Controversy over winner of "Dancing With the Stars" – Bobby Bones in season 27

Season 27 of Dance with the stars ended last Monday with three very surprising words: "Bobby and Sharna!"

In fact, against all odds (including mediocre judges' scores), Bobby Bones Country Radio and professional dancer Sharna Burgess were crowned Mirrorball Trophy winners this season.

And while I'm not talking about disrespect for Bobby or his deserving partner, his victory highlighted something about DWTS that has ruffled many feathers, including mine: too often, the show rewards the popularity of the dance technique, and that must change.

I've covered Dance with the stars For eight seasons now, and for the most part, the Mirrorball Trophy of these cycles has become one of the strongest – if not the the strongest – dancers. But more and more, mediocre competitors with big fans enthusiastic, enthusiastic and eager to vote qualify for the final. Candidates A) who have been excellent from the first week or B) have worked to become excellent over time.

There is an easy argument to make here that Dance with the stars is a crazy reality TV show that should not be taken so seriously. I do not disagree; actually, I tweeted in defense of the show before, asking those who would not care to consider that, hey, these amateurs are just doing their best to do something scary on live TV, OK?

The flip side, however, is that regular viewers of DWTS invest hours of their time in each new season – and part of the fun is to watch these competitors improve over time, until the celebrity who really deserves the win gets (ideally) the Mirrorball Trophy. The novelty of watching a bad dancer stumble in the ballroom disappears after about two weeks; after that, DWTS is only convincing if celebrities take criticism of judges seriously and show real change week after week. (The season 27 finalists who did not win – especially Harry Potter alanna Evanna Lynch – experienced incredible growth from September to November, which allowed Bobby to win: "Well, America loves you!"

This argument does not apply only to Bobby, whose triumph I do not want to insult; He came into the series without any dance experience and his schedule was significantly more crowded than most of his competitors, which is a miracle, having even survived nine weeks of shows.

But if we objectively talk about the best dancer of season 27, it was not Bobby – nor The bacheloretteJoe's grocery store, which also relied on its fans for the semi-finals. Former MLB receiver David Ross was also not a great dancer, but Chicago Cubs' fans took him to second place in season 24. Bristol Palin's fans took him in third place in season 11, and so on. Meanwhile, phenomenal performers like JoyHeather Morris and Fuller House the actor Juan Pablo Di Pace had their Dancing Careers brief, despite formidable routines and excellent results of the judges.

As a fan of Dance with the starsI found that a competitor's level of dance experience at the beginning of the season did not matter. What makes the show enjoyable is what he or she Is with their time in the series, whether they start strong or spend weeks climbing to the top of the rankings. Seeing competent competitors overwhelmed by someone who simply gets enough votes, despite any clue suggesting that he is a good dancer, gives the impression that the entire season is a waste of time. (Sharna Burgess, for example, always counted the beats out loud for Bobby during their final performance to keep it in sync with the rhythm. in the final!)

I fully understand that US votes are a fun and entertaining part of any reality show; Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli should not have the only say that goes forward every week, and I'm not quite sure how. DWTS should change its voting structure. As many fans have suggested, judges should choose a backup option that expires after a week. Maybe the show should inspire So you think you can dance and allow judges to decide which pair at risk goes home. Or perhaps as simple as giving the votes of the local audience less weight than the scores of the judges.

DWTS will probably choose not to change any system at all – but after 27 seasons, the series needs a tune-up. Yes, this program follows slightly different rules than most reality shows; after all, the winners of SYTYCD, American Idolet al. really want to play for a living, while DWTS the hopes can take the trophy and split. But the show revealed, more and more frequently, that it does not matter if the competitor wins high marks or makes remarkable progress every week. All these fans seem to need a troop of fans who will vote tirelessly for their favorite – and it's not a competition that interests me.