Hope Solo Says 'Dancing with the Stars' Is Rigged, Still Likes Attention

Because there's books to be sold and our Summer Olympic lovefest has morphed into its we won't care for three-and-a-half years period, Hope Solo dropped a "bombshell" that's about as shocking as a 0-0 draw in soccer. 

Dancing with the Stars...is rigged. Per Radar Online: 

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Solo, in her new tome Solo: A Memoir of Hope, points to an incident in which Maks (editor: partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy) -- after learning via a "secret memo" he and Hope were scheduled to be eliminated --stirred up trouble with the judges to milk the ensuing controversy for a few more weeks of airtime.

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Well, there goes my faith in humanity. 

Whatever shall we do now, knowing that the show that's prolonged the careers of boy band afterthoughts and C-level sitcom-ers while pandering to the lowest common denominator of viewer (that ballroom is sooo fancy) wouldn't be the torchbearer for integrity. Tom Bergeron's the host. He's Bob Sagat's replacement on "YouTube for people who don't know how to use YouTube." 

And that's just if Solo – who you may have heard has made a controversial statement once or twice – is telling the truth. Yet, she makes her case with a Briana Scurry Stinks-level of conviction. 

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“Maks later told me that he had argued with the judges because he had been told we were going to be eliminated, that there was some secret memo going around that said who would be ousted each week," Solo wrote. “He explained that he wanted to cause some drama on the live portion of the show so that they wouldn’t be able to resist keeping us around, hoping for more fireworks.

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You'll excuse me if I take this with a grain or two of salt. 

You'll also excuse me if I brush this off. Even most people's parents were smart enough to realize this show was a twice-a-week lame-a-thon four seasons ago. (Though season No. 5,457—"All-Star Edition"—is going strong with viewers somewhere). 

Aside from the fact the "stars" on this show are the television equivalent of a 30-year-old who still wears his letterman's jacket, Solo's routine of A) Say Controversial Thing; B) Fan flames; and C) Milk the Publicity had started to get old long ago. In fact, the exact shark jumping for me came when she decided to blast Brandi Chastain for doing her job as an analyst during the Olympics. 

Chastian, whom you may recall, was part of a team that didn't lose a World Cup Final. 

The sad thing is, most of us like our athletes with a little personality. Attitude and grit and swagger and, yes, some arrogance can make someone all the more compelling. I liked when she called out her coaches for the Briana Scurry mistake. I like when athletes and coaches don't go Lane Kiffin on us and shut out the media. It's more fun. 

But too much is too much.