Dancing With the Stars is being rocked by raging egos and lackluster commitment among some of its contestants — and bosses fear the combination could be the death knell for the ABC reality show, which has been waltzing toward its grave, sources say.
This season’s celebs include Australia Zoo’s Robert Irwin, Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, Dynasty dame Elaine Hendrix, influencer Alix Earle, former child stars Danielle Fishel and the promptly eliminated Corey Feldman, and yoga instructor Hilaria Baldwin, whose actor husband, Alec, wasn’t seen in the audience during episode two, fueling rumors of trouble between the couple.
“They’ve got a mixed bag of contestants, and the feeling is bosses have chosen very badly and didn’t properly vet them,” an insider shares. “Feldman, in particular, was causing chaos behind the scenes. He didn’t want to do the work, and it’s had a knockdown effect.”
“Many of the others are following his bad example. There’s too much goofing around and not enough rehearsing. A lot of the amateurs waste a lot of time making silly videos of themselves. People feel sorry for the pro dancers.”
In fact, DWTS alum Maksim Chmerkovskiy says Jenna Johnson had a “difficult time” working with Feldman, according to Page Six.
But this isn’t the show’s first controversy.
Last season, it featured convicted fraudster Anna Delvey, who suckered marks into believing she was a wealthy German heiress.
In 2024, former DWTS pro Artem Chigvintsev was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence against then-wife — and ex-show partner — Nikki Garcia, per People. Ultimately, the charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence, but critics say the incident still tarnished the feel-good series.
Additionally, fans were outraged in 2020 when hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews were fired.
Continues the insider, “The ratings have been on the upswing since the show moved to a hybrid broadcast and streaming model, but there have been too many scandals.
“This was seen as a make-or-break season. But it’s not going well, and confidence is plunging. DWTS is an expensive show to produce, and there’s pressure on the bosses to justify these costs. Lackadaisical contestants are the last thing the show needs.”