As “Dancing with the Stars” enters its 20th year, fans are buzzing with excitement for Season 34, which features popular Gen Z celebrities along with stars popular among millennial and Gen X audiences. “Dancing with the Stars” is a popular reality competition show where celebrities are paired with professional dancers to perform ballroom and Latin dance routines. Each week, the couples perform in front of a panel of judges who score them, and viewers at home vote for their favorite performance of the night; based on scores, couples are voted off. The competition continues until one pair is crowned the champion and wins the “Mirrorball Trophy.”
This season in particular gained a lot of attention on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. People had their sights set on specific couples, predicting who would wow the judges and audience the most.
“I thought Jordan Chiles [Olympic gymnast] and her partner Ezra Sosa would have the best first dance because she’s a gymnast and past gymnasts that have been on the show have had really great dances,” senior Zola Ray said.
On the other hand, senior Maddy Plump was expecting a different couple to come out as top scorers during the first episode.
“I thought Whitney Leavitt [reality TV star] and Mark Ballas had the best first dance because Mark is a really good coach and Whitney used to be a dancer,” Plump said.
These debates all died down as the first episode aired, and people were able to analyze the dancers in real-time. Yet, there was a collective approval and surprise that came after wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin and his partner, Whitney Carson’s dance.
“No one would have thought that a wildlife photographer would be able to dance the way he did. His stage presence was really entertaining to watch,” senior Casey Ashkenase said.
In spite of this collective shock, there was much discussion about the fairness of the judges’ scoring.
“I don’t think the scoring was fair because there was definitely some favoritism. The judges scored based on how they thought the audience reacted to the contestants and not based on the way they really feel. They gave people with bad dances better scores than people with good dances,” Ray said.
“Dancing with the Stars” is fit for audiences of all ages. With that in mind, the contestants are celebrities from both older and younger generations. In past seasons, a majority of the mirrorball winners were younger stars.
“Gen Z stars have an advantage because they are younger so they are in better physical shape than some of the older stars,” Ashkenase said.
However, even with this advantage, people love the mix between older and younger stars.
“I like that they have older stars and younger stars together. That’s the way the show has always been, and it makes it more interesting,” Plump said.
Overall, Season 34 is in the running to be an exciting one.
“Producers choose the contestants well. They are able to tailor their choices to who’s trending, which makes the show really exciting,” Ray said.
