If you're a Dancing with the Stars fan who also believes in black helicopters, this season has been like a dream come true. Movieline has already discussed the Bristol Palin phenomenon -- and DWTS host Tom Bergeron has weighed in with his very own "f*** you" to conspiracy theorists -- but was there something truly sinister behind last night's apparent voting blackout?
During Monday's telecast, fans were surprised to find that voting via ABC.com and their telephones was nearly impossible. As a blogger on Famecrawler wrote, "I tried to log in myself and finally gave up after 20 minutes. Then I tried the phone - and that was a bust too. I got a message saying the number was not in service and to please try again, despite the fact that I was inside the allotted voting time." What gives? Did the Tea Party successfully bring down the entire Dancing with the Stars system? Hardly.
According to the show, the voting outages were a result of popularity. "Due to a record amount of activity, some viewers reported experiencing difficulties registering their votes for the Dancing with the Stars finale, which affected each finalist equally," said the producers in a statement. "The issue was promptly addressed and voting lines remain opened online until 11:00 a.m. ET on abc.com." Hope you remembered to vote this morning!
Of course, there is another possibility for the blackout: Maybe Dancing with the Stars producers intentionally clogged the lines so Bristol's Tea Party fan base couldn't get through, thus clearing the way for a Jennifer Grey win! Or not. Now where is my tinfoil hat...