“DWTS”: Mr. T Hangs Up His Dancing Shoes

“My mother always said the biggest room is room for improvement,” Mr. T told me after the show. “If people say I did good tonight then I’ll go home, take a shower and tomorrow’s another day. I wanted to earn people’s respect and that makes me work extra hard.”

Respect was certainly something Mr. T earned during his time on the show.  Last night judge Carrie Ann Inaba declared, “Tonight you proved yourself a dancer with grace.”

Mr. T was never shy about his shortcomings when it came to dancing. “I can’t dance!” he admitted. “Each week I just wanted to improve and at the end of the day it’s entertainment.”

According to the A-Team star, he had turned down the opportunity to do DTWS seven or eight times, preferring to hone his craft a little before donning his dance shoes. His reasoning for finally agreeing was to give his earnings to the kids of St. Jude’s [Children's Research Hospital] and Shriners [Hospitals for Children].

“There are a few words I never used, like ‘difficult,’ ‘struggle’ or ‘hard,’” he explained. “There are kids that have to deal with that. This is fun. It wasn’t easy, or a cakewalk, but it wasn’t hard. What kids have to do with cancer treatment and all that stuff. That’s hard! I never wanted to use the word ‘hard’ while I was here. That would be punkish.”

Mr. T, himself a cancer survivor of 22 years, highlighted his personal struggle with the disease as his Most Memorable Year (this week’s theme), detailing his diagnosis during the show. However, truth be told, it wasn’t his personal battle that changed his life; it was an encounter while granting a wish for a suffering child.

“My life changed when I saw my first kid battling cancer through the Make-A-Wish Foundation,” he revealed. “I would always tell them not to quit, so fast-forward from 1983 to 1995 and I get diagnosed with cancer. I had to practice what I preached. If I told the kids not to quit, I mustn’t quit. I danced for the kids.”

With the ballroom lights now dimmed for Mr. T he’s not sad it’s over. “I’m not gonna cry about it,” he said. “This is an entertainment show and I think DWTS should stop the jibber-jabber and not make the departure of a star so tear-jerky.  No one is dying, they’re just off the show. But I'll see them later.”

The competition continues on Dancing with the Stars next Monday at 8 p.m. on ABC.

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