By: Stella Waller
Can this season of “Dancing with the Stars” live up to the hype of past seasons? The ballroom is back and is already giving viewers plenty of reasons to keep watching.
Season 35 of Dancing with the Stars premiered on Sept. 15 with a total of sixteen celebrity contestants competing for the coveted Mirrorball Trophy. Judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough returned for another season of ranking dances on a scale of 1-10 to see who will continue competing and who will go home. However, the judges aren’t the only ones with a say in the competition. One of the most unique features of the show is that through online voting, viewers also have the power to determine which contestants continue dancing and which ones go home.
The contestants this season include a variety of movie stars, Olympians, comedians and even a Savannah Bananas baseball player. All the stars have been adjusting to the advanced training they are receiving from the talented pros who have been coaching them along the way.
So far, fans have seen improvement from every duo. One fan favorite duo is Guillermo Rodriguez, from The Jimmy Kimmel Show, and his partner Whitney Carson, who is the returning champion from season 34. Guillermo is not the strongest contestant, but he is deeply loved by the audience because of his loving, funny and hardworking spirit. Pasha Pashkov and Amber Glenn are currently on top of the leaderboard considering the scoring as of week three. My personal favorite team is Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold due to their great chemistry.
Each week teams are assigned a new theme that should be coordinated to their dance with the music, costuming and overall performance. For example, week two’s theme was Viral Hits, and Daniella Karagach and Ezra Frech performed the cha cha to the song “Low” by Flo Rida. Fans are looking forward to annual classic theme nights such as “Disney Night” and “Dedication Night.” The themes allow the pros to be creative with their choreography which is entertaining for the audience.
The judging is one of the most controversial parts of the show. Due to the online voting factor, many people believe that the dancing ability of the stars doesn’t matter, and the show has turned into a popularity contest. The judges themselves give good critiques in my opinion. I do agree with the fan base though on how teams should be judged on dancing ability and not on personality.
“Dancing with the Stars” continues to grow in entertainment value. One thing that I like about the show is that they include more than just the final dances. They show the work that each team is putting in behind the scenes, and this allows us to get to know the stars and their backgrounds better. The producers like to call it the “rehearsal package.” Also, the hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough add a fun and entertaining aspect to the show.
Overall, I believe that Dancing with the Stars is a fun and engaging show that viewers can enjoy following every week. By November 24, we will have a new mirror ball champion and hopefully another memorable season.
