- 2 months ago
When the music stops, the drama begins! Join us as we count down the behind-the-scenes decisions on Dancing with the Stars that seemed designed to trip up contestants and pros alike. From controversial theme nights to questionable casting choices, these production decisions had dancers stumbling more than any complicated choreography.
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00:00This is about learning ballroom dance. We know you can do hip-hop.
00:03Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:05And today, we're counting down our picks for the behind-the-scenes decisions on Dancing with the Stars
00:09that seemed designed to trip up the cast.
00:12Give me your honest opinion about the switch-up.
00:14The switch-up kind of sucks, in my opinion.
00:17Number 10. Poor theme night choices.
00:20We have two words for you.
00:22TikTok night.
00:23Cringing already? Same.
00:30I've been over, girl. Show me what you're first.
00:32Shake your ass. Watch yourself.
00:34Sure, TikTok is huge for dance, and plenty of contestants have viral cred,
00:39but those dances thrive on personality and accessibility,
00:43not the technique, precision, and artistry ballroom and Latin demand.
00:47When the show tried to mash them together,
00:49the result felt like pandering with viral moves and trending songs that cheapened the choreography.
00:54She's a bad man, come on.
00:58Yeah, just as fine as she can be.
01:02What should have been strong, disciplined routines became watered-down TikTok bait.
01:07The night reeked of gimmickry, chasing views instead of celebrating skill.
01:11And no one felt that mismatch more than Lauren Haregi and Brandon Armstrong,
01:15whose potential got buried under a theme that didn't deserve them.
01:18Work, work, work, work.
01:20Do the work, do the work.
01:22Yeah, yeah, we can work them home.
01:26Number 9. Misleading rehearsal narratives.
01:29While Dancing with the Stars is a dance competition, it's also reality TV.
01:34Producers are ultimately driven by ratings, drama, and storytelling,
01:38often at the expense of fairness or truth.
01:41There will be drama.
01:42I look like an idiot.
01:44Intrigue.
01:45I can't see.
01:46And romance.
01:47Contestants get edited into characters, the underdog, the diva, the villain, the star,
01:54when often there's a lot more to it.
01:56Rehearsal footage gets chopped to highlight frustration, tears, or tension,
02:00twisting normal stress into meltdowns.
02:03Genuine progress or sweet moments barely make the cut because, well, drama sells.
02:22Some pairs get framed to shine, while others are sacrificed for a juicier plot twist.
02:28It keeps viewers hooked, but it also wrecks reputations, confidence, and sometimes entire partnerships,
02:34all in the name of good TV.
02:36And that's what I'm talking about.
02:38That's what I bring here, and I can't let go.
02:41You're there to prove a point.
02:43If you fail this week, he wins.
02:46Number 8. Showmance pressures.
02:48When two attractive people spend weeks dancing in such close quarters,
02:52it feels almost inevitable that sparks will fly.
03:07Producers seem to love a showmance because it gives audiences something to invest in off the dance floor.
03:13But while we might not all know our cucarachas from our chassés,
03:16we can all understand chemistry.
03:19Sometimes that becomes the main draw over skill, progress, and hard work.
03:31It can skew judging, invite tabloid drama, and even drum up fan backlash.
03:37By the time the season milks the storyline dry,
03:40the quote-unquote relationship has usually fizzled.
03:42Even if they win the mirror ball,
03:45the pair still has to handle the fallout of the inevitable breakup that follows.
03:49So you either love each other or hate each other,
03:51and it is black and white like that, you know.
03:53But for the most part, I've had an amazing run.
03:58And yeah, showmances happen.
04:00I mean, come on.
04:01Number 7. Controversial casting.
04:04Imagine you're a celeb,
04:06you signed up for Dancing with the Stars,
04:07and you can't wait to learn a whole new skill.
04:10Then you find out your season includes a quote headline hire.
04:14Someone like Ryan Lochte,
04:16Anna Delvey,
04:16or Sean Spicer.
04:18Your heart sinks.
04:19The internet kind of broke,
04:21talking about Sean Spicer being on Dancing with the Stars.
04:23You just know that no matter how hard you train,
04:26the spotlight will drift toward controversy instead of choreography.
04:30Sean Spicer's stint in season 28 proved it.
04:32Fans were outraged that the show gave him that platform,
04:48and even then-host Tom Bergeron publicly voiced his disappointment.
04:52Yet Spicer still made it to week 9,
04:54despite hovering at the bottom of the leaderboard.
04:57Meanwhile, more talented performers were sent packing before their time.
05:00The story of my life.
05:04The story of my life.
05:11Number 6. Huff vs. Huff.
05:13When Julianne Huff joined the judging panel in season 19,
05:17a lot of people raised eyebrows.
05:19Her brother Derek was one of the pros,
05:21and the question was obvious.
05:23Could she really be objective?
05:25It's like you're dancing,
05:26and then in an in-between moment,
05:27you kind of lose a little bit of energy,
05:29and then you go back again and go back.
05:30So I would just say the in-between moments,
05:32going step to step.
05:33Honestly, could any of us not lean toward favoritism
05:36if we were in her dance shoes?
05:38You have so many different sides of who you are,
05:41and we've been able to see them from week 1 to last night to tonight.
05:44And I think a lot of times we're afraid to sometimes show those different sides,
05:48and so we stay in our comfort zone.
05:50But you're such a blessing.
05:51Julianne insisted that growing up in the competitive dance world
05:54alongside Derek would actually make her, quote,
05:57even harder on him.
05:58Sure, but that doesn't exactly sound fair to his partners, does it?
06:02Whatever way you slice it,
06:03having one sibling judge another
06:05had the potential to put Derek's partners at a disadvantage
06:07and create an uneven playing field for everyone else.
06:11You had a real samba, you were real content,
06:14the rise and the fall was amazing,
06:16and this is what I'm going to say,
06:17I have to practice it, ready?
06:18Oh, what a night for you, Marilynne!
06:20Woo!
06:21Number five, Tom Bergeron's unexpected departure.
06:25It's not just the dancing pairs who can get sabotaged
06:28on Dancing with the Stars,
06:29as one shocking announcement showed.
06:31So when I said, I'll try to be Switzerland,
06:33I knew I'd be writing a statement.
06:35I didn't know how that would blow up the way it did,
06:38but I also knew it was probably my last season.
06:40On Sheryl Burke's podcast,
06:42Tom Bergeron revealed the circumstances behind his departure.
06:45He wanted to keep the show a safe space for viewers,
06:48but felt blindsided when producers suddenly reversed course
06:51without consulting him.
06:52Even worse, it seemed they valued their, quote,
06:55headline hire more than his years of service.
06:58So I was furious.
06:59At one point I even said, you know,
07:02how about if I take this season off?
07:04And they said, well, you do that,
07:07we'll let you out of your contract if you want.
07:09Erin Andrews ended up collateral damage as well.
07:12When Tyra Banks stepped in,
07:13many fans felt she was a mismatch,
07:15and that's putting it politely.
07:18Even pairing her up with a co-host didn't seem to help.
07:20After three seasons, the backlash took its toll,
07:23and she stepped down.
07:24Unfortunately for Tyra,
07:26she came onto the show during COVID.
07:29Yeah.
07:30And not having the ability to connect with the celebrities
07:36and with the pros.
07:38How do you do that?
07:39Yeah.
07:39Right?
07:41It was always a two-person job.
07:43It became a one-woman show.
07:44So everything was on her.
07:46Number four, picking songs that don't go with the dance.
07:49It might seem like a small detail,
07:51but song choice can make or break a routine.
07:55With celebs, pros, and producers
07:57all trying to shoehorn tracks into themed weeks,
07:59those decisions matter more than ever.
08:01I put my hand upon your hip
08:03When I dip, you dip, we dip
08:05You put your hand upon my hip
08:07When you dip, I dip, we dip
08:09Musical director Ray Chu says
08:11it's usually a group discussion,
08:13but as former pro Kim Johnson admitted,
08:15producers get the final say.
08:17Chu noted pros can be, quote,
08:19very specific about arrangements.
08:22Well, when you're turning Return of the Mac
08:23into a samba, you kind of have to be.
08:34Fans were outraged when Ilona Marr
08:37got stuck with a salsa to da dip.
08:39And who thought a rumba to Seasons of Love
08:41was a good idea?
08:42No wonder Max lost it.
08:47You can watch Dancing with the Stars
09:00anywhere, anytime,
09:01and this debate always comes up.
09:04Look, ballroom and Latin
09:05are so different from other dance styles.
09:08Some say trained dancers
09:09must unlearn habits to master new techniques.
09:11Remember, boom, it's hip-hop.
09:14Boom, it's hip-hop.
09:16That is Latin.
09:18That is Latin.
09:19Boom, it's hip-hop.
09:21True, but their experience
09:23still gives them a leg up
09:24over true novices,
09:25so it's never a totally fair game.
09:28Part of the show's appeal
09:29is watching absolute newbies
09:31improve each week.
09:32Casting ringers dilutes that core idea
09:35and makes the show feel less authentic.
09:36Additionally, audiences tend to save their votes
09:46for the underdogs,
09:48resulting in some surprising eliminations.
09:50No matter your stance on the issue,
09:52surely we can all agree
09:53the line should be drawn
09:55at contestants with actual ballroom experience.
09:58Number two, voting by East Coast.
10:12Like any televised competition,
10:14Dancing with the Stars
10:14has long-faced allegations of vote rigging.
10:17Next week, of course,
10:18one couple will be denied a spot
10:20in the finals based in part
10:21on how you vote tonight.
10:23One of the biggest headaches
10:24for viewers, though,
10:25is the show's live timing.
10:26It's produced and aired live
10:28for Eastern and Central time zones,
10:30but the voting window is short
10:32and simultaneous nationwide.
10:34That puts viewers in other time zones
10:36at a disadvantage,
10:37often forcing them to vote blindly
10:39or just pick someone they like
10:41or danced well previously.
10:42Now for the cruelest cut of the season.
10:45Joe and Jenna, Alexis and Alan,
10:47Juan Pablo and Cheryl,
10:48two of these couples did have
10:50the lowest combined total
10:52of judges' scores and viewer votes.
10:54By the time the later performers finish,
10:56it's too late to change votes.
10:58Sure, there are production reasons,
11:00but it does feel like dancers
11:01performing later are set up
11:03for an uphill battle.
11:04Seems rather unfair
11:05given all the hard work they put in.
11:07And as difficult as it's going to be
11:09with this cast,
11:11two couples will be eliminated
11:13in just minutes, live.
11:15Before we unveil our top pick,
11:17here are a few honorable mentions.
11:20Overloaded double show weeks.
11:22Even the top scorers can feel frazzled
11:24by that much new material
11:25in such a short space of time.
11:27It's a free place,
11:29Restrictive costume choices.
11:43A well-fitted outfit can make
11:45a huge difference in how a dancer moves,
11:47but one bad outfit can really
11:49throw off a whole number.
11:50Inconsistent guest judge scoring.
12:00When guest judges score for entertainment,
12:02they're basically doing the audience's job
12:04and it can throw the real scoring off.
12:06Before we continue,
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12:41Number one, switch up night.
12:43Season 18 introduced switch up night,
12:46where pairs got shuffled for a week.
12:48Well, just when everybody started
12:49getting comfortable with their partners,
12:51we're switching it up,
12:52but it's going to be a real testament
12:54to see if our stars can adapt
12:56to different training styles,
12:58but it's brutal.
12:59I'll just put it that way.
13:01The idea apparently came from Derek Hough,
13:03though many of his fellow pros
13:05were not fans.
13:06Max, who was dancing with Meryl Davis
13:08at the time,
13:09was of course the most outspoken,
13:11calling it a move to, quote,
13:12sabotage the show.
13:14He kind of had a point.
13:16Pros had spent weeks figuring out
13:17their partner's strengths,
13:18only to have to start from scratch.
13:21It wasn't easy on celebs either,
13:23who now had to adjust
13:24to totally different teaching styles.
13:26Louie is definitely not holding back
13:28with his Samba routine.
13:29I'm looking around the room like,
13:31oh, that's for me?
13:33It's really hard.
13:35Eight counts of pure technique.
13:37Oh my God, I feel so uncoordinated.
13:39Plus there was the risk
13:40of throwing off scoring averages.
13:42The one upside?
13:43No one got eliminated.
13:44And thankfully,
13:45this gimmick was shelved
13:47after a few seasons.
13:59Which celeb or pro
14:00did you feel fell victim
14:01to some backstage sabotage?
14:03Let us know in the comments.
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