Although the show may have started as a quirky gimmick meant to compete with similar competition shows like American Idol and America’s Got Talent, Dancing with the Stars has become one of the most popular reality competition shows on TV! Every season, the show features celebrities who pair up with a professional dancer and compete each week by showing off their dancing skills. At the end of each round, one couple is eliminated until only one—the winner—remains!
The show has included celebrities such as Joey McIntyre, Drew Lachey, Mario Lopez, Joey Fatone, Mel B, Cheryl Burke, Kirstie Alley, Corbin Bleau, Alfonso Ribeiro, Jack Osbourne–just to name a few. Many fans of the show love rooting for their favorite celebrities each week, especially those, like Alfonso Ribeiro, who already have some dance experience.
The show has proven to be a continued ratings success for the Fox network, although the ratings have risen and fallen throughout the show’s twenty—so far—seasons. Let’s take a closer look at how the ratings for the show have changed throughout the years.
Seasons 1-10
The first season of Dancing with the Stars premiered on June 1st, 2005; the season opener earned 13.5 million viewers, which was notable for a new show on the network but not the breakout hit they were hoping for. By the end of the season, the viewers had risen to 22.4 million–just a few million short of doubling the viewers!
After the show’s first season, there was some controversy regarding its voting system, which may have contributed to the lower ratings for season 2. However, by season 3 these issues had been smoothed over, and the ratings rose to an average of 20.7 million viewers for the season.
The ratings remained between 19 and 20 for the next few seasons, before spiking in season 6 with 21.67 million viewers. This spike may have been due to season 6’s line-up, which included Priscilla Presley and Kristi Yamaguchi.
Season 10 ended with 19.72 million viewers on average, which was on par with the overall ratings for season 1-10.
Seasons 11-20
Season 11 earned, on average, 21.92 million viewers–a great improvement over the last few seasons, which had earned just over 19 million viewers per episode. The line-up for season 11 included David Hasselhoff, Michael Bolton, Florence Henderson, Brandy, Bristol Palin and Rick Fox.
The show continued to enjoy good ratings–averaging between 18 and 22 million viewers–through season 15. After season 15, however, the ratings drastically declined all the way to only 14.85 million viewers per episode, close to the mediocre ratings the show’s first season opener received in 2005.
The show’s 17th and 18th seasons earned slightly higher 15.2 million viewers, but the 19th and 20th seasons dipped back down to 14.72.
The reason for the decline may be that viewers are tired of the program, or that there are too many similar talent competition shows on the airwaves for Dancing with the Stars to compete. Just click http://cabletelevisionbundles.s9.com/high-speed-internet-deals-.html to find out how to stream television entertainment into your home.
Entertainment Guide 2015 