Dancing with the Stars has fans confused with its so-called tiebreakers each week.
There is even one judge who said the entire tiebreaker confused him as well, with Derek Hough believing the production needs to change the name.
That is because, when Len Wiseman makes his vote, it is not a tiebreaker. That does not occur until after he makes his vote.
Now, one of the DWTS pros has an idea of what might make the tiebreaker fairer when it comes to the audience at home.
Viewers confused by Dancing with the Stars tiebreaker
Not only did Derek Hough not understand the tiebreaker, joining fans who are confused every week, but pro Artem Chigvintsev doesn’t like it.
Artem had a way that the show could change things to make it better for fans and eliminate the confusion of the tiebreaker.
First, here is how the Dancing with the Stars tiebreaker really works.
The first three judges – Carrie Ann, Bruno, and Derek – all vote. The last person to vote is always Len. If, after Len votes, the results are 2-2, it is Len’s vote that is the tiebreaker.
This does not mean Len gets two votes. It just means that his vote is the one that counts if the four judges are split even. This is because he is the head judge.
If Len votes for one person and the other three vote for the other, Len’s vote does not decide it.
Artem gives his idea for Dancing with the Stars tiebreaker
“I think [the] formula we have now definitely works,” Artem said. “Is there another formula that I think would maybe work better and people will feel better about it? Yes.”
Artem then broke down what he thought would be better for Dancing with the Stars.
“Let’s say, there’s a bottom two. If the judges can’t decide who to send home, then it should be going into the voting system. Who got the most votes?” Artem said.
This would mean that the fans would determine which person stays and who goes home.
“Let’s break it down to who got the most votes because then it’s fair [and] square,” Artem said. “Then it gets to the point, you can’t be mad at this, because it is decided then. The audience becomes a fifth judge in a sense.”
This makes it more of a popularity contest than one based on judges determining the best dancers, but if the judges are split, it might be a good idea to let the audience be that tiebreaking vote.
Dancing with the Stars airs on Monday nights at 8/7c on ABC.