Throughout 34 seasons of Dancing with the Stars (DWTS), the show has made significant changes to avoid repetition and remain relevant.
As a long-time viewer of the show, I have strong opinions on elements that I love and elements that I think should be changed. I’ve seen plenty of online discourse filled with complaints about how the show is structured, especially about the most recent season.
The judging panel
One major consistency of the show is the judges’ panel. For most seasons, the panel has been comprised of Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli. There have only been five recurring judges across the span of the show. Juliane Hough was the fourth judge throughout Seasons 19 to 24 (except Season 22), while Derek Hough was brought in to replace Goodman beginning in Season 29.
When the judges included Goodman, Inaba, and Tonioli, it was a very balanced mix. Goodman is notable for his harsh judging style, with a heavy emphasis on technique and the rules associated with each style. Inaba focuses heavily on performance, and Tonioli prioritizes energy, with each judge emphasizing a different element.
Personally, I think a larger panel of four judges is stronger. It allows contestants to receive more feedback and adds a different perspective from the other judges. To me, the perfect fourth judge is someone with a judging style similar to Goodman’s. The show’s professional dancers (pros) should have the ability to be creative in their choreography, but not at the expense of following the rules of each style.
Announcing the results
In each elimination, the co-hosts reveal the couples one by one until only three couples remain. The bottom three couples used to be the couples with the lowest scores; however, in recent seasons, this is no longer the case. This is something that I’d like to see changed back; the bottom three is helpful for contestants to understand that they’re at risk of elimination even after being safe for the week.
I think that if you didn’t watch the show, then you don’t have the right to vote. After all, it’s a dancing competition, and if you aren’t watching, how can you judge? Of course, vote for your favorite star. However, I still believe if you aren’t engaging with the show by watching, then you don’t have the right to have a say in who’s on the show.
Keeping the show reality TV
At the end of the day, DWTS is a reality television competition. I want to bring back messy rehearsal footage, confessionals, and pro intros. Maksim Chmerkovskiy is notorious for being known as the bad boy of the ballroom, being a former pro for the show. There are plenty of various rehearsal clips of Chmerkovskiy yelling at or being angry with his partner. To me, it makes great entertainment.
My personal favorite clip from the show is young Derek Hough when he complained about a comment from the judges. Confessionals really add to the reality TV element, which I’d love to see the show go back to. I also loved the pro intros, which would be great to bring back, especially with newer pros. The intros were also a chance for recent winners to have some bragging rights and were, overall, a great beginning to the new season.
I love DWTS and will continue to watch every season that comes out, but I’d love some of these changes to be made. Lasting 34 seasons is an impressive mark, and that’s been achieved through the show’s ability to be adaptive and creative. I hope that producers might choose to follow fan opinions for a more enjoyable show.
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