Dancing with the Stars Has a West Coast Voting Problem

The magic of Dancing with the Stars Theme Nights and the frustration of a West Coast Viewer.

I’ve been an avid watcher of Dancing with the Stars since Season 32, tuning in and voting every Tuesday night. Although I started watching when I was younger, I took a break after Season 27, following my first heartbreak: Milo Manheim coming in second place. His Halloween performance remains one of my all-time favorites. 

Halloween and Disney Nights are two of the most anticipated themed episodes for Dancing With Stars fans. At this point in the competition, fewer contestants remain, the choreography has grown increasingly difficult, and the stars have developed close relationships with their professional partners. These themed nights allow the pros to capitalize on their partners’ strengths and personalities, creating some of the season’s most memorable performances. One week, contestants transform into terrifying villains, and the next, they’re bringing beloved Disney characters to life. 

However, as the competition progresses and the remaining stars become increasingly capable dancers, the results can feel less dependent on the performances themselves and more influenced by the size of each contestant’s fan base. As a West Coast viewer, I’ve always been frustrated by the show’s voting system, but this season’s Halloween Horror Night and Disney on Broadway Night highlighted exactly why.

The West Coast Voting Problem

Living on the West Coast, viewers are unable to watch the show and vote at the same time. We must either miss out on the opportunity to vote, leaving the fate of our favorite stars in the hands of viewers who can watch live, or cast our votes based on previous performances and personal favorites. Even though the show is filmed just three hours away from Santa Barbara, airing at 5:00 PST, those of us in the same time zone must wait till 8 p.m. to watch.

In recent weeks, I hadn’t been particularly impressed with Jackson Olsen’s performances. Although I had voted for him earlier in the season, I felt that he hadn’t been improving and decided not to vote for him during Halloween Horror Night. However, his performance completely surprised me, and I immediately regretted my decision. When ranking the dances afterward, Jackson placed fifth on my list, above three stars I had actually voted for. 

In contrast, I’ve been a huge fan of Julia Stiles since watching 10 Things I Hate About You, which remains my favorite movie. Naturally, I wanted to keep her in the competition, and I felt that her performances had been strong enough to justify my continued support. Her emotional Dedication Night dance had also influenced my decision to vote for her during Halloween Horror Night. 

However, Julia’s Halloween performance left me underwhelmed. I’m not saying I would have preferred to see her eliminated instead of Jackson, but I do believe Jackson delivered the stronger performance and deserved to advance to Disney Night. I was especially disappointed knowing that he would have performed “Come Alive” from The Greatest Showman. 

Then came Disney Night, and I found myself in a similar situation. By the time I sat down to watch the episode, I did not vote for Julia Stiles. It pained me to do so, but once again, I felt that she wasn’t improving enough to earn my vote. Then she performed her dance, and I regretted my decision. Her performance of “Satisfied” from Hamilton was, in my opinion, her best dance of the season. This time, I genuinely believed she deserved to stay in the competition. I’m not suggesting that my ten votes alone would have saved either contestant from elimination. However, if other West Coast viewers are making similar decisions, our combined votes could potentially make a difference.

WHEN POPULARITY OUTWEIGHS PERFORMANCE

The West Coast voting issue only reinforces one of the show’s biggest challenges: balancing popularity with dancing ability. As the competition progresses, viewers naturally become attached to their favorite contestants, especially when the stars are delivering entertaining performances. The inability for viewers in every time zone to vote based on that night’s dances encourages this favoritism to continue. Allowing West Coast viewers to watch the show while voting remains open wouldn’t eliminate popularity-based voting. Fans would still vote for their favorites, regardless of how well they performed. However, it would give viewers the opportunity to make decisions based on the dances themselves, rather than relying solely on previous performances or personal favorites. After all, if the show is supposed to be about the stars’ dances, shouldn’t every viewer be able to vote based on the performances they see?

• dancing
• dancing with the stars
• entertainment