Mackenzie Ziegler’s DWTS Juniors Controversy

Mackenzie Ziegler and her pro partner Sage Rosen have been competing on Dancing With the Stars Juniors, along with their mentor, Gleb Savchenko. Ziegler is known for the reality show Dance Moms, where she has appeared as a talented dancer, so when she joined DWTS Jr. as a contestant, her involvement was met with controversy. Some viewers voiced that it was unfair for Ziegler to be a contestant since she is a trained dancer.

Now, Ziegler is rumored to be the winner of DWTS Juniors, so does this mean there will be an uproar from fans online once the winner is announced?

Prior to the finale, some readers on Gold Derby commented that it was not fair for Ziegler to compete on the show. A user named Joanne stated that, “Any kid who has been in dance competitions for years shouldn’t be on this show.” Meanwhile, another commenter said that it is “definitely unfair, but I don’t think she should be blamed for being on the show. I think that people should shift their blame to the DWTS producers instead of hating on a young teen.”

When it comes to Twitter users, there have been many tweets about Ziegler being on DWTS.

One user on Twitter, called FanaticKendall, tweeted, “#DWTSjuniors OMG SEND MACKENZIE ZIEGLER HOME! Y’all know this sh*t ain’t fair! That girl’s BEEN dancing since Age 2! Stop playin! #DanceMoms.” Another Twitter user, calling herself Clauren, wrote on Twitter, “I don’t understand how Mackenzie Ziegler is on dancing with the stars junior as one of the stars when she’s literally only famous for being a dancer? Surely that isn’t fair.”

Another user named Paige Picciano tweeted, “So I’m late to this week’s episode, but HOW is it fair that Mackenzie Ziegler is on Dancing with the Stars Jr?!?! Like people have just forgotten she was on Dance Moms for basically all of her life? #rigged #DWTSJuniors.” Hannah Brooks, another Twitter user, wrote, “It’s 11:14 p.m. on a Thursday night and I’m sitting here FUMING that Mackenzie Ziegler is a contestant on DWTS Junior as a star and not as a dancer. SHE WAS ON DANCE MOMS FOR LIKE 6 YEARS. But okay girl, you sit there and pose as a ~singer~ like damn who you fightin.”

Though there has been an outcry from viewers about the fairness of Ziegler’s being a contestant on the show, there have been some supporters of Ziegler as well. But, even some of her supporters have noted that Ziegler has a background in dance.

Ziegler has received some of the highest scores on the show this season, opposite partner Sage Rosen. So, who is Rosen? ABC’s bio statement about Rosen states that, “Sage is a three-time National Dance Champion. He has performed with iconic artists such as Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Usher, Sia and Mariah Carey. Sage’s professional dance experience includes feature roles in several television shows and commercials.” The two dancers have proven to be a powerful team, under the guidance of Savchenko.

Do you think it’s fair that Ziegler has competed on Dancing With the Stars Juniors, or do you think she had an unfair advantage?

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