I’ve been glued to “Dancing with the Stars” since I was 8 years old, captivated by every dramatic paso doble, jaw-dropping lift and heartbreaking elimination.
I’ve watched 16-year-old Zendaya glide across the floor and Jordan Fisher charm the ballroom. I gasped with the rest of America when Bobby Bones pulled off his season 27 win, and I watched through the era of Derek Hough dominance.
Point is, I know when a lift is legal and when it’s about to send Carrie Ann out of her chair. And while I love that TikTok has given the show a fresh wave of hype, I can’t help but roll my eyes at some of the viral takes:
“Why is Whitney Leavitt on the show? She has dance experience.”
“DWTS contestants shouldn’t have any dance experience.”
I’m sick of the slander for stars who have previous dance experience. This isn’t “Dancing with the Barely Coordinated.” It’s supposed to be a competition — and competitions are more fun when the talent actually knows how to dance. Watching someone who’s never pointed a toe stumble through a cha-cha is funny for about five minutes. Watching a trained performer push themselves into the ballroom for the first time? That’s entertainment.
And last time I checked, having dance experience wasn’t an automatic guarantee for a Mirrorball Trophy. Take “Glee” star and Beyoncé backup dancer Heather Morris from season 24. She got a perfect score in week six, then was eliminated that same night. Chandler Kinney, Disney star and trained dancer who has been dancing since she was 3-years-old, didn’t win the Mirrorball last season either.
I could name countless more contestants who had dance experience and didn’t win a Mirrorball. The point is, it’s not just your talent that gets you through, you need to have the fan votes and show some genuine improvement to win, too.
Having dance experience doesn’t necessarily equate to succeeding in the ballroom, either. A hip-hop background doesn’t automatically translate to a graceful Viennese waltz, and even Broadway-trained performers have been chewed up by the tango. The ballroom has its own rules, and plenty of so-called “ringers” have been outlasted by stars with two left feet and massive fan bases.
Most stars with dance experience have their own issues. They may enter the season knowing techniques that other contestants have to learn from scratch, but that early skill can backfire.
Judges expect perfection from the start, leaving little room for a “wow” moment later on. High scores early on often translate to low perceived improvement, which can make even technically strong performers look stagnant… and put them at risk of early elimination.
At the end of the day, you don’t have to vote for stars with dance experience. You can watch, enjoy the show and still roll your eyes at a messy lift or a clumsy spin — without focusing and acting like having some skill is unfair. Being prepared doesn’t make them villains; it just makes the competition more interesting.