Many critics have asserted that “Dancing with the Stars” has avoided reality for a considerable time when judging the contestants. However, despite the numerous assertions that the show has been fixed, it continues to perform very well in terms of viewership.
"Dancing with the Stars is a competition, but even more than that, it's showbiz," an insider told GLOBE Magazine. "They try to create a live soap opera world of love stories and feuds between contestants, and the actual competition is nearly an afterthought!"
The actor Antonio Sabato Jr. is the most recent former participant to express their belief that there is something fishy about the judging process, as per Entertainment Weekly.
The 52-year-old “General Hospital” star, who performed on “Dancing With the Stars” in 2014 with his professional partner Cheryl Burke, went on Cheryl Burke's podcast, "Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans," to argue his position. The answer is "yes, it is rigged," he asserted.
"First of all, if you're not a dancer or you don't have dancing skills from a young age, you're not going to win."
It's not like he's the first competitor to raise his voice in protest! He's an alumnus of "That's So Raven." When he competed in season 11, Kyle Massey, who was paired with Lacey Schwimmer, levied even more serious claims against her.
When the performance was broadcast live on the East Coast, Massey, who is 33 years old, claimed that one of the celebrity hoofers fell while performing her routine. These events were seen as they were.
The incident, however, vanished without a trace during a tape-delayed broadcast on the West Coast television network. In addition, the dancer was awarded high marks! According to Massey, "It was edited out, and she got perfect tens," he fumed.
Other critics have also criticized the show, which is said to pick winners by combining the judges' scores and the viewers' votes. Others have criticized the show for having a champion decided before anyone has stepped foot on the dance floor.
The teen actress Xochitl Gomez won the Mirror Ball competition in 2023, USA Today reported. However, before she could take home the trophy, her fellow finalist, Charity Lawson, who had previously competed on “The Bachelorette,” was curiously deducted a point by the judge, Carrie Ann Inaba, for making an unclear mistake during one of her dance competitions.
During this time, millions of fans witnessed “Doctor Strange” cutie Xochiti utterly gripping the hand of her partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, during one of her dances. The judges never brought this issue up when they awarded her flawless scores, so that is something that millions of people witnessed. A poster on social media expressed their dissatisfaction by stating, "Of course, when Xochitl makes a mistake, the judges turn a blind eye."
"This finale is rigged." Another spectator dubious of the situation said, "It is obviously rigged for the 17-year-old child to win."
This is not at all correct. The schedule that Charity followed seemed to me to be perfect. It was more or less the same in 2022. Some viewers believed that the scores for the season were unduly skewed in favor of Charli D'Amelio, who ended up winning the competition and was paired with professional Mark Ballas.
Before appearing on “Dancing With the Stars,” the reality TV and TikTok star, now 20 years old, had a career as a competitive dancer. She even danced with Derek Hough, who judges the show, in a professional setting. One of the viewers of “Dancing With the Stars” fumed and said, "I think the win was rigged for Charli, and it's not fair!"
Another spectator dissatisfied with the show says, "Professional dancers should not be allowed to compete. " The show's rigging appears to have become one of the worst-kept secrets in Hollywood, but there seems no reason to reign it in as long as the ratings continue to show a significant increase.
"Really, what Antonio and Kyle and others have said publicly is what a lot of folks have said privately for a long time," the insider revealed. "And that is the show is staged and everyone from the producers to the judges pretty much knows who is going to win before the first dance takes place!"
Business Times has reached out to “Dancing with the Stars” for comments.
