Impressive dance moves can get contestants far in Dancing With The Stars, but time and time again, the ABC series has shown that popularity can often get them even further. Many viewers tuning into Season 32 possibly also have Netflix subscriptions, considering Too Hot To Handle's Harry Jowsey has advanced every week despite consistently putting up the lowest scores with dance partner Rylee Arnold. Now, ahead of Taylor Swift night in Week 9, former Mirrorball winner Bobby Bones had a message for Jowsey about haters.
Bones caught a lot of flak during his run on Dancing With The Stars in 2018, in which even competitors with perfect scores were eliminated over him, though Bones' win helped the show cast other non-dancing celebrities. The DJ heard a lot from upset fans about beating out competitors with better scores, and shared a message with Page Six aimed at Harry Jowsey and Rylee Arnold as the duo face similar negative comments from fans. In his words:
It’s championship time, baby, let’s go! I’ve been watching, I’ve been following you, I’ve been rooting for ya. I’m seeing you get some slack online and, yeah, welcome to the club, buddy. People hate us, ’cause they ain’t us, and they don’t work like we do.
In the rest of the message, Bobby Bones explained that he had little dance training to fall back on before doing the show, just like Harry Jowsey. Bones added that his respect for Dancing With The Stars and vigorous training is what led to his victory, while also noting that many of the people complaining from home are likely just as inexperienced on the dancefloor as the celebs all were before.
If fans are frustrated with Harry Jowsey and Rylee Arnold's continued advancement, it's understandable. For the past four consecutive weeks, they've had the lowest judges' score on Dancing With The Stars, and yet they have the opportunity to dance to Taylor Swift's songs we hope are played and even have Swift watching the episode.
Assuming Harry Jowsey and Rylee Arnold make it through the upcoming episode, they will officially be a part of Dancing With The Stars Season 32's semifinals. Time will tell if this duo will continue to be blessed by the fans' good graces and make it to the finale, but given the past history of the show, I wouldn't say it's impossible. Remember when NBA's Iman Shumpert upset JoJo Siwa in the Season 30 finale and made history in the process? Even being a professional dancer like Siwa does not guarantee a win in the ABC series.
A competitor winning based on popularity is always a factor in a series that allows viewers to vote for the winner. Bobby Bones, who once played substitute host for Ryan Seacrest on American Idol, should know that well enough. Is it Harry Jowsey's fault that Dancing With The Stars gives so much power to the fans? Certainly not, so maybe the haters should start calling on the show for change rather than going after the contestant who doesn't control their advancement.
Dancing With The Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ on Tuesday, November 21st at 8:00 p.m. ET. Tune in to potentially dance to "Shake It Off" or see if Harry Jowsey's lucky streak can keep on rolling to the next round.
