Behind-the-Scenes Secrets of ‘Dancing with the Stars’

How much of the reality show is actually based on reality? Here are 10 secrets behind 'Dancing with the Stars' that you probably didn't know.

by Nicole Weaver

Published on May 18, 2018

5 min read

There are many talented celebrities who just can’t dance. Thanks to the invention of reality TV we now have Dancing with the Stars, a show that allows us to watch them learn for our enjoyment. On the show, celebrities are paired with a professional dancer in hopes of being the last couple standing. The winners win money and the mirror ball trophy.

But what goes into making the show? It may seem pretty straight forward, yet there are many secrets to its success. That includes creating story lines, possibly picking the winner ahead of time, and asking big name celebrities to come on the show. Here are 10 secrets behind Dancing with the Stars.

1. They script what people say

Dancing With the Stars — Wendy Williams on *Dancing with the Stars* | ABC

Sorry to crush your dreams, fans! It may be called reality television, but it’s rare for these types of shows to be strictly without a script. This is because producers want to make sure there is some kind of drama to keep audiences interested. This means that those rehearsal scenes and more, have lines scripted for the celebrities.

This is something that contestant Wendy Williams confirmed on her show. “I know this as a participant, OK. I’m reading, I’m like, ‘Wait, this is not how I’m feeling today, and I wouldn’t say that. I’m not going to say that,’ I would tell the camera, so instead I would say what I want to say.”

She also opened up about the script on the Today show. “When they put you in the room and you have to talk to the camera about your experience,” she said, “you know, the one-on-one with the camera — I was letting people know that they script you what to say. And I would look at my partner Tony Dovolani and say ‘Tony, I wouldn’t say this.'”