ABC "Dancing With the Stars" season 31
Some viewers of “Dancing With the Stars” season 31 are calling the show unfair after the season premiere.
There are multiple reasons that people have called the season out for possibly being “unfair,” including the fact that contestant Charli D’Amelio has over 100 million followers on social media and has extensive dance experience.
Season 31 episode two premieres on Monday, September 26, 2022 and will feature one elimination as well as many dances in tribute to “The King,” Elvis Presley.
Season 31 Features Multiple Contestants With Extensive Dance Experience
Charli D’Amelio has been a competitive dancer for most of her life. According to The Washington Post, D’Amelio started dancing at three years old and is trained in ballet, hip hop, and tap dancing.
Gabby Windey, who is also a contestant on “Dancing With the Stars,” has been a professional cheerleader. According to CBS Colorado, Windey tried out for the team three times before joining in 2016, and she told the outlet that she copes with stress by dancing, which is her passion.
Some fans think that makes the competition unfair, though professional dancers on the show have said that they believe having a partner with dance experience in an area other than ballroom can be hard because they have things to unlearn in addition to learning.
Fans Talked About the Fairness on Social Media
Some people took to Twitter to talk about whether they thought season 31 of “Dancing With the Stars” was fair or not.
“My main issue is that [Charli] has an unfair advantage of having over 100 million followers vote for her without even having to watch the show,” one person tweeted. “That’s not gonna give any other competitor who also has a great chance of winning… well, that.”
Another person wrote, “The fact that Charli D’Amelio has worked with Derek Hough multiple times is a beyond unfair advantage #DWTS.”
“Don’t get me wrong Charli did a great job last night but once again she’s a professionally trained dancer so she has an unfair advantage,” one person wrote.
When it comes to Windey, some people were not sure if they wanted to vote for her.
“Im so torn between « Gabby and Val were great so I should vote for them » and « ABC please stop casting girls from Bachelor Nation that have a lot of dance experience »,” one person wrote.
Many said they voted for her anyway because they were impressed, though some pointed out that she brushed it off when co-host Alfonso Ribeiro shared that she had dance experience.
“That was her way of acknowledging it, pretending to shush Alfonso when he said she had dance experience and joking because she knows she has experience and a lot of viewers hate that. If you watch her on the bachelorette you’re more familiar with her sense of humor but I guess the joke didn’t land for a lot of people,” one reply reads.
Some people don’t think dance experience is an issue.
“I don’t mind dance experience, especially when they own it,” one person wrote. “She said she’s a performer she’s not technical so she’s still gonna grow and learn a ton!”