The Palin Bump - UPDATED

I don't watch Dancing With The Stars because if I'm going to watch a dance show, I'm going to spend my time watching real dancers doing things I could never do (So You Think You Can Dance, for example) instead of gawking at C-list celebrities awkwardly stepping about.

So imagine my surprise that A) the current season of DWTS was still going and B) Bristol Palin was still in it!  The only reason I know this is because for some strange reason, the news media continues to cover all things Palin, even the teenage mom flailing about on a stage. The reason I'm surprised is because after catching clips of Bristol in her initial couple of dances shaking her stuff, I thought she was pretty awful as dance shows go. And it looks as though the voting audience agrees, as Palin's performances have come in at the bottom of the list consistently for the last few weeks.

So now the inevitable question has come into play: Is Bristol Palin remaining in the game solely because of her name, because her mom is Sarah Palin, and because ardent Mama Grizzly supporters are calling in to help her cub?

My opinion is an obvious yes. But if I'm wrong, someone please correct me. Since I can't stomach the show, what are the judging and voting formats? And is Bristol underrated or is she as bad as I think she is in comparison to the other remaining contestants?

ADDING... I'm not suggesting Sarah Palin is using her position to garner votes for her daughter, just that Sarah supporters are doing it on their own.

UPDATE (11/17/10, 12:55pm): See? I knew she was a bad dancer.

Man Shoots TV Over Bristol's 'Dancing' Routine

A SWAT team posted up outside a home in Wisconsin yesterday -- after a shotgun toting 67-year-old man blasted his TV because he was so enraged with Bristol Palin's performance on "Dancing with the Stars."