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Published: 19 July 2008

Hoofing with the stars

Tim Hunter The Age
April 5, 2007

Farmer David Graham's stepping out big time, writes Tim Hunter.

DAVID GRAHAM, the Big Brother housemate who became an overnight role model for gay men in rural Australia when he outed himself on national television, is as ecstatic as he is surprised that he remains in contention on Dancing with the Stars.

While there is a sense that the possession of two left feet may mean Graham's charmed existence in the Dancing spotlight will come to a close next week, he is more optimistic.

"I've got another two weeks to nail the dances for the next show. I obviously need more time than the other contestants, and need to work harder, but I'm over the moon," he said last week.

"I'm in for another week. Every week we stay, I wake up the next morning and ring Eliza, my dance partner, just to make sure that I didn't make it up."

With his big smile and sunny, on-screen personality, Graham is the surprise survivor of this season of Dancing. He has become something of a phenomenon.

Cafes in Prahran, in Melbourne's gay heartland, display "vote for David" posters advertising the SMS number fans need to use to keep him on the show. But it's not just gay supporters who are on side.

"I did an interview on radio this morning," he said. "And they said it was the 'Gs' that were voting for me: the graziers, the grain-growers, the gays and the grannies."

Hailing from another G, Goondiwindi in Queensland where he manages his family's drought-stricken 18,000-hectare property, Graham's awkward efforts are attracting a lot of rural support, and he is returning the favour; his nominated charity for funds raised through the SMS voting system is Bush Connection, an agency that helps rural families.

With him having been cast as a wildcard character on both Dancing and Big Brother, television executives might want to think about other projects for Graham. His audience appeal is proving to be pretty broad.

"I think with Big Brother, it was the middle-aged females that were voting for me, but these days, I'm getting cheers from schoolchildren and old ladies," Graham says. "I really appreciate them coming on the journey with me, because it is a journey, and I'm getting better and stronger all the time."

But it's not all glamour and sequins. Speaking the morning after a live show in which he performed the paso doble, and achieved the lowest score Dancing has recorded, he's a little less chipper.

"I'm still sore. To do the paso doble, you have to tense all your muscles, and I'm still feeling that."

Graham puts on a brave face when the scores are handed out and often laughs at Todd McKenney's caustic comments, but what's going on underneath? "To get a score of one, well, it's funny at the time, but when it's still hurting the next morning, it's kind of hard, because I've put everything into it."

But last week's foray into disco was another story. He pulled some funky disco moves, which got him his first score of eight (from Mark Wilson), and he was visibly more relaxed.

"I just had a lot of fun with that." he says. "Maybe I should be having more fun on the floor, but knowing I'm dancing in front of the judges makes me very nervous," he says. "The judges are so critical."

The amount of support he is getting from the public is what makes it bearable, he says.

"It's non-stop, and it's great to get that reinforcement. I can be in the line at Safeway, or waiting for a taxi, and people are telling me how much better I'm getting, and offering encouragement. And that makes me think, 'Well, I am going to try harder', and the audience is then getting what they want.

"There's no way I can compete with some of the other guys in the show, so I'm doing it at my level, but I'm doing it as hard as I can."

His popularity demonstrates that the show is more about personality than prowess. Fellow contestants Fifi Box, Kate Ceberano and Tim Campbell are also evidence of that; they show how much they enjoy themselves on stage, are completely open and, because of that, very likeable.

"Reality TV doesn't lie," says Graham. "And the more honest you are, the more people appreciate you - because they can see when you're being fake.

"But I'm having an absolute ball," he says. "When I got the call asking me to go on the show, I was having the worst day on the farm - one of my sheep dogs had just gone, and a couple of lambs had died, and out the window all I could see was another dust storm coming. So it's very different living here in Melbourne and doing the show."

Does the fact that Graham isn't the greatest dancer explode the myth that all gay men can dance? "Dancing is a term that's used liberally," says Graham. "This is more dance as sport or martial arts, and nothing like dancing in a nightclub. So I guess the stereotype is still true in freelance nightclub dancing."

And is it different dancing with a woman? "I've never danced like that with a man either, except maybe some same-sex line dancing at Midsumma a few years ago," he says. "But this is choreography; it's more like sport, and gay men aren't always good at sport, so I'm certainly fulfilling that stereotype."

"I'm still sore. To do the paso doble, you have to tense all your muscles, and I'm still feeling that."

Graham puts on a brave face when the scores are handed out and often laughs at Todd McKenney's caustic comments, but what's going on underneath? "To get a score of one, well, it's funny at the time, but when it's still hurting the next morning, it's kind of hard, because I've put everything into it."

But last week's foray into disco was another story. He pulled some funky disco moves, which got him his first score of eight (from Mark Wilson), and he was visibly more relaxed.

"I just had a lot of fun with that." he says. "Maybe I should be having more fun on the floor, but knowing I'm dancing in front of the judges makes me very nervous," he says. "The judges are so critical."

The amount of support he is getting from the public is what makes it bearable, he says.

"It's non-stop, and it's great to get that reinforcement. I can be in the line at Safeway, or waiting for a taxi, and people are telling me how much better I'm getting, and offering encouragement. And that makes me think, 'Well, I am going to try harder', and the audience is then getting what they want.

"There's no way I can compete with some of the other guys in the show, so I'm doing it at my level, but I'm doing it as hard as I can."

His popularity demonstrates that the show is more about personality than prowess. Fellow contestants Fifi Box, Kate Ceberano and Tim Campbell are also evidence of that; they show how much they enjoy themselves on stage, are completely open and, because of that, very likeable.

"Reality TV doesn't lie," says Graham. "And the more honest you are, the more people appreciate you - because they can see when you're being fake.

"But I'm having an absolute ball," he says. "When I got the call asking me to go on the show, I was having the worst day on the farm - one of my sheep dogs had just gone, and a couple of lambs had died, and out the window all I could see was another dust storm coming. So it's very different living here in Melbourne and doing the show."

Does the fact that Graham isn't the greatest dancer explode the myth that all gay men can dance? "Dancing is a term that's used liberally," says Graham. "This is more dance as sport or martial arts, and nothing like dancing in a nightclub. So I guess the stereotype is still true in freelance nightclub dancing."

And is it different dancing with a woman? "I've never danced like that with a man either, except maybe some same-sex line dancing at Midsumma a few years ago," he says. "But this is choreography; it's more like sport, and gay men aren't always good at sport, so I'm certainly fulfilling that stereotype."

Dancing with the Stars screens Tuesdays at 7.30pm on Seven.