Spoiler Warning: I will be discussing the winners of this season.
Season 32 of Dancing With the Stars has been one of the most successful seasons in recent memory. As someone who loves Dancing With the Stars and has been watching it since I was a kid, this is the first year in a long time that I’ve seen so many people who aren’t huge fans tuned in and watching the show. From the TikTok phenomenon of Harry Jowsey and Rylee Arnold’s rumored relationship to edits of Xochitl Gomez’s charming performances, there are many reasons why this season has had the exact spark that Dancing With the Stars has needed for a long time to once again become the cultural powerhouse of a show that it once was.
- TikTok
This season has been massively viral in part due to its access to social media. Dancing With the Stars has always relied on their stars’ connections with social media as a form of advertisement—the last few years more than ever with Jojo Siwa and Charli D’amelio as good examples. However, I think the difference between then and now lies in the fact that the stars they’ve chosen who are active on apps like TikTok were much more well-received and likable than Jojo and Charli. Stars like Lele Pons and Xochitl Gomez were heavy hitters in the competition, both due to their performance quality and their ability to amass loyal fans on the internet. For this reason, I knew people who had never watched the show before tune in to see the stars they liked on their TikTok for you page compete. I knew people who started watching because they saw a good edit of Xochitl’s performances on TikTok; her magnetic personality pulled in a huge chunk of viewership. Another huge element in the social media sphere were the dating rumors surrounding partners Harry Jowsey and Rylee Arnold. Despite their age gap, there were many—and when I say many I mean many—Harry and Riley fans who were glued to the screen just for the chance to witness a reality TV relationship blossom. To make it clear, I don’t think they were dating. I’ve watched this show for a long time and almost every season there are dating rumors for at least one or two couples, and although they’re often played up to get views, they’re almost never true. However, regardless of the validity of the rumors, Harry and Riley managed to amass a cult following that bumped up views and conversation surrounding the show and introduced it to many viewers who had never really seen it before.
- Hosting
Another huge factor that made this season much better than the last few was the switch of hosts. Although Julianne Hough was not a perfect host, she was miles ahead of past host Tyra Banks. As an avid viewer, I watched Tyra’s first season as host and it was nearly impossible to sit through. Tyra was never prepared, was uncharismatic, knew nothing about dancing and made constant mistakes. Even my mom who is a long-time fan of the show stopped watching after Tyra became host because the secondhand embarrassment was so hard to watch. Julianne and Alfonso also have much better chemistry and actually seem to like each other, unlike the awkward forced comradery of Tyra and Alfonso. I’ll always miss the golden years of Tom and Erin’s hosting—their effortlessness and professionalism held the show together—but Alfonso and Julianne are a leap in the right direction for the show’s watchability.
- Closer Competition
The thing that truly pulled me back into watching Dancing With the Stars again after not really watching the last two seasons was the impression of a much tighter and more vibrant competition than in recent years. Season 31’s champion Charli D’amelio was an incredible dancer from week one, and almost nobody had a chance against her. As a viewer, this can become boring to watch. I only got through around three weeks of Charli being top of the leaderboard before it became predictable and repetitive. In contrast, this season’s top stars were a lot closer in skill and performance level. Although this season’s champion Xochitl Gomez was a frontrunner from the start, many other stars kept up with her or even surpassed her throughout the competition. Jason Mraz, Charity Lawson, Lele Pons and (my personal favorite) Ariana Madix all had very good seasons and could have taken the mirrorball home as well. This made the season much more engaging. I was able to have more conversations with others about who might win and overall just had a much better viewing experience. Even the stars who were less skilled were fun to watch. Barry Williams, Alyson Hannigan and Harry Jowesey all had an infectious energy and were a joy to watch even though they were not frontrunners.
- The Len Goodman Mirrorball
This season is not only the first season without iconic judge Len Goodman, but it’s also the first season after his passing in April of 2023. The loss of Len is a huge heartbreak to longtime viewers of the show, and the efforts the show has taken to honor his memory were vital to the success of this season. From renaming the mirrorball after Len to the tribute dance to him in “Most Memorable Year” week that left viewers (me) a sobbing puddle on the floor, the appreciation for Len reached longtime viewers of the show and reminded them why they watch. This element reignited the heart of the show and made it once again feel like a big family. Everyone loved Len. His memory brought a gravity to this season that cannot ever be replicated.