Ballroom Bootcamp

TLC's Ballroom Bootcamp, which aired for a single season in 2005, featured amateurs learning how to dance like professionals. Over the course of six weeks, instructors Gocha, Christian, and Susannah taught Southern California-based recruits from both genders and all walks of life how to cha cha, rumba, tango, waltz, and jive (“a fast and fun swing dance”). This DVD features five of the 10 original episodes, focusing on one style per program, as contestants practice their steps, learn to dress appropriately (heels, sparkles, and makeup for everyone), join up with a partner (including Gocha's wife, Shorena), and compete against each other at Boston's Yankee Classic or Sarasota's Florida State DanceSport Championships. Aside from the primary participants, who include extravagant single mom Lisa Marie, ex-athlete Erdolo, and forensic scientist Tammy, the show features interviews with family and friends in a format similar to Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, but with less emphasis on wisecracks. A barebones release, Ballroom Bootcamp offers a more down-to-earth alternative to celeb-studded network competitions, such as Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance, but for that very reason it's also less likely to appeal to most viewers. Optional. Aud: P. (K. Fennessy)