The 500th episode of “Dancing with the Stars” taught plenty about the show and its ability to connect with the audience. Inserting an “instant” dance (which gave contestants mere minutes to concoct a number) was a brilliant move. It let the celebs show how much they’ve learned and how far they’ve managed to come.
But what else have we learned? 1. Getting rid of posers early on is a good thing. When it gets down to real competitors, the show pops.
Letting celebrities walk around a smoke-filled floor merely makes the show drag. 2. Carrie Ann Inaba wants to be the “tough” judge .
She offers criticism to elicit a response and often has to quell the crowd when they boo. She’s better when she's encouraging. Her “lift” rule, by the way, has fallen by the wayside.
3. Athletes are good contestants . They’re used to performing in front of a crowd and, in this arena, they bring it.
Danny Amendola, for example, knows what it takes to get the fans on his side. 4. Leaning into your shortcomings can be advantageous .
Dwight Howard, who must be three feet taller than his pro, has consistently overcome the problem. On Tuesday’s show, he and Daniella used a platform to do an Argentine tango and it worked. When size became a problem, he used his muscles and hoisted her like an NBA trophy.
Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack 5. Personality sells. Ilona Maher, the Olympic rugby star, oozes personality and wins over.