Dancing With the Stars has been accused of being rigged by these former contestants

Dancing With the Stars has had plenty of shock eliminations since it first aired in 2005, and over the years, some of the celebrities sent home have claimed there’s more going on behind the scenes than just the public vote.

The show has always denied it. “We take that very seriously. We have never, nor would we ever do anything to manipulate the votes,” executive producer Ryan O’Dowd told Deadline in May 2025.

He said the competition “really needs to be” credible, adding: “It needs to allow the viewers to have a voice and to really be the voice of who deserves to win. So we have never nor would we ever want to manipulate that in any way.” Even so, these are the former contestants who have questioned how fair the show really is.

Alexa PenaVega

The most recent claim came from season 21 star Alexa PenaVega. In an October 2026 episode of her LEXLOS podcast, which she hosts with her husband Carlos PenaVega, Alexa remembered a conversation she had with fellow contestant Hayes Grier while they were both in the bottom group.

“Hayes is only 15 years old and he’s the sweetest kid,” she said. “He’s back there with us and I just remember all of us being in the bottom and he’s like, ‘Man, I think this show’s rigged. I have more votes than anybody.’”

But Alexa didn’t entirely agree with him. She said she believed Hayes did have more votes than anyone else because of his huge following, explaining: “I know you have more votes than anybody here because of the millions and millions of followers. 100 percent, it is so easy for them to send in a little text.”

Still, she thinks votes aren’t the whole story. “This is what I always tell people. I think the votes matter. I do. But the show’s also produced,” she said.

Host Alfonso Ribeiro wasn’t having it. Replying in the comments of her video, he wrote: “No chance. We want everyone who’s popular to stay on. It’s basic logic.”

Sean Avery

Former NHL player Sean Avery, who competed in season 18 with Karina Smirnoff, was eliminated in week two, and he believes a falling out with a producer was to blame.

Speaking to Good Morning America in 2014, Sean said he’d been unhappy with the video package the show had made about him the week before. “It was a very tacky attempt to show me as the bad boy of DWTS,” he said.

“And I think in reality TV or some sort of competition, if you have a disagreement with the producers, then generally that seals your fate quite early,” he added.

Kyle Massey

Kyle Massey, who finished as runner-up to Jennifer Grey in season 11 with partner Lacey Schwimmer, has claimed the show edited out a mistake Jennifer made in the final.

Speaking on Cheryl Burke’s podcast in 2024, Kyle explained that the East Coast sees the show live, while the West Coast watches an edited recording. “One of the other contestants [Jennifer] had a mishap in the finale,” he said. “So the East Coast, the mishap was there, and then on West Coast, it was a clean performance. It was edited out, perfect 10s.”

Kyle described it as a “misstep” similar to “when you trip, but you don’t actually fall”, and claimed the show “completely edited it out” for West Coast viewers.

Matthew and Joey Lawrence

Matthew Lawrence, Cheryl Burke’s ex-husband, has previously claimed on his podcast that he saw how the show was “rigged” while he was in a relationship with the pro.

His brother Joey Lawrence, who competed in season three, has also questioned how results are decided. “I feel that there was always a lot of debate as to how much finagling was going on behind the scenes,” Joey said. “You know, whether the audience vote and the judges’ votes, then the producers. I mean, there was certainly a scenario there that played out.”

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