ABC's Dancing With The Stars has been bringing in contestants with dance experience for years, but the latest season on the 2026 TV schedule seems to have caused the discourse to bubble over. Maybe it's because Harry Shum Jr. is dazzling us with his choreography, or maybe it's because we all love Guillermo Rodriguez despite his low scores.
In any case, the judges are comparing apples to oranges in the ballroom, and we need a fix. Rather than trying to set limits on what stars can compete in and how much ballroom experience they should have, why can't we just find a way to reward the celebrities who show the most progress in a season?
Why The Bad Dancers Are The Real Stars Of DWTS
While it may be annoying to the judges or fans who tune in to see competent dancing, it's clear a lot of Dancing With The Stars fans love an underdog. One of the best parts of the show is watching someone who looked awful at the start turn into a somewhat competent dancer over the course of the show, which is why Guillermo continues to get votes week after week.
Unfortunately, that ride only lasts so long, and once there are no other "meh" dancers left, these competitors are sent away so that the "real" dancers can compete in the finale.
It's understandable, but also annoying. I would much sooner see Guillermo go from low scores to somewhat respectable numbers over the course of a season rather than Harry Shum Jr., Jojo Siwa, or Charli D'Amelio rake in high scores every week. To me, that's boring, which is why I like to keep the lower-scoring dancers around.
Dancing With The Stars Should Have An Award For Most Improved Dancer
It's fun, and even inspiring, to watch dancers like Andy Richter and Guillermo Rodriguez improve over the course of a season of Dancing With The Stars. That said, we can't sit here and act like these are people who stand a chance at a Mirrorball trophy, so might I suggest an alternative consolation? An award for the most improved dancer.
How would it work? Perhaps once a contestant is eliminated, they then continue to work with their coach as the other competitors continue on television. Then, maybe a week before the finale, we have a one-off night in which all the eliminated competitors return and showcase one final performance that shows how they've done from Week 1 to now. Then, fans pick one of those people as the season's most improved dancer, and they get some sort of prize?
It's not a perfect idea, as there may still be other dancers who are more talented in the mix, but then it would be up to the fans to vote for the award. If Dancing With The Stars fans are in agreement that the vote goes to the most improved dancer, then it should be fine. Theoretically, everyone competing on finale night should exclude any favoritism happening with the numbers, so I wouldn't be worried about someone undeserving getting the prize.
It's too late to put a plan like this into action for this Dancing With The Stars season, but hopefully I'll be able to enjoy this idea or something similar when enjoying future episodes with my Disney+ subscription. Until then, I'll be throwing my maximum ten votes to my favorite guy, Guillermo, and hoping he can show some real growth!
