Dancing with the Stars Season 33 is getting closer to crowning the next recipient of the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy amidst the 2024 TV schedule. To say the competition is coming down to the wire would be an understatement. When it comes to eliminations, it can be difficult to pinpoint just what leads to a contestant's ultimate downfall. However, if newly surfaced data is to be taken into account, there’s apparently a surefire way for a couple to be eliminated. More specifically, it would appear that one dance causes more people to get cut more often than not.
Researchers at VegasInsider. com (via TV Insider) compiled over 3,300 dances across all 33 seasons of Dancing with the Stars. After excluding types like group dances and routines performed during non-elimination weeks, they narrowed it down to 2,600 dances, for the purposes of compiling data used to determine which dance has led to the most eliminations. Out of 15 dance types, the cha-cha-cha has evidently been the dealbreaker for 38 couples, with the tango just trailing behind at 33 couples. The mambo, meanwhile, has contributed to the eliminations eight couples.
It's interesting to think that the cha-cha-cha is at the top of the list, when it comes to this particular metric. However, it should be said that these numbers don't necessarily mean that if you perform the dance, an immediate elimination is guaranteed. As fans who watch the show can tell you, choreography and execution are important when it comes to a performance's reception.
As of right now, no couple that has taken part in a cha-cha during Season 33 has been eliminated. Of course, that could always change as the season goes on, and only the most skilled couples remain.
Regardless of the dance, plenty of the celebrity contestants this season have been doing well. Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher scored big with her Encanto performance on Disney Night. At that time, she and Alan Bersten served up a jazz to “Surface Pressure" (and Bersten’s donkey look was basically nightmare fuel). Meanwhile, DWTS turned unexpected contestant Danny Amendola and his partner Witney Carson into a top contender following their contemporary dance to “Unsteady” by X Ambassadors. The routine became so popular that it actually went viral on TikTok.
As for the safest dance, the jive and quickstep are tied at first with 197 safe couples and, coincidentally, mambo is again at the bottom of the list with just 38 safe couples. The cha-cha-cha is not only the most likely to get a couple eliminated, as it’s also the second most dangerous dance on the show with 170 negative points. With that, it trails behind the tango at 178, meaning that those dances lead to the most eliminations and being in the bottom for results.
Armed with the knowledge of which dances can apparently lead to a couple's elimination, I'm eager to watch DWTS moving forward. Again, you shouldn't lean on these numbers too hard. However, I'd be lying if I said that I won't be analyzing any renditions of the cha-cha-cha with extreme interest moving forward.
Fans will just have to tune in to Dancing with the Stars on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and with a Disney+ subscription to see if the data trends continue.
