By: Sandra Vo, Staff Writer
Once revered as one of the greatest reality television shows of all time, Dancing with the Stars now faces a tall order to stay relevant in the age of streaming and decline of cable TV. Though it’s earned its place in the hearts of middle-aged people and the older generation, Dancing with the Stars has failed to capture a spot on the watchlist with a younger audience (many of whom may not even know what the acronym “DWTS” refers to).
This is not for the lack of trying however. Many younger people will find the names of this season’s celebrities quite familiar, as it features people such as Olivia Jade (an influencer known for her involvement in a 2019 college admissions scandal), Cody Rigsby (the “Peloton Guy”), Jojo Siwa (influencer and pop star), and Suni Lee (Olympic Gold Medalist). So why has the show failed to pull in viewers?
Perhaps this can be attributed to dislike of the show’s host, Tyra Banks. Or perhaps this is a result of fewer and fewer people buying cable TV (although the show is available to stream on Hulu). But perhaps most worryingly for the show, the premise of the show just isn’t enough to garner viewers anymore.
Dancing with the Stars essentially gathers celebrities and pairs them with professional dancers to learn dance routines every week, which are then scored by a panel of esteemed judges. The celebrity with the lowest score (a combination of both the judges’ points and audience voting) is eliminated each episode. However, although the songs played may come from a variety of different genres, Dancing with the Stars specializes on different types of ballroom dancing, a form of dance that might not appeal to a younger demographic.
But this is not to disparage the show’s newest season as completely unsalvageable. This show’s season has featured its first ever same-sex dance couple (Jojo Siwa and her partner, Jenna), an entire night dedicated to Britney Spears, and a variety of awe-inspiring routines. Dancing with the Stars still houses its magical charm in terms of stage production, performances, and judge banter, but as it stands, that charm seems to have an expiration date that passed long ago.