While Sunday saw Drew Lachey achieve his manifest destiny of being crowned Best Booty-Shaking C-Lister on Earth, it was his Friday night freestyle Dancing with the Stars routine, mounted, pardon the expression, to the country song "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy,"and the events immediately following it, that still have people talking. Judge Bruno Tonioli always at the ready with a saucy, flamboyant quip suggested Lachey was qualified to star in "Brokeback Mountain: The Musical." Lachey immediately grabbed the cowboy hat off his dancing partner's head, placed it over his (taut, shapely) buttocks, turned around and sauntered a few paces away. East Coast viewers caught the visual joke, but West Coast viewers saw only the audience's reaction, including a hysterical brother Nick (it occurs roughly halfway through the video above). Some of Dancing's glitter-and-tassle-loving audience immediately cried homophobia, but we'd suggest watching the gag one more time before coming to any knee-jerk reactions: Lachey is unmistakeably sauntering somewhat bowleggedly, with what might best be described as a subtle limp. So while the hat could be construed as meaning "no entry," his pained gait suggests something completely different.

• ABC Censors Strike Lachey's Move for West Coast [LAist]
• Drew Lachey and Cheryl Burke Freestyle 2-23-06 [YouTube.com]
• Previously: Drew Lachey Now Famous Enough To Dump Nick [Defamer]

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