Should ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Change Its’ Voting System?

Fans were not impressed when Bobby Bones managed to win Season 27 of “Dancing With the Stars.” Now, with reports the show may not be returning to ABC until at least Fall 2019, official calls are being made for the show to change its voting process.

Fans of the ABC show were already upset when Bones managed to beat out front-runner Juan Pablo di Pace in the semifinals and earn a place in the final episode. However, when he beat out fellow competitors Milo Manheim, Alexis Ren and Evanna Lynch to win the Mirrorball Trophy, it became a firestorm for how the show’s voting system—which gives equal weight to judges’ scores and viewer votes—was flawed.

Now, TV Line has gotten in on the debate and called for the show to consider changing things up in the future, as Bones’ win wasn’t the only time that the show basically became a popularity contest and opted to reward that over talent or skill.

Among the times the show has done this was this past season, which saw Bones and “Bachelor in Paradise” star Joe Amabile make it to the final rounds of competition (Amabile was eliminated in the semifinals with di Pace) over competitors that may have been deemed more worthy, but also in past competitions as well. The incredibly likable, but not overly skilled David Ross became the runner-up in Season 24, while “Glee” star Heather Morris was eliminated early on despite impressive scores.

The pattern also emerged in Season 2 (Jerry Rice, Season 7 (Cody Linley), Season 8 (Ty Murray), Season 10 (Chad Ochocinco), Season 12 (Ralph Macchio), Season 13 (Hope Solo), Season 17 (Bill Engvall), Season 19 (Tommy Chong) and Season 25 (Drew Scott).

However, it’s also noteworthy that the show likely won’t change things at all, since It's not meant to be taken as seriously as other dance competition shows. Whatever happens, fans will likely have to wait until September 2019 to find out.