistently high scorer who was favored to win the dancing competition on ABC, was eliminated Tuesday night, clearing the way for Palin, whose scores have been in the basement all season, to join actors Jennifer Grey and Kyle Massey in next week's finals.

Police say Cowan, who was was later charged second-degree reckless endangerment, loaded his shotgun and blasted the TV before turning the gun on his wife, who escaped.

Tactical officers surrounded the home and managed to talk Cowan, who faces to up to 10 years in prison if convicted, out of his house.


Add a Comment See all 243 Comments
by Birdman04 November 23, 2010 9:24 AM EST
Like sheep led to slaughter they will watch this and think it is real.
Hard to belive anyone really watches or cares about this crap.
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by nuttyworld November 23, 2010 4:43 AM EST
Tolerance should only be practiced by conservatives.
Reply to this comment
by InLineFour January 4, 2011 1:29 PM EST
Tolerance is the virtue of a man (i.e. a liberal Dem) without convictions. - G.K. Chesterton
by enaid3 November 21, 2010 3:51 PM EST
I can't believe how many people watch this dumb show! Who cares???
Reply to this comment
by mecanik-2009 November 21, 2010 10:46 AM EST
Shooting your TV seems like a nutty thing to do but what law did he break here. Did he endanger anyone! It doesn't appear he did. He made a loud noise and probably made the neighbors upset. Yah, the guys probably a nut job and needs counseling but it would need further study to see if this guys really a danger to others. He's a danger to TV sets but we're not sure about people yet. Ive shot a few appliances out on the range myself, but never in my living room. There's just something about a home appliance that says "shoot me"
Reply to this comment
by mecanik-2009 November 21, 2010 10:29 PM EST
I'm correcting myself, It says he turned the gun on his wife. I guess he was a real nut job after all.
by Reddbird November 21, 2010 8:31 AM EST
Yeah, I would just like to say that at last, someone besides myself who is fed up with hearing about the Palins all the time. These overexposed idiots have done absolutely nothing to earn their so-called "fame" in the first place. The networks are obviously obsessed with turning the Palins into celebrities for fear of being called "sexist", "unpatriotic", etc. The networks are gutless cowards who've lost their better judgement. Mama Palin didn't have the guts to finish her term in office. She's no "maverick", Jesse Ventura is.
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by overdancing November 20, 2010 11:56 PM EST
Democrats are doing more productive things than sitting around at night voting on Dancing with the Stars. This is obviously political and the tea party has a lot of time on their hands.
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by Reddbird November 21, 2010 8:34 AM EST
Yeah, I would just like to respond to "overdancing" and other posters. You guys are so childish and immature. You're all giving America a bad name. Enough already.
by bridbart November 20, 2010 9:19 PM EST
This shows you that people do not vote based on actual talent, skill or ability. Even political elections are wrecked this way. We need to add prayers for fairness, justice and equality in America. I hope that a group of political people would not join forces to unfairly select a person who is clearly not worthy of winning. Please tell me that people would not stoop to this level. Whats next--cheating for little league?
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by nuttyworld November 23, 2010 4:46 AM EST
You are so right - look who now resides in white house.
by jesushelovesyou November 20, 2010 6:26 PM EST
Brandy should have won!

Bristol Palin should not have gone as far as she did. Yes she made progress but she does not have the talent, she has gone as far as her capacities could bring her! It is not her cup of tea (party). And Sarah, leave her alone!!!
Reply to this comment
by JV1970 November 22, 2010 10:22 AM EST
It really isn't a talent contest! Talent is only part of it! The judges judge them on talent but the viewer tend to judge them on popularity. It may not seem fair to you but that's the way it is! You may not understand it but evidently the viewers simply like Bristol the best! And another thing, the only thing Sarah's been doing is sit in the audience watching her daughter compete just like any other mother would do! That is her right and there is nothing wrong with that!
by jeffschnee November 20, 2010 2:52 PM EST
It looks like all of the lobbyists firms, public relations firms, and political pollers that support Sarah Palin and/or the Tea Party are using their automated calling systems (which spoof their caller IDs) to call into Dancing With The Stars? home viewer voting system to rack up enormous voting tallies for Bristol. DWTS?s voting system can?t detect this, as the automated calling systems can alter the caller ID that is sent along with the call (I?m in this business and know this first hand). Worse yet, these systems can also use up the inbound call bandwidth (trunks and lines), which in effect, blocks out many of the honest viewers? calls (they get busy signals and give up calling). After this past weeks? voting fiasco, we?re no longer watching this farce.
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by nuttyworld November 23, 2010 4:48 AM EST
sounds like hillary's vast right wing conspiracy is at it again.
by mlsherwoodfrontiernet November 19, 2010 10:51 PM EST
TO CBS
The person responsible for the selection of Bristol Palin should be fired. I thought that Kate Gosselin was bad enough. At least she had made a public name for herself. Bristol was not a star. She was a nobody.
Was this person a member of Sarah Palin's staff? For a show like DWTS to give millions of dollars of free publicity to a political candidate is unforgiveable.
Bristol has been the worst performer ever(can not call it dancing).
Her movements resemble a walrus's.
CBS--fire that person. This has ruined the show for me. Will never watch it again. This was my favorite show.
Reply to this comment
by erasmus111 November 20, 2010 2:51 AM EST
"Bristol has been the worst performer ever(can not call it dancing)."


Ok, that just isn't true. She isn't a good dancer, but she isn't the worst either. There has been a few that were worse than her. Master P was the worst.
by nuttyworld November 23, 2010 4:51 AM EST
1. The show airs on ABC, not CBS!
2. Bristol is not a political candidate!
But don't let the facts get in the way of your hatefulness.
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