Dancing with the Stars is increasingly rewarding popularity over dance skills

TVLine

"More and more, mediocre contestants with large, passionate, eager-to-vote fanbases are making it to the finale over contestants who A) were excellent from Week One, or B) put in the work to become excellent over time," says Rebecca Iannucci in wake of Bobby Bones' surprise victory last week. She adds: "The show has revealed, with increasing frequency, that it doesn’t much matter if a contestant earns high marks or makes noticeable improvement each week. All these amateurs seem to need is a gaggle of fans who will vote tirelessly for their favorite — and that’s not a competition I’m interested in watching."