Dancing with The Stars’ Continued Popularity: Psychology and Sequins

ABC’s Dancing with the Stars celebrates its season premiere and 10th anniversary next week. And the reality show’s wildly successful decade-long ride shows no signs of slowing down. One of the most fascinating pieces of the DWTS success story is the extreme audience enthusiasm it has generated even among bad dancers. It isn’t exactly typical to wrangle supporters who don’t embrace the genre. Take golf for example. People who don’t care for golf, rarely watch golf programs. But DWTS has created a formula that keeps even the non-dancers watching. I’m one of them.

Dancing with the Stars premieres Monday, March 16th at 8/7c on ABC

Rewind my sons’ bar mitzvah videos and you’ll catch a glimpse of me trying to look like I have rhythm. It was clear I never got the coordination gene, when my high school musical director watched my jitter bug moves and immediately asked me to play a wallflower during the dance scenes. One might think I would have hung up my mirror ball enthusiasm then and there. But sometimes those who can’t do love to watch those who can do–at least if it’s entertaining.

DWTS manages to snag a multidimensional audience, including those who never earned their dancing shoes, by pairing extreme cross-sectional competition with surprises, life lessons, and lots of sequins. What demographic haven’t they hit when contestants include music icons, beloved sports figures, good-natured celebrities with minimal dancing talent, and boomer stars put up against some of the most graceful athletes on the planet? You’ve pretty much covered an entire family’s favorites in one fell swoop. And acknowledging the celebrity status of those who have served our country and those who have endured physical challenges is an important message that viewers respect. And so, DWTS offers a cross-generational family-friendly program that is rarely found on primetime.

While it would be easy to feel intimidated by great performances, DWTS highlights the intense workouts, frequent bickering, and exhaustion associated with the final outcome. Most of us don’t have that kind of dancing commitment, but we’re thrilled to see the payoffs for those who pay the price. Witnessing the power of hard work never gets old. And what about those less-than-stellar performances? Those are right up many of our alleys. You’ve got to love watching someone who has your two left feet but the guts to take on a challenge.

Viewers also love surprises–and DWTS always follows through with positive ones and train wrecks. Add plenty of glitter to the mix and it’s easy to see why DWTS sparkles.

This week, I’ll be tuning into DWTS and, coincidentally, watching one of my friends compete for a mirror ball trophy for charity. She’s been training non-stop for months with an award-winning dance partner at a studio with plenty of DWTS influencers. I’d rather have a root canal. But you can bet I will be right there sitting on the edge of my chair cheering her on. If she wins, I’ll probably be spotted kicking up my heels. But it won’t be pretty.

Nancy Berk, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, author, comic and entertainment analyst. The host of the showbiz podcast Whine At 9, Nancy digs a little deeper as she chats with fascinating celebrities and industry insiders. Her book College Bound and Gagged: How to Help Your Kid Get into a Great College Without Losing Your Savings, Your Relationship, or Your Mind can be seen in the feature film Admission starring Tina Fey and Paul Rudd.