Watch The 'Dance Fever' Christmas Special

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Dec 24, 2012 5:00PM

'Tis the season for bad holiday television specials, but we hold a special place in our hearts for the true dreck of yesteryear, back when helmet hair, skinny ties and questionable rhythm ruled the land.

We're talking, of course, about he Dance Fever Christmas Special from 1980. The cheesy dance competition show starring Denny Terrio was only in production for a year (Dance Fever would run in syndication until 1985) but Terrio and producers decided to bring previous champions "representing the east, west, north and south portions of the country" in a competition guaranteed to make even the Grinchiest of hearts grow three sizes too big. With celebrity judges and noted dancers like Connie Stevens and Robert Hays, you know the couples were held to the highest standards. But hey, at least they got the Gap Band as the musical guests.

We're giving bonus points here for the producers putting Little House on the Prairie bad girl Allison "Nellie Oleson" Arngrim in a naughty Santa's Little Helper outfit as the guest DJ. This still sets our yule log on fire 32 years later.

This show aired on WFLD-TV December 12, 1980 and was recently unearthed by Rick Klein of the Museum of Classic Chicago Television.