A surprising accusation about what really happens behind the scenes of “Dancing With the Stars” has reignited controversy over the show’s voting system, prompting host Alfonso Ribeiro to publicly push back after a former contestant suggested that producers may have more influence over the competition than viewers realize.
Actress Alexa PenaVega, who competed on the hit ABC series in 2015, stirred up the debate during an October 22 episode of her “LexLos” podcast with husband Carlos PenaVega. While reminiscing about their experiences on Season 21, she recalled a backstage conversation with social media star Hayes Grier, who reportedly became convinced that something wasn’t right after landing near the bottom of the competition despite having millions of devoted followers.
The story quickly gained attention after a short clip circulated on TikTok, raising familiar questions about whether fan votes really determine who stays and who goes home.
According to PenaVega, Grier was just 15 years old when he competed alongside professional dancer Emma Slater, bringing an enormous online following to the ballroom. His popularity made him a recognizable contestant, but that didn’t prevent him from finding himself in danger of elimination.
PenaVega recalled the teenager expressing frustration backstage after the results were announced.
“Man, you know what? I think this show’s rigged. I have more votes than anybody,” she remembered him saying.
At the time, PenaVega understood why he was confused. Grier had millions of social media followers, many of whom presumably had an interest in supporting him, yet his popularity wasn’t translating into the results he expected.
The young contestant ultimately finished eighth, becoming the sixth celebrity eliminated that season. For PenaVega, the experience raised broader questions about how much influence viewers actually have over the outcome of the competition.
Although she acknowledged that public voting and judges’ scores play important roles, the actress suggested that the show’s producers also have considerable influence over how the competition unfolds.
“I think the votes matter, I do, but the show’s also produced,” she explained.
She went on to suggest that producers understand their audience and carefully shape the stories viewers follow throughout the season, pointing to eventual Season 21 champion Bindi Irwin as an example of a contestant with an especially compelling personal journey.
Those remarks quickly attracted attention, particularly among fans who have long questioned why some popular celebrities are eliminated while others survive despite receiving lower judges’ scores.
But one prominent member of the “Dancing With the Stars” family wasn’t about to let the speculation go unanswered.
Alfonso Ribeiro, who won Season 19 before becoming one of the show’s hosts, responded directly after the podcast clip appeared on social media. Rather than offering a lengthy explanation, he dismissed the suggestion that the competition was deliberately manipulated against popular contestants.
“No chance. We want everyone who’s popular to stay on. It’s basic logic,” Ribeiro wrote.
His response added fuel to the online discussion, with viewers debating whether the show’s popularity-driven format could coexist with behind-the-scenes production decisions.
PenaVega subsequently stepped in to clarify that her comments had been taken out of context. She explained that the circulating video began in the middle of a longer conversation and that she had been recounting Grier’s frustration rather than making a direct accusation that the show’s results were fraudulent.
“The clip picks up mid-story,” she wrote, encouraging viewers to listen to the full podcast before drawing conclusions.
Still, the controversy arrived at a particularly sensitive moment for the long-running series, which has faced renewed scrutiny over several unexpected eliminations during its current season.
Earlier in October, “Summer House” star Ciara Miller was sent home alongside professional partner Brandon Armstrong, despite receiving her highest judges’ score of the competition.
The elimination angered some viewers and prompted Miller’s friends, Paige DeSorbo and Hannah Berner, to question the show’s voting transparency during an episode of their “Giggly Squad” podcast.
DeSorbo bluntly suggested that the competition was rigged, while Berner expressed frustration that viewers never get to see the precise vote totals or fully understand how the results are calculated.
Those concerns have circulated around the ballroom for years, particularly when contestants with large fan bases are eliminated earlier than expected.
However, the show’s voting system is more complicated than simply counting which celebrity receives the most text messages.
Executive producer Conrad Green explained in a 2025 interview with The Hollywood Reporter that judges’ scores and audience votes each account for roughly half of the final result. Rather than combining raw scores with raw vote totals, the competition converts both into rankings.
For example, when five couples remain, the highest-ranked pair among the judges receives five ranking points, while the lowest receives one. Viewer votes are ranked separately using the same approach, and those points are then added together to determine which couple finishes at the bottom.
That means a celebrity can attract substantial public support and still be eliminated if their combined ranking falls below that of the other contestants.
The system also helps explain why a large social media following doesn’t necessarily guarantee success. Having millions of followers is not the same as receiving millions of votes, especially when competing against celebrities whose smaller but more dedicated fan bases consistently participate.
Green has defended the decision not to reveal exact vote totals, explaining that publicizing the numbers could influence how audiences vote in subsequent episodes.
The show’s producers have also firmly rejected allegations of deliberately manipulating the results.
In May 2025, BBC Studios executive Ryan O’Dowd told Deadline that maintaining the competition’s credibility was essential and insisted that producers had never interfered with the voting process.
Despite those assurances, questions about transparency continue to follow “Dancing With the Stars,” especially as social media gives disappointed contestants and their supporters a platform to challenge controversial eliminations.
For PenaVega, the latest debate appears to have grown out of a story about a frustrated teenager rather than an effort to expose wrongdoing. Nevertheless, her recollection has revived an issue that has followed the series through multiple seasons.
Ribeiro’s public response makes clear that he rejects the suggestion of rigged results, while the show’s producers maintain that the final rankings reflect the established combination of judges’ scores and audience votes.
There is no verified evidence that the competition secretly changes vote totals or predetermines winners.
What's Up Today Editorial Team