Here's a "Dancing With the Stars" pop quiz: Which of the following performance critiques was delivered by effusive judge Bruno Tonioli before the Hollywood writers' strike, and which came after?

Quote A: "That's what I like to see! The boy from Brazil is going bananas!"

Quote B: "That was a cliffhanger, riding the fine line between love and hate!"

If you picked the alliterative "bananas" line as writer-scripted, well, sorry, you're not moving on to round two. That's a post-strike quote, while the less snappy one predates it -- and Tonioli devised both.

It seems his comments, along with those of fellow judges Len Goodman and Carrie Ann Inaba and the wry quips of host Tom Bergeron, have been largely spontaneous all along.

ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" is one reality show that's real, or as real as any sequin-studded Hollywood production can be. Who knew -- until the Writers Guild of America's job action pulled back the curtain and revealed the show had a single union scribe.

That's allowed TV's No. 1 show to waltz through the walkout.

"Oh, I wish!" Tonioli responded when asked if his lines were fed to him. "Even if you wanted to [prepare], it's a live performance. Anything can happen."

"You respond to what you see," Tonioli told The Associated Press.

His creativity was unabated on last Monday's show. "That was a menacing tango. That's a truly Scary Spice there," he told Melanie Brown of Spice Girls fame. Goodman got into the wordsmith act: "Your hips -- I was hypnotized," he told Brown.

Sometimes a script doctor would help. But even they might be hard-pressed to craft the true drama that has shadowed this season: Jane Seymour's Malibu house was imperiled by a wildfire, then she lost her 92-year-old mother. Osmond fainted on camera; two weeks later, her father died at age 90.

Tears and heartache abound, but the show goes on. In recent weeks, it's been topping the TV ratings with more than 21 million weekly viewers.

David Boone, the show's WGA member who walked off the job along with thousands of other movie and TV writers in Los Angeles and New York, was scripting material including introductions and descriptions of upcoming episodes, a task Bergeron said now is handled by producers.

Boone also served as a "wonderful" sounding board for impromptu jokes during the live broadcast, said the host; the longtime friends had worked together on "Hollywood Squares."

Bergeron enjoys playing ball with the excitable Tonioli.

The judge's "right arm sweeps over his left shoulder, and I know he's about to let loose with an extremely clever or pained metaphor," Bergeron said, comparing himself to a batter "waiting for a good pitch." (Lynn Elber, Associated Press)

ABC, NBC set stunts

Although it probably has more to do with the time of year than the writers' strike, viewers should prepare for a whole lotta unscripted programming in mid-December.

ABC and NBC have each scheduled weeklong events to fill a substantial portion of their prime-time lineups the week before Christmas. ABC will unveil a new came show called "Duel" over six nights starting Dec. 17.

For the first four of those nights, it will compete with an NBC show called "Clash of the Choirs."

The latter will feature five well-known singers -- Patti LaBelle, Nick Lachey, Kelly Rowland, Michael Bolton and Blake Shelton -- assembling 20-person choirs from each of their hometowns (Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Houston, New Haven, Conn., and Oklahoma City, respectively) for a live competition based in New York.

The champion choir will win a prize that will benefit its home community, such as building a playground or renovating a community center.

Each celeb will be responsible for assembling and directing their choirs They'll also serve as judges for the other choirs' performances, although the ultimate decision will rest with viewers.

"Clash of the Choirs" will air at 8 p.m. Dec. 17-20, with the Monday and Wednesday shows running two hours.

"Duel" is one of several game shows likely to hit the airwaves later in the season, particularly if the writers' strike lasts into the new year. It's based on a French format that combines typical quiz-show elements with betting and bluffing.

"Duel" is scheduled for 8 p.m. each night from Dec. 17-21, with the finale coming Dec. 23. (Zap2it.com)

Couric goofs on Rather

Although battles between news anchors have historically been between rival networks, today's ripest feud is a purely CBS affair: Katie vs. Dan.

The rivalry took a humorous turn Thursday when a video was posted on the Web showing Katie Couric mocking Dan Rather while preparing to anchor a broadcast from Nashville, Tenn., last week.

A video of Rather had surfaced last month, showing the former "CBS Evening News" anchor obsessing over his appearance before a remote broadcast -- particularly questioning the wearing of an overcoat.

"I'm going to be like Dan Rather on YouTube," joked Couric in her video, alluding to Rather by fiddling with her coat. "Geez, don't you think he deserves a little payback?"

She then added, laughing: "This tart is ready to go!"

Rather, who left CBS News in March 2005 and now works for HDNet, had referred to his successor as "a nice person," but said "the mistake was to try to bring the 'Today' show ethos to the 'Evening News,' and to dumb it down, tart it up in hopes of attracting a younger audience."

The video of Couric (tinyurl.com/2w6y6a) was posted by comedian Harry Shearer on MyDamnChannel.com>, a video Web site he co-founded. He also posted the video of Rather, taken from his anchoring days, last month (tinyurl.com/35jlva).

Jen Farley, a spokesman for CBS, would not comment on whether someone from CBS had supplied the video but said it could have come from any number of places, including CBS affiliates, which receive pre-broadcast footage. (Jake Coyle, AP)

WPGH goes quiet

TV station WPGH, Pittsburgh's Fox affiliate, was left without sound for viewers receiving the station via cable and satellite for about 90 minutes yesterday.

For at least a portion of that time, there was sound over-the-air on Channel 53, which was broadcasting an NFL game between the Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers.

WPGH general manager Alan Frank initially attributed the error to Comcast, but later said the problem was caused by an audio switch on WPGH's transmitter. The station's sound was off for cable and satellite viewers beginning about 12:55 p.m. and returned at about 2:20 p.m. (Post-Gazette staff reports)

Channel surfing

Michael Bartley, managing editor of "On Q" (7:30 weeknights, WQED), will report tonight on the history and architecture of Rodef Shalom on Fifth Avenue. The congregation celebrates the 100th anniversary of its building this year. ... Michael Trucco, who plays Sam Anders on "Battlestar Galactica," has been tapped for the lead role in "Man of Your Dreams," an NBC pilot about a cad who puts his skills to use in helping women find romance. (Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor)