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The hit dance competition franchise, Dancing with the Stars (2005-), recently celebrated twenty years on air with the premiere of its thirty-fourth season, showcasing stars ranging from social media influencer Alix Earle to NBA point guard Baron Davis, all the way to Australian wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin. The popular TV series has now been licensed to sixty territories, allowing dozens of countries to air their version of the ballroom dance competition; perhaps the reason that this season has received the highest ratings and voting responses yet.1
With record-breaking numbers of viewers and potential voters, people are asking the same question they’ve been asking since the beginning: will the winner be the most talented dancer, or the most popular star? And, more importantly, does it really matter?
“Manufacturing Escapism” — The Rise Of Dancing With The Stars (DWTS) (2005-)
Based on the British competition series Strictly Come Dancing (2004-), Dancing with the Stars first premiered in 2005 on the cable network ABC. The show pairs pro-dancers with fan-favorite celebrities, challenging each couple with one to two styles of ballroom and/or Latin dance each week: Argentine Tango, Jive, Quickstep, Cha-cha, Waltz, Contemporary, Foxtrot, Paso Doble, Rumba, or Salsa.2
ABC stated their desire to find their own American Idol (2002-) — a show that captures the unseen story arcs of celebrities and the personal mental and physical battles they face in the heart of competition. The Washington Post adds that DWTS offers two hours of “unapologetic escapism… in which the biggest crisis might involve nailing the footwork for the cha-cha” (Yahr).3
Low Stakes, High Effort
In a time where reality TV was heavily consumed with the drama of shows like The Housewives and the Bachelor franchises, there seemed to be a gap — a spot to be filled by a feel-good show about famous people learning to dance.
The stakes are low and, while it is a competition, the greatest battles seem to be personal: frustrations towards their bodies’ limitations when it comes to learning ballroom technique.
“Sure, people get frustrated, but they are never fighting with each other. They are just angry they aren’t learning their quickstep.” – Deena Katz4
Each week, couples will be tasked with a new style, facing elimination until only three or four remain, competing in a freestyle that will ultimately determine the sole winner of the Mirrorball trophy.
Competition Built On Transformation, Not Talent
One of DWTS’ biggest competitors is NBC’s The Voice (2011-): a singing competition where individuals with natural singing talent perform in a blind audition for a panel of popular artists who turn their chairs for voices they want on their team. Of the artists that turn (if any), the singer gets to choose who they want as their coach, and therefore, join their team. Teams compete against one another, but in the end, it is every man for themselves until there is just one champion.
If viewers want a dance competition amongst the most talented dancers, they would certainly switch to something like World of Dance (2017-2020) or So You Think You Can Dance (2005-2022). However, while shows like The Voice and American Idol host ‘normal’ individuals (that is, not celebrities) who contain natural talent/abilities, Dancing with the Stars profits off of a cast of well-known celebrities in a competition outside of their comfort zones.
Casting — What Defines A Star?
How famous is famous enough to be cast on Dancing with the Stars? Producers must work to seek out the most interesting celebs for the show, making sure to cover all possible viewer demographics.
Audience members love to watch their favorite celebs make a fool out of themselves, which plays a major role in casting, however, celebrities have just as much to gain from the experience. Primary casting director Deena Katz even goes so far as to compare it to Willy Wonka’s golden ticket.
Deena Katz
“If there’s one woman responsible for the show’s success — and its unique place in the pop culture ecosystem — it’s Deena Katz” (Bennett).
Deena Katz has been the primary casting director for Dancing with the Stars since the beginning in 2004, tasked with arguably the most important aspect of the show, choosing stars to be paired with the pros. That season’s stars will determine viewership, so she wants a range of celebrities, someone for every age group to root for.
In an interview with Slate, Katz shares her thoughts on choosing each contestant and their professional pairing. She admits to spending hours scrolling gossip sites for which celebrities are making headlines, and even taking suggestions from her husband and daughter.
Former celebrity contestants commend Katz for her efforts in casting them for the show. She reaches out to nearly ninety percent of the stars she casts (as opposed to the ten percent that reach out to her in interest), inviting them to in-person meetings to discuss the opportunity — this is how she sells it.
She is relentless in her endeavors, having reached out to her dream star to have on the show, Bill Clinton, every season, to which his people continue to politely decline on his behalf.5 When selecting a cast, there are certain attributes that make you apt for a role, and Katz has a knack for picking them out.
Celebrities from a variety of fields: TV, sports, music; stars that can laugh at themselves (Bill Nye, Von Miller), wild cards (Buzz Aldrin, Nancy Grace), nostalgia picks (Jennifer Grey, Ralph Macchio), etc. The goal is to keep the show light-hearted, which factors into the selection process.
“Every season is like making the best dinner party ever. This show would be so boring if it were always 12 actors and some Disney kids. Ideally, they’re people who can laugh at themselves. (Otherwise, the show gets too intense.)6 – Deena Katz
However, in appealing to all these components, there have been some misses.
Redemption On The Dance Floor
Dancing with the Stars, for some, is a chance for redemption, to rebuild their image, or re-enlist their name back into the limelight.
Often, these contestants get the opportunity to confront their pasts in their first confessional and get it out of the way so that they can move forward with a clean slate. Stars on the show get complete control over their narratives. They decide what gets shown in the intro clips and what details of their lives are revealed. Dancing with the Stars isn’t about the drama — it’s about the passion behind everyone’s story.
But even if the celebrities are reading for an image reboot, that doesn’t necessarily mean fans will agree with their having another opportunity under the spotlight.
Politics In The Ballroom
Perhaps the most controversial casting choice, former “falsehood” prone press secretary to Donald Trump, Sean Spicer, sparked the conversation on whether or not political figures should be considered for the show.
He finished in sixth place, having lasted that long solely by the power of viewer votes, and judges and former host Tom Bergeron were not shy about their dissatisfaction with his improvement.
Social media was flooded with furious comments, not because a former White House official was on the show, but because Dancing with the Stars has the ability to “sprinkle its image-bolstering magic” on him (Yahr 2019).7
Goodbye, Tom Bergeron
Tom Bergeron, who was released from the show following season 28, spoke out about why he really left. In a podcast with Cheryl Burke, Bergeron said that he told the DWTS team,
“‘Guys, this is exactly what we said we wouldn’t do. Don’t go there. This is, you know, not the right time, play to our strengths, be the show that gives people a break from all this bulls—.'”8
With the impending election year, this was a step too far for Bergeron. He remains vocal on the betrayal he felt from a show that had once hosted “people of character.” Despite this history, though, Tom Bergeron did make an appearance as a guest judge for the 20th birthday celebration of Dancing with the Stars, where he was nothing short of pleased to be back (temporarily).
When Redemption Fails…
When pro-boxer Floyd Mayweather was announced in the season five line-up, fans were appalled at the choice to cast someone with a history of domestic violence. Similarly, ex-convict Anna Delvey, who served just over three years, was cast sporting her bedazzled ankle monitor. Delvey was by no means a fan favorite, and she was eliminated early in the season.9
Olivia Jade, most known for her parents’ incarceration on behalf of the bribes they paid to ensure their daughters admission into the University of Southern California; Carole Baskin, Tiger King star, who potentially played a role in her husband’s disappearance; Ryan Lochte, Olympic swimmer who admitted to over-exaggerating being robbed at gunpoint during the Rio Olympics, are all amongst the group of celebrities who received online backlash at the news of their casting on the show.10 None of these celebs made it nearly as far as one such controversial cast member.
When Popularity Beats Performance
One of, if not the most controversial moments on the show, was when radio personality Bobby Bones took home the Mirrorball Trophy after winning season twenty-seven alongside partner Sharna Burgess.
In what some fans call “the biggest upset in ‘Dancing with the Stars’ history,” Bones was ranked last in the odds of winning the season’s title, but nevertheless, in the shocking victory over Milo Manheim (the runner-up), he was ranked champion.
While country music fans were thrilled, avid viewers took their displeasure online, pointing out his mediocre dance skills that never scored him higher than an eight (other than in the finale) on the judges’ scale.
Bones, though, was never deterred, being applauded each week for the energy he put into each routine up until the very end. His loyal fans carried him all the way through.11 This is why some controversial celebrities crash and burn, and others like Bobby Bones flourish — they’re either doomed from the start because of existing controversy, or they’re controversial because of how effective they are at winning over their audience despite their flaws. This is true now more than ever with the direction Dancing with the Stars is going in, and how tuned-in it is with younger viewers, especially.
Public Voting — Platform & Audience
The show originally aired on ABC on Monday nights (later switched to Tuesday so as not to interfere with Monday Night Football), but beginning with the thirty-first season, the show was announced to only be available through streaming on Disney+.
The show was quickly brought back to ABC — in addition to staying on Disney+ — the following season after experiencing an extreme decline in viewers.12 Having both viewing options widened the spectrum of audience members. Younger generations who aren’t paying for cable and are more likely to opt for streaming services can now watch live, along with avid cable watchers.
Many competition shows, Dancing with the Stars included, employ voting campaigns which help to drive audience engagement. Fans often have favorite contestants, so allowing real-time voting makes them feel as though they hold some power over the outcome. Viewers are given until the last performance of the night to vote (online) for their favorite dance and/or celebrity couple, and then a combination of viewer votes and judges’ scores dictates which couple will be eliminated that night.
It is not unusual for long-time running linear TV shows to experience a decline in viewership, but such is not the case for Dancing with the Stars. The show kicked off its thirty-fourth season with its highest viewer numbers since 2020. And with the revitalization of our younger audiences, it is evident why.13
The Power Of Gen Z
A demographic that had previously abandoned linear television is now back and more prevalent than ever. The communal viewing experience was not something younger generations were entirely familiar with, but from the one hundred and eighteen percent increase in viewers under thirty-five this year, as compared to last, we can see the appeal is still there.14
In recent seasons, we have definitely seen more celebrities cast that appeal to the Gen Z audience, however, there seems to be some unpredictability when it comes to how they cast their votes.
The linear timeline allows viewers to tune in for the growth, and through social media, we also receive some behind-the-scenes clips in between episodes. It seems as though current viewers have more of a soft spot for the “realness” of the celebrities, rather than strictly how they perform on the dance floor.
There will always be online controversy over who should have won the competition — Bobby Barnes clearly wasn’t the best dancer, but his popularity pulled through in the end. Charli D’Amelio had a dance background that some thought deemed her casting unfair, yet she was fun to watch and engaged with her fans, ultimately bringing her to victory. Dancer or not, if you’re fun to watch and embracing your fan base, you will go far.
Social Media Influence
Not only has there been the addition of social media influencers to the celebrity casting pool, but the influence of social media has been a massive factor in reaching potential voters. Producer Conrad Green initiated leaning into social media as a way to approach this younger generation of viewers.
Stars and their professional partners can even be seen using social media platform TikTok to appeal to their audiences. Green told The New York Times, “We’ve kind of hit this tipping point where now we feed TikTok, TikTok feeds back to us,” proving the mutual benefits of media cooperation.15
In terms of the current season (season thirty-four), it is reasonable to conclude that TikTok is the reason actor and comedian Andy Richter lasted so long on the show. He and his partner, Emma Slater, utilize their profiles in creating promotional and comedic clips that preview the upcoming week’s dances, ultimately creating a loyal fanbase known as “the fandies.”
Since season thirty, social media followings and social media presence have become a driving factor in fan voting, but it has also been the hotspot for viewer criticism.16
Authenticity Over Excellence In Dancing With The Stars (DWTS) (2005-)
Even if fans never seem to be satisfied with the results, there are pretty clear trends with who makes it the farthest. Good dancers tend to be more entertaining to watch, but if they have any sort of dance history, that is an unfair advantage. Some celebrities are mediocre dancers, yet their popularity brings them to the finals. In the end, that’s what people want to see from Dancing with the Stars. They don’t want to see the best technical dancing, they want to see people having fun.
Andy Richter was miles behind his competitors in terms of capabilities, but by his own standards, he was improving, and fans loved to see it. The constant smile on his face was a weekly reminder of the fun he was having while learning to dance.
Whitney Leavitt, however, has prior dance history and was a shoo-in for the trophy since night one, yet, in receiving the same high scores for the past couple of weeks, she started reaching a standstill in her performance level, and, ultimately, the lack of fan votes got her sent home.
Authenticity has always been at the heart of Dancing with the Stars; whether you’re a dancer or not, prominent now or a favorite from the past, no matter your background, if you are showing up true to yourself and embracing the competition, you’ll go far.
Footnotes
- Wiki, Contributors to International Broadcasts. “Dancing with the Stars.” International Broadcasts Wiki, Fandom, Inc., Accessed 10 Nov. 2025. ↩︎
- Redmond, Brian. “‘Dancing with the Stars’ Dances Explained and How the Judges Score Them.” Accessed 10 Nov. 2025. ↩︎
- Yahr, Emily. “‘Dancing With the Stars’ Perfected a Formula for Kitschy, Escapist Joy. Can It Survive Today’s Politics?” The Washington Post, 2019, Accessed 2025. ↩︎
- Bennett, Laura. “How One Casting Director Made Dancing with the Stars the Leader in Celebrity Image Rehab.” Slate Magazine, Slate, 24 May 2016, ↩︎
- Bennett, Laura. “How One Casting Director Made Dancing with the Stars the Leader in Celebrity Image Rehab.” Slate Magazine, Slate, 24 May 2016, ↩︎
- Bennett, Laura. “How One Casting Director Made Dancing with the Stars the Leader in Celebrity Image Rehab.” Slate Magazine, Slate, 24 May 2016, ↩︎
- Yahr, Emily. “‘Dancing With the Stars’ Perfected a Formula for Kitschy, Escapist Joy. Can It Survive Today’s Politics?” The Washington Post, 16 Sept. 2019. ↩︎
- DeGrushe, Allison. “Why Did Tom Bergeron Leave ‘Dwts’? Here’s Why He Felt ‘screwed’ after His Original Departure.” EW.com, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Nov. 2025.
↩︎ - Manohar, Rupali. “‘dwts’ Boss Finally Explains Why Controversial Celebs Keep Getting Cast – and It’s Not Just for Drama.”
↩︎ - Staff, Us Weekly. “Most Controversial ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Contestants.” Us Weekly, 5 Sept. 2024.
↩︎ - Yahr, Emily. “Biggest Upset in ‘Dancing with the Stars’ History? Bobby Bones Wins in Finale.” Statesman, Austin American-Statesman, 20 Nov. 2018.
↩︎ - Adalian, Josef. “Dancing with the Stars Foxtrots Back to ABC.” Vulture, Vulture, 2 May 20.
↩︎ - Adalian, Josef. “The Hottest Show on TV Is 20 Years Old.” Vulture, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025.
↩︎ - Adalian, Josef. “The Hottest Show on TV Is 20 Years Old.” Vulture, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025. ↩︎
- Adalian, Josef. “The Hottest Show on TV Is 20 Years Old.” Vulture, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025.
↩︎ - Hollier, Shireen. “How Famous Do ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Contestants Have to Be?” TheThings, TheThings, 9 Apr. 2022.
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