When it comes to a show like Dancing With the Stars, it’s always exciting to see who will compete in a given season. From musicians to actors to athletes to reality stars and even politicians, DWTS has welcomed a variety of celebrity contestants throughout its 32 seasons. Not surprisingly, there have been some controversial castings, like Sean Spicer. Now, one of the executive producers is explaining just why such "clickbait" casting is necessary.
In addition to Sean Spicer, Tiger King's Carole Baskin represented another maligned casting during Season 29. And, more recently, Adrian Peterson stirred up similar buzz when he was tapped for Season 32. Most participants only last a few weeks on the show, though EP Deena Katz said during the Television Critics Association winter press tour, via Deadline, that this all still has to be done in order to bring in more viewers:
Unfortunately, in this day and age, have to do a little bit of that clickbait wow that gets people there. But the hope is that all of us are great storytellers. And at the end of the day, we’re all telling really great stories in all different ways on this panel. … It’s really important every single season to bring new people in that audience members may not know.
So it sounds like the long-running show does indeed need the publicity that such polarizing picks bring in the hopes of generating viewership. It seems it's simply what draws people in. One could argue that DWTS has a steady fanbase that's been with it for over 30 seasons, though even established shows have to find ways to mix things up. Of course, a cast for a given season isn't solely filled with talent that might generate mixed-to-negative feelings amongst viewers. That's a point that Deena Katz brought up when she shared further thoughts:
You know, our feeling is if you have people when you announce a cast, there’s a couple of people that everybody knows who they are. But then if you have someone like Harry Jowsey, that my daughter and her friends know, and, you know, and Charity from The Bachelor, that maybe my dad doesn’t know, our hope is you start watching the show because of some people, but you end up staying in the show because you fall in love with others.
For the average viewer, there's typically a mix of celebrities you know, stars you don’t know, and others you have likely heard of but don’t really care about, per season. That’s what makes it all interesting, though. People are introduced to new favorites while cheering on the one they’re already familiar with. While some may take issue with this approach to casting, it's admittedly hard to deny that it's shown to be effective.
Since the casting practice is needed for the show, it's not likely that it'll be stopping any time soon. With Season 33 heading to the 2024 TV schedule later this year, it will surely be interesting to see what celebrity contestants are going to be vying for the next Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. I'm also curious to see what “clickbait” contestants will be added in the coming season and how they ultimately perform.
With the next season not premiering until the fall, there's still plenty of time to theorize about who could be taking to the ballroom next. In the meantime, the pros of DWTS are having fun on tour, and that also seems true of some of the celebrity contestants from Season 32, including winner Xochitl Gomez. You can relive the entirety of Dancing with the Stars' latest season by streaming it with a Disney+ subscription.
