Hippo Tim told to give real talent a go

Tim Shadbolt has received hate mail after he and dance partner Rebecca Nicholson made it to the semifinal.

Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt would be dancing with scars if over-zealous voters from the reality television programme Dancing with the Stars had their way.

Hate mail has bombarded his city council offices in Invercargill this week, and talkback lines have been running hot begging for him to bow out and give the real talent a go.

Shadbolt and his dancing partner, Rebecca Nicholson, will appear for the semifinal of the programme this Sunday amid growing disgust at them remaining in the competition, which is driven by telephone voters and headed by celebrity judges.

The mayor has received emails and phone calls all week accusing him of using council resources to promote himself to get votes, and comparing his grace to that of a hippopotamus. One telephone caller even suggested he should be dead rather than dancing.

"It's just a reality television show," said Shadbolt. "I think people should adjust their thinking and put it into perspective. It's not a real dance competition."

He said he could compare his remaining in the show to the semifinal stage to that of the Southern Sting netball team making the final against Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic tonight.

"Both of us got in by the skin of our teeth."

And Shadbolt has hit back at Dancing with the Stars judge Alison Leonard, who last week said his dancing would cause any purist to get dysentery.

He said she had also levelled criticism for what she deemed using council resources to promote himself after he sent a fax to the Invercargill Chamber of Commerce members suggesting they vote for him.

"Any purist would get dysentery from watching her as a judge because she's not a qualified judge," he said.

Netballer Bernice Mene, who was voted off the programme last Sunday with dance partner d'Artagnan Kennedy, said the programme was still an entertainment show. "New Zealanders do seem to get up in arms, but they're the ones voting for him as well," she said. "It will be interesting to see who is in the final."

Emails sent to Shadbolt say Southlanders have gone overboard in their voting for him to stay in the programme, and "the goodwill from the rest of the country is evaporating", wrote one.

"For heaven's sake, go away and find some other people to annoy," wrote another.

Shadbolt said he had received telephone calls as well, one caller suggesting he should be dead rather than dancing. "They don't worry me much," he said.

Shadbolt will take to the floor this weekend with his dancing partner Nicholson as part of the opening for the National Bank Cup netball final at Stadium Southland tonight.

"Next thing I'll be accused of using council facilities to practise, given it's in the stadium."