DWTS: Season 35 Controversy

The only thing that has to be large on #DWTS is determination.

Len Goodman, Season 26

SOcial Media influence

I’ve watched Dancing with the Stars for years, but over the past two years, it’s really blown up on social media with the addition of pros Rylee Arnold and Ezra Sosa and its increased presence on TikTok. While I don’t necessarily mind the growth and welcome all viewers to enjoy the show, the problem, in my opinion, is that social media has shifted the conversation away from the dancing itself and toward who people like, who they think deserves an “easy” or “hard” partner, and whether a celebrity has too much dance experience.

Pairings

Backlash

I wanted to start with the common preseason predictions. When the cast was originally revealed, it was clear that the casting was slanted toward the Chmerkovskiy household, with Jenna getting Harry Shum Jr., whom I know as Mike Chang from Glee, and Val getting Jenna Dewan, a well-known professional dancer from Step Up. This caused a lot of backlash because it seemed like Jenna and Val were being favored by the casting and set up to win the Mirrorball. However, I do not entirely agree. When everyone wanted Val to win last year with Alix, it would have been only one season since he won Season 32 with Xochitl Gomez, and no one seemed to care. So why is it such a big deal now? If Harry and Jenna D. are the better dancers, then I really do not see the problem because it is called “Dancing with the Stars,” not “Dancing with People with No Dance Experience” or “Vote for Your Favorite Pro.”

Harry’s Performances

For Week 1, Harry performed a cha-cha. It was scored a 21/30, putting him at the top of the leaderboard. Personally, I thought the dance was fun and great. I can definitely see him winning the Mirrorball, and I will continue to vote for him every week because he is amazing, and I love watching good dances. For Week 2, Harry performed a Viennese waltz, earning an 18. This dance was incredible and should have gotten a higher score. It was beautiful to watch, and the choice of “Iris,” along with the emotion he put into the dance, made it a standout of the night.

Jenna’s performances

For Week 1, Jenna performed a tango. It was scored a 19/30. Now, although she is a professional, I feel like the dance fell short for me. Maybe it was due to the lack of emotion or flow, but it was not very memorable. For Week 2, Jenna performed a jive, earning a 21/30. The dance was the first of the night and undoubtedly set the bar high, but by the end of the episode, I did not even remember it. She is an incredible dancer, undoubtedly, but I think I need to watch her perform a contemporary dance or a waltz to see more emotion and storytelling in her dancing. I will also acknowledge her growth in her partner work, as she took the judges’ critiques to heart and put in the effort.

My winners and thoughts

I think both Jenna and Harry will go very far in the competition, and although they are not necessarily my top choices to win, I would love to see their freestyles because of their hip-hop backgrounds. I do hope they continue to improve and fall back in love with dance, because that was what was so beautiful about watching Season 31 with Charli D’Amelio and Season 34 with Whitney Leavitt. There have always been people with dance experience on the show, and every year, social media criticizes it more and more. But you cannot deny that the dances and choreography the pros come up with are much more entertaining and unique. For that reason, I do hope they continue casting people with a dance background because isn’t it just as restrictive to cut out all stars with dancing experience, too?

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