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Baylor | Culture

Has Dancing With The Stars Lost The Plot?

Makenzie Klement Student Contributor, Baylor University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Baylor chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

For dancers and reality TV lovers alike, every Tuesday night in fall is blocked off on the calendar for Dancing With The Stars. Whether you love a good competition or just want to see your favorite celebrity perform, the show can bring a joyous occasion to each long school week and can provide a much-needed break from life’s many responsibilities. But in the past few years, fans of the show have wondered: Has Dancing With The Stars lost the plot? 

Some fans of the show are frustrated with certain celebrities joining with previous dance experience. Others (me) argue that celebrities with dance experience make the show more entertaining, especially because many aren’t trained in the ballroom style that is required on the show. 

But the thing is, dance experience doesn’t always get you far in the show. Judges’ scores are only 50% of what sends dancers on to the next round. The rest? Fan votes. This system was set up to ensure a fair and enjoyable competition. Pro dancer Whitney Carson argued on social media that the show was meant to be a popularity contest, not a dancing one. You’re meant to vote based on what matters to you, whether that’s dance experience, personality, or something entirely different. 

Personally, I think that’s the beauty of the show–- anyone can enjoy it. However, I believe the systems in place can often lead to unfair outcomes, and certain changes could be made to fully justify which teams are going home each week. For instance, once every season, each judge should have the ability to save a couple in the bottom 3 from being eliminated. This will ensure the best dancers don’t go home too quickly and will add some spice to the show. Furthermore, feedback needs to be fair across all levels of dance–- judges can’t expect improvement from celebrities that they’ve given little to no feedback to. And no, Derek, ‘That dance was a lot of fun!’ is not feedback… Lock in. Let’s give these dancers something to work towards and their fans something to yell at their TV’s about. 

Dancing with the Stars is supposed to be fun and entertaining, for both the fans and the celebrities competing. If you want a real dancing show, watch So You Think You Can Dance or World of Dance. In the meantime, I’ll be cuddled up on the couch every Tuesday of this month rooting for my favorite celebrity, Harry Shum Jr. This season brings in many skilled dancers and lots of personality, so make sure to tune in and don’t forget to vote for your favs!

Makenzie Klement

Baylor '27

Makenzie Klement is a writer at the Her Campus chapter at Baylor University. She works closely with the Editor-In-Chief to publish articles centered on wellness, lifestyle, and culture.

Beyond Her Campus, Makenzie works as a marketing and communications intern on Baylor campus where she writes for the Baylor Impact magazine. She has experience as a photographer for the Alliance for Women in Media in Dallas. She previously interned as a sports broadcaster for Baylor Vision. Makenzie is a senior at Baylor studying Journalism and minoring in Business Administration.

In her free time, Makenzie enjoys reading and writing, as well as going on fun adventures with friends. She always has her headphones on listening to any music imaginable, including 70’s songs, K-pop, classical music, and more. She is a huge Harry Potter fan and ready to prove her knowledge in a Hogwarts trivia night. Makenzie can almost always be found with an iced coffee or sweet treat in her hand. Despite being a busy senior, Makenzie decided to try out being a Her Campus writer in hopes to find a community of strong women and work towards her dream of being a journalist or editor in a big city one day!