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Fans of Dancing with the Stars made a bold claim in a Reddit thread on the heels of the show’s tribute episode to the music and dancing of Janet Jackson. They stated that the season had “gone downhill fast,” and they long for the older version of the show. It was then, they claimed, where viewers were allowed to feel as if they were part of the celebrities’ journeys.

Tyra Banks on the set of Dancing with the Stars.
Tyra Banks | Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images

The bold changes ‘DWTS’ has undergone

Dancing with the Stars underwent several significant changes since 2018, when Sharna Burgess and Bobby Bones won a mirrorball trophy during season 27. The couple’s win was deemed one of the most controversial in the history of DWTS due to the alleged flood of votes from the country music community in favor of the radio personality. They were the lowest-scoring couple of the 2018 finals, and viewers were shocked when they won.

Subsequently, that season caused DWTS to reconsider its voting techniques to prevent fans from ballot stuffing. During season 28, only live votes placed during the broadcast counted toward the contestant’s final score.

After that, the series shifted from nights dedicated to ballroom styles and evenings devoted to critical moments in the celebrity’s lives and became focused on theme nights.

Also, the judges have the final choice between the bottom two contestants, with head judge Len Goodman having the final say in the case of a tie-breaker.

The series shifted from two seasons a year to one, and upon the firing of longtime hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews, Tyra Banks was named host.

‘Dancing with the Stars’ fans yearn for older seasons

Tom Bergeron, Meryl Davis and Maksim Chmerkovskiy on the set of "Dancing with the Stars."
Tom Bergeron, Meryl Davis, and Maksim Chmerkovskiy | Adam Taylor/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
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In a Reddit thread dedicated to the series, fans spoke openly of the things they missed most from older seasons of the show.

“Anyone else miss the old DWTS? With long rehearsal packages where we got to know the couples, regularly themed weeks (where is Most Memorable Year? where is Latin Night??) We got to see when Maks Chmerkovskiy struggled with Meryl Davis and when Shawn Johnson was having a breakdown. I miss Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews. I miss their chemistry and the way they interacted with the couples. This show needs to end. It’s gone downhill fast,” wrote one fan of the things they miss the most.

“I miss being able to vote after seeing all the dances. Now, if I want to vote at all, I have to do it blindly or spoil myself by watching the dances on YouTube, which I hate doing because I like seeing them for the first time on the show,” wrote a second follower.

“The producers are trying to make it all about the dancing, but it shouldn’t be. During the earlier seasons, it was more about connecting with the celebrities, watching their journey, their struggles on the show. You pretty much fall in love with your favorite couple. That is why this show lasted for 30 seasons,” shared a third Reddit user.

Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.

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