'Dancing With the Stars' Fans Confused Over Elimination Format Change

Allison Schonter

09/27/2023 08:16 am EDT

Dancing With the Stars Season 32 returned with some major changes. Along with plenty of new faces – Julianne Hough replaced Tyra Banks as host and Derek Hough took a spot at the judges' table, with former judge Len Goodman's absence heavily felt following his death in April – there is also a major elimination format change. The hit ABC dancing competition seemingly got rid of the judges' save.

First introduced in Season 28, the judges' save allowed the show's judges – Season 32's judges include Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli – to protect a celebrity and pro dancer pair facing elimination, preventing them from getting the boot prematurely. The judges' save was used numerous times in the past, including to save Amanda Kloots and pro Alan Bersten over Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee and pro Sasha Farber. However, as the first elimination of the season came around Tuesday night, the judges' save was absent, sparking some confusion and upset among viewers.

Confusion

"Did they get rid of judges save?" asked one viewer. "Not that they would have chose differently but I thought they save out of the bottom 2 or 3"

Many believe it should still be in place

"It should at least be in effect from week 4 onward, preferably with a bottom two dance-off," one person suggested.

'It was a good system'

After one fan asked about the judges' save and was informed DWTS "got rid of it" this season, the original commenter expressed their desire for the elimination format to return, writing, "boo. it was a good system. and kept the show somewhat about dance."

'Chaos'

"Wait they took the judges save away?" asked somebody else. "That's stupid. I thought we were trying to avoid turning this show into a joke again. A finale filled with duds."

Removed 'without mention'

"I'm curious why it was removed, and without mention," one fan wrote on Reddit. "I was half expecting Alfonso or Julianne to bring it up tonight and say they weren't having it anymore but they didn't. I'd really love to know the reason why since they made kind of a big deal about adding it."

Some think the decision is 'interesting'

"This no judges save thing got the pros scrambling hunny," quipped another viewer. "These Instagram stories giving state of emergency."

Some fans think eliminations shouldn't even take place during the first week

"Why do we have to have eliminations week 1?" asked one person. "Like can't you at least give them 2 weeks I mean the first couple eliminated only gets 1 week to experience DWTS."

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