The long-running reality TV competition Dancing With the Stars has developed a rep as a reputation-rehabilitation show, which is somewhat removed from its original pitch of “imagine if we made celebrities dance for our amusement like little performing monkeys”.
Performing on Dancing With the Stars can generate massive amounts of goodwill for even the most benighted celebrity. In the US, controversial casting includes celebrity chef Paula Deen, who appeared on the show two years after making headlines for using racial slurs; pro boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr, who was trying to dance past his domestic violence convictions; and Olivia Jade Giannulli of college-admissions-scandal infamy. Even controversial political figures have attempted to pirouette away from their unpopular public personas, including former Trump staffer Sean Spicer in 2018, and Pauline Hanson on the Australian version in 2004. Not everyone comes out squeaky clean, but at least it’s a good distraction.
