Tony winner fought for her spot on 'Dancing with the Stars'

Like ships passing in the night two "Dancing With the Stars" competitors seemed to be on alternate planes of existence.

Marissa Jaret Winokur, 5 feet tall, was walking past the 6-foot-6 Penn Jillette.

"I said Hi' and he didn't say anything," Winokur recalls. "Then I realized: I was completely below his radar. Penn didn't even see me."

There might be a metaphor there; or maybe just a daydreamer. "I'm frequently lost in my thoughts," Jillette says.

But mostly, her story illustrates something basic: "Dancing With the Stars" - which has its first two eliminations Tuesday (March 18) - has extreme contrasts in:

- Age. Mario, a rhythm-and-blues singer, is 21; Priscilla Presley is 62.

- Size. Jillette, a magician, and Jason Taylor, a pro football star, are each 6-6; Winokur (a Tony winner) is 5-foot, Kristi Yamaguchi (an Olympic skating champion) is 5-1.

- Native country. Cristian de la Fuente, an actor, is from Chile; Monica Seles, a tennis great, is from Yugoslavia.

- And intangibles. For some, this will seem easy. They look athletic (Adam Carolla, Shannon Elizabeth, Steve Guttenberg); they really are athletes (Taylor, Yamaguchi, Seles). Others face major obstacles - particularly actress Marlee Matlin, who is hearing-impaired.

For an extreme contrast, however, meet Jillette and Winokur.

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