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Former Texas Governor Rick Perry Appears on 'Dancing With the Stars'

Perry was partnered with Emma Slater for his September 2016 debut on the hit television show.

Published Sept. 13, 2016

 (YouTube screen capture)
Image Via YouTube screen capture

Former presidential candidate and Texas governor Rick Perry made his television debut on 12 September 2016, appearing as a contestant on the ABC dance-off series "Dancing with the Stars." Perry, who claimed to have no dancing experience, was paired with Emma Slater and performed the cha-cha to the song "God Blessed Texas" by the group Little Texas.

Local media was not impressed with his appearance. The San Antonio Express-News essentially cautioned Perry not to leave his day job:

Perry clearly had fun cutting the rug with Slater, whom he referred to as having to take “a lump of coal to shine up as a bright diamond.”

Alas, Perry’s cha cha was about as stiff as his ensemble’s bolo tie. Perry and Slater finished with a 20 out of 40 from the show’s four judges, the lowest score of the night. Each judge gave the couple a 5 out of 10.

Some members of the public thought Perry's reality television turn was in poor taste:

This season may be a bit more controversial than past ones. U.S. Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte is also a participant, and two demonstrators were arrested after rushing the stage in protest of his claims of being robbed in Rio de Janeiro during the 2016 Summer Games. Video of that incident was captured by an audience member and can be seen here:

Perry's dance performance can be seen here:

The show's judges assigned him the lowest score of the evening.

Bethania Palma is a journalist from the Los Angeles area who has been working in the news industry since 2006.