Dancing with the Stars season 34 wrapped up its fourth week, leaving fans to unpack all that happened. The past week, being Disney night, hosted many Disney-themed dances. As a whole, fans seem divided. One Reddit user felt unimpressed by the memorability of the season so far, while a different user on TikTok was raving about this week and his favorite standout performances. While the official show podcast discussed technique and mentioned the different qualities judges look for, technique versus an enticing performance was one of them. This sort of debate led to the last point that one TikTok user brought up: fans of the show who cast in their votes aren’t objective; they pick favorites rather than judging celebrities for their technique.
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While searching for fans' opinions on this week's episode of Dancing with the Stars: Disney Night, one user took to the Dancing with the Stars Reddit to discuss the lack of wow they were feeling. In the post, they mention dances performed by Whitney and Alix, which, overall, seem to be the standouts from the week, as mentioned by other fans as well. However, this user appears to believe that the dances this season lack memorability. While being technically beautiful, this fan brought the opinion to the conversation that they weren’t memorable. This fan is still unimpressed with Whitney's performance ability this far, comparing it to seasons past. Many commenters under the post feel similarly and try to reason why that is. Some mention a lack of songs that fit the genre the star is assigned, or just bad songs being picked. Overall, throughout the original post and the comment section, users agree that the magic of the performances is gone, but there is a high level of technique among the celebrities.
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While many topics were discussed throughout this week’s official Dancing with the Stars podcast episode, one moment that stood out to me was the conversation with the pro dancer comparing the two Vietnamese waltzes. Alix, a younger woman, was praised for the much more technical aspects of her execution of the steps and her performance. While the other contestant, Andy, was praised for his dedication, care, and performance quality, which makes you want to keep watching. This was a very kind way for the official show podcast to comment on the many different kinds of dancers the show hosts, and what the judges and fans look for in deciding scores, and for voting who to keep. Andy, while very sweet and fun to watch, has fewer technical skills compared to many other celebrities still in the competition. Some fans are surprised he hasn't gone home yet, while others, more technical dancers, were eliminated. It's important to keep in mind that only half of the decision falls to the judges, while the other is from fans voting for their favorites. Showing that being crowd pleasing in some ways is just as important as impressing the judges. Though these technical aspects are important, as the podcast spends a good portion diving into the details of what judges are looking for, which is often noted by audiences as well. Alix was noted in many online discussions as having fans' favorite dance of the night. There is still something to be said for the celebrities whose technique isn’t amazing but still puts a smile on your face.
TikTok Review: Hilaria was unfairly eliminated
This review had many points involving each celebrity's dance, but opened with the most important point, that Hilaria didn't deserve to be sent home, and deserved higher scores from the judges. This TikTok influencer has been following the season since it began, commenting on the outcome of each episode. More interestingly, the commentator mentioned that fans of the show should view the celebrities dancing objectively to make their decision, rather than voting for their favorite celebrity regardless of their dancing quality. The show's eliminations come half from the judges and half from fans, resulting in a sometimes awkward disconnect over who goes home. This specific TikTok user considers it unfair to those who dance better but don’t have a dedicated fan base to vote to keep them on. While some fans think it's fair that celebrities get to stay because they are more popular, this user thinks objectivity is more important for an audience that gets to help decide who stays and who goes.
In conclusion, week four of Dancing with the Stars sparked various opinions across social media. With one Reddit user reminiscing on the magic of past seasons' performance quality, feeling underwhelmed so far this year. While one Review on TikTok called into question the fairness of the eliminations, asking viewers of the show to hold a little more objectivity while casting their votes. Finally, on the official podcast, the deep dive into the technical elements judges look for brought up the strong technique this year's celebrities are displaying. As the season continues, these reactions and online discussions will continue to influence the results of the show.