The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Talkers

April 16, 2012

Gustavus on ABC's 'Dancing'

By Amanda Dyslin

ST PETER — Some Gustavus Adolphus College students got a little more than they bargained for from their $13 tickets to Gavin DeGraw’s concert Friday night.

They were on one of the most popular national television shows, “Dancing With the Stars,” albeit briefly. The episode aired Monday on ABC.

A camera person and field producer from the show accompanied DeGraw, a season 14 “Dancing” contestant, to St. Peter to film footage of the performance in Lund Arena. And while they were at it, they interviewed some students at the concert who were big fans of the singer-songwriter, said Matt Thomas, director of medial relations at Gustavus. But the interviews weren't aired.

“Everybody really enjoyed the show and thought he had really good energy on stage,” Thomas said.

Before each celebrity performs on “Dancing,” the show airs a two-minute montage of the events from the contestant’s week. Thomas said DeGraw’s professional dance partner, Karina Smirnoff, was not with him, so he didn’t practice his dance while he was there.

DeGraw, 35, has made it through the first few weeks of the celebrity dancing competition, and in the meantime has kept his concert commitments, which has meant a great deal of traveling back and forth from Los Angeles, where the show is taped.

There’s no telling whether that has been a factor in him routinely finishing in the bottom of the competition. But, so far, DeGraw is not a favorite to take home the coveted Mirrorball Trophy.

The elimination episode airs 7 p.m. today on ABC.

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