‘Dancing With the Stars’ Fans Debate if The Show’s Quality is ‘Going Downhill’

Dancing With the Stars fans are getting louder with their opinions on the show ahead of the latest season. Many were already angry that the show was making its way from ABC to streaming on Disney+, the platform’s first foray into live streaming. There is a lot of animosity toward new host Tyra Banks, who fans feel isn’t suited for the series.

The latest indication seems to be that the quality of the dancing on the show has gone down quite a bit since members of So You Think You Can Dance made the jump to becoming pros in the long-running dancing competition. One fan notes that the shift to “contemporary dancers” in place of trained ballroom dancers has adversely affected the reality series.

Names like Artem Chigvintsev, Witney Carson, Lindsay Arnold, and Jenna Johnson all got their start on the other reality series before jumping to DWTS. That’s not to say they haven’t been successful on the show or lacked the talent to dance. Johnson was a mirror ball trophy winner in season 26, while Arnold won the season prior and Chigvintsev was the victor in season 29. But does this mean the show’s quality has dropped?

Some fans agree, others fully disagree but have their own feelings on where the show is lacking. One fan feels that the show would already be lacking had they not changed up some of the pros and some of the dance styles. “Theres a reason Witney & Lindsay quickly became fan favorites. Yes Dani’s had success, but her style on the show is way different than her competition style. Her partners have had weak technique and she failed to correct basic things in both of them, but no one cared because she brought entertaining and different choreography,” they wrote. “The issue on this show is honestly the male pro dropoff, most of them aren’t that interesting on TV like Maks and theres no Derek/Mark genius. And part of that is on the show, theres a reason guys like Artem had soo much success on Strictly but are different here…Also, holding on to pros way too long.”

They also add that they feel the show is on “its last leg” so the new pros won’t be as well known as the old ones. “For me, the show started going downhill when it got so flashy and full of “fluff”. We barely see the contestants practice – it’s all sob stories and drama, rushed judging,” another added. “Every week is a ‘theme’ that just advertises something the network is part of. I miss the live band, the simple stage and focus on the dancing and partnership. I miss the harsh critiques.”

It’s certainly an interesting debate between fans, so take a look through some of the other takes on DWTS and how it compares with SYTYCD. There doesn’t seem to be a consensus and fans can point to several aspects screaming for approval. But in the end, you can tell they’re a passionate fanbase, just hoping for the best the show can offer.