Dirty Dancing: No One Puts Cris Judd In The Corner

Cris Judd, Jacki Garfinkel, Kim Martin

"I'll always have people coming up to me saying, 'You're the guy! You're J.Lo's ex!'"

Everyone who has lived on planet Earth knows the story of Dirty Dancing, or at least something about it. If nothing else, you know the famous line, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

With such great popularity, it only makes sense that someone finally took the Dirty Dancing premise and turned it into a TV show. The WE network has done just that, and created a reality show with professional "Johnny" dancers picking which student "Baby" dancers they want to perform with in the final competition. The TV show Dirty Dancing premieres tonight, December 6 on WE at 10 p.m., with star dancer and choreographer Cris Judd as its host.

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What do Cris Judd and Baby have in common? They both started dancing because of members of the opposite sex.

Okay a little more detail needed?

Prior to the WE and MediaVillage Dirty Dancing Party last week, I had the pleasure of sitting down and speaking with Cris Judd and Kim Martin, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Women's Entertainment TV. There Judd told me the following story, which happened to be my favorite of the night.

While pursuing a career in golf, Judd moved down to Disney World with a friend. On the side, he auditioned to be a character at the theme park. He started his career there by singing "It's A Small World" with actor Wayne Brady. From there he moved on to being a pink hippo in "Fantasia." It was during his stint in "Fantasia" that Judd met his inspiration for dancing - in the form of a female dancer. Judd said he was "super shy," but finally got the nerve one day to ask her out. Her response? "I don't date characters."

Ouch. Yet Judd didn't let that stop him. He asked her, "How do I get your job?" She said it would take years of experience. Judd wasn't having that and made it his goal to become a dancer in only one year. It took him eight months. "At first I was doing it completely out of spite," Judd said. "But after the first class, I was hooked. My priorities completely changed." As for the girl? Judd said, "She married a golf pro." Kim Martin pointed out, "She could have had two for one with you, Cris!"

Granted it was the other way around with Baby and Johnny. Baby got hooked on the "dirty dancing" first, and then fell in love with Johnny along the way. Either way, Judd knows a thing or two about the story. Judd wasn't a dancer when Dirty Dancing was first released in 1987, but he did realize, "It was one of the first movies where it was cool for a guy to be a dancer."

If you look at TV today, shows like So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing with the Stars, and now WE's Dirty Dancing, it's obvious that the original movie paved the way to make shows like that become successes. "It's about time we do have these shows out there. They are a great avenue for dancers," Judd said. "You now know these choreographers and dancer by name. They are celebrities in their own right." Dancers, Judd continued, are the "low man on the totem pole," and so shows like these, especially WE's new show, is a way for women to see that they can become dancers and stars.

So why then did Judd want to host the show and not be one of the professional dancers? He was originally asked to be either a choreographer or a judge, but he decided that being a host was "another avenue to try something new." As a host, "I enjoyed being a spectator." Since Judd had no idea what the outcome of the show would be, he delighted in being able to watch the competition. "There were girls you wouldn't normally take a second look at... and then when they were finally out there on stage you'd be like 'Wow.'"

In the premiere episode, 30 young female dancers (the "Babys") attend dance camp to meet the six professional male dancers (the "Johnnys"). Each male dancer will pick three female dancers and train them in their respective dance styles. In the finale, the six males will pick their final partners. The winner will receive a trip to London to see the Dirty Dancing musical, as well as a professional dance contract.

As for the competition, Judd said he loved seeing "the fire come out" of the female competitors. He said he'd see a girl who seemed innocent, and then "all of a sudden she'd be really competitive, sizing up the girl next to her." With all that fire, you'd think there might be some sizzling relationships as well. "I don't know about relationships, but there definitely were a lot of numbers exchanged," Judd said.

Judd knows all too well about relationships, as many people know him for his famous failed one. Instead of being recognized for his dancing (or composing, or acting), Judd is widely referred to as Jennifer Lopez's ex-husband. About his identity revolving more around his ex than himself, Judd said, "The thing is, I'll forever be tied to that. I was married to her and I can say that I was. My time with her was a blessing. I have no regrets. I'll always have people coming up to me saying, 'You're the guy! You're J.Lo's ex!'"

Hey, at least he's known right?

Tune into the premiere of Dirty Dancing tonight on WE at 10 p.m. ET.

To see pictures from WE's Dirty Dancing Premiere Party, click here.