With an impressive viewership of 4.97 million this season, “Dancing with the Stars” is one of the most notable reality TV shows in today’s generation.
The show features a diverse group of celebrity contestants, considered “the Stars,” paired with professional dancers; each week, as the competition progresses, the couples are judged and voted upon by the audience to determine who will be eliminated.
Every season the show tends to grow more and more in popularity, increasing the rate of iconic celebrities taking part in it.
However, I must question if some celebrities can be iconic in a poor way and if this harms the show overall: the main contender for this question has been the celebrity introduced in season 33, Anna Delvey.
Many fans were taken aback, including myself, when learning that Delvey is most known for her controversial work as a Russian con artist.
After defrauding multiple banks, Delvey was convicted on multiple accounts and sentenced to jail in 2018, later released in 2021. Many fans cocked their heads back when they came to find out that someone with such a notorious background was asked to join the worldwide favorite: “Dancing with the Stars.”
Though the audience was reluctant to this decision, it wasn’t unusual for the reality TV show given its history. “Dancing with the Stars” is typically known for putting questionable celebrities on in order to bring in more views.
This has been seen previously with Floyd Mayweather, a professional boxer who pleaded guilty to two counts of abuse, Olivia Jade Gianulli, whose parents were accused in a nationwide college bribery scandal and Carol Baskin, who the public strongly believes played a role in her husband’s disappearance. Yet somehow between all of these people, Anna Delvey has managed to attract the most attention.
During this current season, Delvey was partnered with first-time pro, Ezra Sosa and the two have been inseparable since. Though their relationship is very positive, fans couldn’t help but despise it. Delvey was, and is, still considered a criminal in many eyes, hardening those hearts toward her and toward the show itself.
Her biggest conflict with herself has been her most prominent accessory: her bedazzled ankle bracelet. Through the constant parade of this garment, fans only gained a more negative perspective on her. The ankle bracelet only became a spectacle of what many considered as “flexing,” harming the star’s reputation gradually.
As a huge fan of the TV show, I can attest to the belief that “Dancing with the Stars” made a controversial decision when bringing her on, and they shouldn’t have expected anything less from their fans.
On the first elimination night, the show exceeded their expectations by receiving 15 million votes, a record-breaking moment. While the show itself may be proud of its growth and improvement, it can quickly be realized that this was all an effort by fans to make sure Delvey didn’t spend another week on it.
It’s incredibly clear that the controversy was an effort to improve views, and though the effort was accomplished, it tainted the public’s perspective on the show.
Years before, the show held a huge amount of respect to those who watched. It exhibited classical elements that portrayed the importance and inspiration of ballroom dance but lately, all viewers are seeing is a level of drama that has been brought to keep up with a new society’s wants.
Due to this new wave that the show is partaking in, it has become heartbreaking to watch the true meaning of ballroom be polluted by the sense of calamity that newer generations have come to watch. From the excitement of costuming, to the beautiful choreography from the pros, “Dancing with the Stars” has always been a top-tier TV show and deserved much recognition.
Unfortunately, these beautiful components of the show are slowly fading away. By continuing this streak, “Dancing with the Stars” is killing itself and if they’re not careful, I’m scared it will lose all of its true followers who adore its unique qualities. Fans are now sparked with mixed reactions, being torn between their love for the show and their disgust for the drama.
With all being said, currently, the show is still doing well in views and production along with no controversy, so one can only hope that this was all just a rough start for season 33.