The judges seal the deal 'Dancing with the Stars'

And so it went on tonight’s semi-finals round of “Dancing with the Stars.” If EVER there was a clear, concise and in-your-face message from judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli, it was the “24” they awarded Chad Ochocinco for his marvelous samba (it merited a “27”). They were determined to make sure Chad had little hope of advancing to next week’s finals (unless there’s a tsunami of voter turnout for the football great).

While Ochocinco may not be on par with the remaining semi-finalists— Erin (I’ve been dancing all my life”) Andrews, Nicole (“I’ve been dancing all my life and look I still dance for a profession”) Scherzinger, and Evan (“I dance on ice” ) Lysacek, he proved this season that someone with absolutely no dancing experience can learn to dance; and dance well-enough to make it to the semi-finals. After all, isn’t that what “Dancing with the Stars” was supposed to be about?

Barring any surprises, Chad will be leaving the ballroom tomorrow night on the results show. And when (if!) he does, he can hold his head up high because he played a great game all season. Too bad the rest of the pack had such blatant advantages.