‘Dancing With The Stars’ Breaks Protocol, Releases Viewer Vote Totals After 33 Seasons — And They’re Surprising

EXCLUSIVE: Ever since Dancing with the Stars launched in 2005, ABC has kept secret the number of viewers who vote for their favorite celebrity hoofers — until now.

Whether it’s the participation of two popular Olympic athletes or the controversial addition of convicted felon Anna Delvey, ABC says engagement in their variety show is stronger than ever.

The Sept. 24 episode that saw Delvey the “fashionista” and Beverly Hills, 90210‘s Tori Spelling go home received more than 14 million fan votes, the most ever received on a single episode in series history.

That means more votes are being tallied today than when Hines Ward and Kym Johnson won in 2011’s most-watched season 12, when a whopping 22 million-plus viewers tuned into the show. Voters can vote for which celebs they want to keep via text or via dwtsvote.abc.com.

“Viewers can vote multiple times, so if they’re particularly passionate about certain couples they can vote up to 10 times for each couple,” Executive Producer Conrad Green tells Deadline. “The record number of votes that week suggests to me that a lot of our audience are very passionate about a lot of our stars this year, and the increased ratings year or year would suggest that it is the case.”

After seven days of viewing (including linear playback) on ABC, Disney+, Hulu and other digital platforms, the DWTS season 33 premiere averaged 7.32 million Total Viewers and a 1.31 rating in Adults 18-49, an increase over its initial Live +Same Day audience by 47 % in Total Viewers (7.32 million vs. 4.97 million) and by 79% in Adults 18-49 (1.31 rating vs. 0.73 rating). 

After two episodes (the show didn’t air last week), Dancing with the Stars is averaging .81 rating in Adults 18-49 in L+3 viewing. The two-episode average is also exceeding the previous season average in Adults 18-49 by 17% (.81 rating vs. .70 rating).

“At core, as always, the cast is what defines the season,” says Green of this year’s lineup, which includes Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher, Olympic pommel horse medalist Stephen Nedoroscik, NBA Champion Dwight Howard and Phaedra Parks of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. “This group of stars are really likeable, talented and love being on the show- and that passion for what they’re doing really comes through on live TV.  There’s real dance talent across the cast and lot of unique stories as well as so much potential in the couples to grow as performers.”

“Also, Dancing With the Stars is a really positive show at a time when the world is feeling pretty bleak, so there’s a certain escapism and sense of community that comes with watching which helps remind us of what we have in common as Americans,” Green continues. “We’ve also been on air long enough now that a new generation viewers are watching with their kids and the popularity of the show on social apps like TikTok has exploded and introduced new viewers.”

DWTS, which is produced in front of a live audience by BBC Studios Los Angeles Prods., returns Oct. 8 with Soul Train Night. There will be no elimination.