Dancing With the Stars has been listening to the fans, and we should expect some changes in the Fall 2019 Season 28. Tom Bergeron didn't actually say "voting changes," but that's what I'm reading between the lines of his latest message. First, the DWTS host started with this general update on what's ahead this fall:
Fans replied with various questions, and Tom Bergeron addressed a few. Some viewers re-aired complaints related to last fall's Dancing With the Stars Season 27.
Not only was there shock when Juan Pablo Di Pace and Cheryl Burke were eliminated after perfect scores, there was outrage when the Fall 2018 Dancing With the Stars gave its win to Bobby Bones and Sharna Burgess, despite the pair having the lowest scores of the finale.
One Dancing With the Stars fan responded with support for Bobby Bones and the fact that fan votes got him the win. Tom Bergeron's response is what got me thinking we could see some changes ahead on that front:
"At that time." Does that mean the voting rules will change moving forward in Dancing With the Stars Season 28? I may just be reading into that. Some fans do love how the fans have the power to save favorite dancers rather than the "best" dancer. However, recent results seem to skew more toward popularity (Joe & Jenna, anyone?) than high-scoring dances. Should something change there or not? It's not like fans always trust the judges to get it right either.
Dancing With the Stars has always had a mix of older and younger contestants, including some naturally agile and rhythmic dancers and also people with two left feet. I've been entertained by the great dancers and I've rooted for underdogs. If people really wanted all athletic contestants, they had that option with the Spring 2018 Athletes season, which wasn't exactly a hit. (It also showed that not all athletes are good dancers.)
I like the mix of talents, although I completely understand the frustrations of Dancing With the Stars Season 27 -- especially Milo & Witney, Evanna & Keo, Alexis & Alan and their fans. Fans vote for any number of reasons, sometimes it's more about the pro than the celebrity. Sharna had never won before, and that was a factor last year.
ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke recently teased some "fun format changes" ahead for Dancing With the Stars 2019. We didn't get a spring season this year, which Tom Bergeron previously warned us about. However, taking that time away may help DWTS cast some bigger stars -- the very best of two seasons vs. splitting them across both spring and fall. We'll see how that turns out.
It sounds like Dancing With the Stars is putting a lot of thought into the Fall 2019 season, and we should hear a lot more about it toward the end of the summer. Maybe they'll even tease out some of the bigger names cast ahead of time to build interest.
One big question is which pros will return? Both Derek Hough and Julianne Hough are now judging other shows on NBC. He's on World of Dance and she's a new judge on America's Got Talent. The old guard seems to be moving on. We'll have to wait and see if more veterans return after a year away, or if fresh faces arrive.
Dancing With the Stars Season 28 premieres this fall on ABC.
