“Dancing with the Stars” isn’t a show where you advance strictly based on dancing ability. Technical skill might win over the judges, but if you’re not liked by viewers, chances are, you’re not advancing very far.
On Wednesday, Oct. 15, the ABC series hit its fifth week of airing, marking nearly the halfway point of the season. Based on a combination of judges’ scores and viewer votes, the night came to a surprising end: no one was eliminated.
According to the show’s website, each viewer can cast up to 10 votes during the viewing window through the website and SMS, totaling 20 votes. All votes can go to one celebrity or be split however viewers choose.
Before circling back to this week’s outcome, here is what has happened in the season so far.
The season began with 14 celebrities: Robert Irwin, Jordan Chiles, Alix Earle, Dylan Efron, Danielle Fishel, Jen Affleck, Whitney Leavitt, Elaine Hendrix, Scott Hoying and Andy Richter. With the early eliminations being Corey Feldman, Baron Davis, Lauren Jauregui and Hilaria Baldwin.
Those eliminations sparked controversy.
After being sent home in week three, Jauregui’s one-word reaction was “pissed.”
Following her week four elimination, Baldwin went on Instagram Live and claimed, “I did get bullied off the show. I did, that’s for sure. That is for sure.”
Whether her claims hold validity is unknown, but neither Baldwin nor Jauregui was at the bottom of the leaderboard the nights they went home.
Consistently near the top of the rankings have been Irwin, Leavitt, Efron, Chiles and Earle. Their high placement is based on judges’ scores rooted in traditional ballroom criteria, but their popularity plays a major role, too.
Earle, a well-known internet personality, has 7.7 million TikTok followers. Last season, “Dancing with the Stars” averaged 5.64 million viewers, while season 34’s premiere jumped to 8.13 million. While Earle may not be solely responsible for this jump, her loyal fanbase may be why producers want to keep her around.
Leavitt is another example. Around 5 million viewers watched her play “the villain” in Hulu’s “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.” Once fans learned of her background in competitive dance, reactions were mixed — some celebrated, others deemed it unfair.
One X user, Amy Baran @amyincutegenes, said, “Anyone else feel it is completely unfair that Whitney, a dance major in college, gets to compete (or Charli D’Amelio for that matter! Broadway dancer!) on DWTS? They aren’t true beginners!”
Another user, Leah @paradiseieah, said, “I’m so tired of the trained dancers debate. The only ‘rule’ is that celebs can’t be ballroom or latin trained and that’s the way it always has been. I’d rather have a couple decent dances to watch in the early weeks whilst the rest of them work out which foot is which.”
As debates at the top continue, another conversation has formed around the bottom.
Richter, 58, has placed last for three consecutive weeks, but has escaped elimination each time. His judges’ scores show he is not the strongest performer, yet viewer support continues to keep him on the dance floor.
For weeks, audiences have attached themselves to Richter. It could be his age, his underdog status, viewers being reminded of their dad or even his practice outfits, which include a sweatband and two knee braces. Whatever the reason, fans are voting to keep him in, even if his dancing isn’t the best.
Fans have taken to X to show their support:
“WHEN ANDY HELD THE CAMERA I STARTED CRYING OH MY GOD HES SO CUTE GIVE HIM HIS 10S IDC IF HE DOESNT MOVE #dwts,” by Reem @fallnstrs.
“I spam vote for Andy Richter every single week when watching #DWTS with my wife and I won’t be stopping,” by Ryan @ryanbnineteen.
These reactions reinforce what many already recognize: This is not a traditional dance competition. With public voting, likability can outweigh technique.
Which brings us back to this week. Did any of these theories hold? We couldn’t test them.
After completing “Dedication Night,” where each celebrity danced with someone of their choosing and shared why that person and performance held meaning, Efron topped the leaderboard with a score of 36 out of 40, while Richter remained last with a 24. Producers still skipped an elimination entirely.
Fans speculate the decision was made to preserve the emotional impact of the night. Still, that sets up a bigger elimination in the upcoming week.
Now, questions hang in the air: Can fans push Richter through another round despite low judges’ scores? Will the current top five hold their spots? Could a new fan favorite emerge and get carried all the way to the finale?
One thing is clear: If you are watching “Dancing with the Stars,” your vote matters.
Milla Kuiper 
Ava Bailey-Klugh 
Adee Tulcan