On Sept. 17, 2024, the long-running reality TV show, Dancing With the Stars, premiered its 33rd season with a unique and controversial cast. The cast contained a large variety of celebrities, including 2024 Paris Olympians such as Ilonah Maher and Stephen Nedoroscik, reality TV stars such as Phaedra Parks and Jenn Tran and many other celebrities of varying talents and ages.
One celebrity that stood out not only from the rest of the cast but also from casts in previous seasons is Anna Delvey, an entrepreneur and convicted felon. She became famous after the release of the Netflix series, Inventing Anna, which detailed her fraudulent past. “I think it is controversial and I do honestly think it’s kind of like a cheap grab to get ratings, ”said Hollis Brookline High School student Fiontan Mac Seain ’25.“I don’t think a criminal should be on there,” said student and competitive dancer Anya Zoltko ‘25.
Even though the consensus on Delvey’s contribution to the show may be fairly negative, it still adds relevancy and intrigue to the competition.“I think it’s interesting because she actually has potential to do really good, but at the same time, it looks like she doesn’t care about being on it,” said Mac Seain.
Delvey was eliminated in the first elimination of the season, and said she learned “nothing” from her time on the show. “Her attitude is what got her kicked out,” said Zolko.
While there may be some controversy with the cast and Anna Delvey, the inclusion of Olympic medalists seems to have brought some positive attention and excitement to the show as well because many people watched the games and saw popular athletes such as Nedoroscik on social media. Mac Seain said, “I love Stephen Nedoroscik and Riley” and “I love Ilonah Maher as well”.
Despite the unique people in the cast, both Mac Seain and Zoltko thought that this season’s cast was boring. “I don’t know as many people this season,” said Mac Seain.
Dancing with the Stars continues to run with millions of viewers in season 33 even though its cast may be less interesting to some audiences. “I think it’s interesting to see celebrities doing something that they don’t normally do, and I think it helps equalize them with the rest of us. A lot of the people that watch that show aren’t dancers, and they get to see their celebrities on a more personal level,” said Zoltko.
New Dancing with the Stars episodes come out every Tuesday, so stay tuned to see who wins this season.
