Ox Notes: February 9, 2010

Two bits of unsettling Dancing with the Stars news. First, DwtS pros Cheryl Burke, Anna Trebunskaya, Chelsie Hightower and Edyta Sliwinska posed in bikinis alongside some of their former celebrity partners for the latest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. There's something creepy about these videos from the photo shoot, where the bikini-clad women pose suggestively with their partners -- who are clad in regular clothes -- while a fan blows on them.

I'm also disturbed by the rumored final two candidates to take over Samantha Harris' co-hosting duties: Nancy O'Dell and Marie Osmond. Nancy O'Dell is a fine choice, with years of hosting experience and the right amount of empathy for the contestants.

Marie Osmond, however, strikes me as a terrible choice. While she appeals to DwtS' average audience member -- a woman in her mid-fifties -- that's not the demographic advertisers are most interested in. Following DwtS, Marie pursued hosting her own daytime talk show, which makes me wonder if she'd be willing to cede the spotlight to the contestants and to the real star of the show, Tom Bergeron.

Karina Smirnoff's dream dance partner is John Stamos.

Following the Super Bowl, CBS's Undercover Boss scored the largest audience ever for a reality show premiere: 38.6 million viewers. If its second episode, which follows the debut of The Amazing Race on Sunday, garners even 30% of that number, I'll be impressed.

Speaking of TAR, TV Guide interviewed contestants and Big Brother vets Jeff & Jordan.

Survivor fans can breathe a sigh of relief: Jeff Probst has agreed to host Season 21 & 22. People and EW have the scoop.