Media Blog Project- Have you seen DWTS????

What kind of culture is television/streaming reflecting back at us today?

Well, have you ever watched Dancing With the Stars? For almost 20 years now every Fall we see a new cast crew of professional dancers and celebrities, or in this case "stars," chosen to compete with one another for the "Mirrorball Trophy." Throughout the 11 week process us viewers receive one episode a week streaming at 8pm on ABC.  also streamed on Hulu if you cant watch live. https://www.hulu.com/series/dancing-with-the-stars-7d918be0-4130-4551-aab8-c7dcae85d35f

 Picture a reality tv crossover with a musical game show, that's how I would best describe DWTS. The show starts out with a group of professional dancers (sometimes the same sometimes different) who get paired by the casting team with one celebrity who they think would be a fun fit for the show. This seasons stars are:

Alix Earl-Social media influencer 

Andy Ritcher- Comedian

Corey Feldman- Actor

Danielle Fishel- Actor 

Dylan Effron- Social media influencer

Elaine Hendrix- Actor

Hilaria Baldwin-Yoga instructor 

Jen Affleck- Influencer/Netflix star

Jordan Chiles- American gymnast

Lauren Jauregui-Singer/Songwriter 

Robert Irwin- Australian wildlife photographer

Scott Hoying- Member from Pentatonic

Whitney Leavitt- Influencer/Netflix star

A link for more info. https://abc.com/show/f66d60e7-29f2-49cf-85dd-44a11bce42e4/cast

As we see it is a large variety of celebrities who come from many different parts of the world and many different career paths. This brings in not only a competitive cast, but a competitive and passionate media/fan base. The professional dancers are often ones who have been here for a while, have previously won the Mirrorball, and even have a wife or husband who is also a casted as a professional. This in itself gives the media a lot to talk about, and judge on. Not in only bad ways, but some positive and humorous ways as well.  

Each week the dancers are given a new theme for the following weeks performance. They have one week to create the best dance and costume to then preform against one another on Tuesday. We get to see some behind the scenes footage of their practices as well as the dance they've creates, live at 8pm. This show is similar to a "game show" in ways where they are competing with one another, and the audience has a say in who stays. 

The three (retired professional) judges get to rate the dance 1-10 after each performance. Leaving each couple higher or lower than others on the leader board. What I think is different about this show is that the audience does have a say in who stays and who gets eliminated. Each couple is given a number that viewers can text to, to send in their extra vote. So the scores you receive from the judges doesn't necessarily  make you safe to stay for the following week. 

Currently on the show we're seeing a lot of mixed emotions on comedian Andy Ritcher. Andy is the oldest dancer on this season, being 58 years old. We are heading into week 8 of this season, and half the world is confused why he's still here, and the other half is voting for him to win! This brings a fun sort of competition to the internet as to how far he stays. Another "drama" we saw was when Lauren Jauregui, singer/songwriter  was sent home week 3 of the show. Her and her partner Brandon Armstrong didn't have a bad dance, but received low scores from the judges and no votes from the media. 

The trends on who votes for who are defiantly influenced on social media, by what your algorithm may be "feeding" you. Ive see a lot of sides of the media agreeing to not vote for or "ganging up" on certain dancers so that they will be sent home. I think if a visitor to the United States would get an idea that this show is "unfair" or mean. In a way they try to make voting fair by letting everyone have a say in who they like but you also risk the media getting smart or technical about the rules, and almost changing the game when it comes to voting. Something more fun the media has been doing, that visitors would think is cool, is testing to see which dancer you are. BuzzFeed created a quiz to see which dancer matches your personal preferences most.

Quiz:  https://www.buzzfeed.com/smellymule528/dancing-with-the-stars-season-33-couple-quiz

My roommates and I watch this show together every Tuesday night. I am definitely on a certain "side" of TikTok that favors dancer Alix Earl, and dislikes dancer Whitney Leavitt. I don't participate in the hate that either of them get, but I do find it entertaining to keep up with and follow their journeys along. We also love to see and follow up with each weeks Theme, and how each dancer creates their dance and costume to match that. It ultimately is a very positive, and entertaining series that follows along with real people, and actors we all are familiar with. I highly recommend you jump in and join the DWTS fam!