ABC learns once is enough for all-star dancers

(AP) There's no second act for celebrities on Dancing With the Stars.

ABC Entertainment Chairman Paul Lee said Thursday that was the lesson from the past few months, when the network brought back some favorite contestants from its long-running competition series and the show fell flat.

Emmitt Smith, Bristol Palin, Pamela Anderson and winner Melissa Rycroft came back for the all-star edition. But Nielsen said viewership was down 21 percent on Monday nights from the previous fall.

Lee said it was clear that viewers enjoyed the journey of celebrities learning how to dance, instead of coming in with skills already learned.

This spring's edition will have first-time competitors.