Whitney Leavitt should have won “Dancing with the Stars”

We all knew Robert Irwin was going to win Dancing with the Stars. But he shouldn’t have.

Though Whitney Leavitt tied for second place, alongside Alix Earle, in this season’s semifinals, earning 58 out of 60 points from the judges, she couldn’t earn enough support from fans to bring her to the finals. 

Leavitt was the best dancer there, and her elimination proves that audiences should not be allowed to vote.  

The Not-So-Wicked Witch of the West

Leavitt recently starred as the de facto villain on the Hulu reality show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. I, like many, hated Leavitt on the show. I thought she was selfish, conniving and fame-obsessed.  

But Leavitt’s character is a bit more nuanced than what we see on Secret Lives. 

Her DWTS co-star Andy Richter didn’t know Leavitt before the dance competition and was surprised to learn about her mean girl reputation.  

“Whitney going home is insane,” he said, adding, “From the moment I met her, she was loving and winning and kind and considerate and incredibly positive toward me.

“Beyond anybody else … she was one of the people that definitely made me feel that I was a valuable member of this team.”

The kindness that Richter references is apparent on DWTS. 

When other contestants scored higher than Leavitt, she seemed genuinely happy for them — smiling, cheering and offering hugs. Her attitude isn’t forced. Even when she was voted off, she left the stage with an air of grace and acceptance. 

Clearly, the Leavitt we all have come to know and hate is someone we don’t actually know at all. 

(S)he’s the greatest dancer 

Let’s face it: Leavitt’s dismissal had nothing to do with her aptitude as a dancer. 

I have never watched DWTS before this season, but when I saw Leavitt’s samba on TikTok night, I became deeply obsessed with Utah’s most hated woman. 

Leavitt is a captivating dancer. She moves with an electrifying energy and animated facial expressions. 

When I watch her dance, my eyes are glued to the TV. It’s hypnotic. 

It is insane that someone as talented as Leavitt could get eliminated before someone like Dylan Efron. When Efron performs, all eyes are on his partner, Daniella Karagach. 

It’s because Leavitt came into the public eye as an infamous villain, unlike Efron, whose brother was every voter’s childhood celebrity crush.  

That seems to be his only credential for being on the show. It’s Dancing with the Stars, not Dancing with the Siblings of the Stars. 

As my roommates say, Efron is a “nepo sibling.” He’s built a burgeoning following as a TikTok star, but let’s be honest, no one would care about him if not for his brother. 

Leavitt’s dismissal from DWTS came only because viewers “got to know her” on the Hulu original and decided they didn’t like her. Maybe if a camera crew had been filming and editing Efron’s behaviour for months before DWTS, he would’ve been voted off a long time ago. 

Don’t rock the boat 

It’s fair to assume many of us who tuned into DWTS every Tuesday know little about dance. I personally struggle with deciphering whether a contestant will score well with the judges. 

However, on this, the judges and I agree: Leavitt is a skilled performer. 

Throughout the season, she remained at the top of the leaderboard, receiving high praise and top scores from judges. 

But by putting the power in the hands of fans, we’re turning a dance competition into a popularity contest, sabotaging stars who may not be well-loved, despite their dance credentials. 

This isn’t what the show is about. 

DWTS is about celebrities learning and improving their dance skills, which we saw from Leavitt week after week. 

Though she has previous dance experience, her dancing technique and performances consistently improved. Her partner, Mark Ballas, is known for his complex choreography, and she repeatedly rose to the occasion. 

Considering this, it’s clear she only went home because fans couldn’t leave her reputation at the door. 

My opinion of Leavitt changed when I encountered her on DWTS. I started thinking about the art of editing and the construction of narratives on reality TV. 

DWTS airs live. There is no room for producers to edit clips out of context. 

I think the Leavitt we see on the dance floor — although probably still not her real character — is closer to her true self. 

People voting against her are voting against a constructed character, not a dancer. This isn’t fair to Leavitt, who has clearly put in the work to succeed this season. 

We should let the dancers’ dance ability speak for itself.