TikTok to Tango: Dancing With the Stars Sees a Surge in Gen Z Viewers

Written by Layne Sheplee

Every Tuesday night, my friends and I gather in my living room. Huddled together on my couch, we watch the clock until it strikes 8:00 p.m. and our current favorite show, Dancing With the Stars, sputters onto the screen. With almost 6 million viewers tuning into the dance competition show weekly and soaring ratings from eighteen to thirty-four year-olds, it's likely that the same scenario plays out in college apartments across the country.

That has not always been the case, though. Currently in its 34th season, DWTS is a ballroom dance competition and elimination show. Fourteen “star” contestants, who can be famous for being a professional athlete, actor, social media influencer, or anything in between, are paired with professional ballroom dancers to compete in weekly live shows. Based on a combination of judge scores and home viewer votes, a pair is eliminated from the competition each week. Since its premiere in 2005, the show has primarily garnered older viewers. In just 2022, the show had an audience with a median age of sixty-three and a half. However, in the past couple of years, DWTS has skyrocketed in popularity among younger viewers, particularly Gen Z.

So, what caused the shift?

In short, the answer is TikTok. Both star contestants and their partnered pro dancers have turned to the social media platform to document their dance training, the ins and outs of the show process, and their everyday lives. With 66 percent of TikTok users falling in the age range of eighteen to thirty-four, the platform has allowed the show to be introduced to a new, younger audience.

Additionally, DWTS has recently cast younger pros as well as a growing number of social media influencer stars, both of which have piqued the interest of Gen Z viewers. Rylee Arnold, twenty, joined the roster of pros in 2023. It was Arnold, along with partner Harry Jowsey from the dating reality show Too Hot to Handle, who largely sparked the TikTok craze among contestants, as their TikTok videos throughout the season gained attention and translated to votes to keep them in the competition.

On the star side, several influencers have hit the ballroom in recent years. Charli D’Amelio, the TikTok-famous dancer, won season thirty-one with pro Mark Ballas, and this year, social media personality Alix Earle is competing with partner Val Chemerinsky. Both have huge followings on TikTok, allowing their DWTS content to reach millions of predominantly younger people.

DWTS is also playing on its TikTok success. Last week’s episode was themed “TikTok Night,” where each pair danced to songs that went viral on TikTok, including “Anxiety” by Doechii, “Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter, and “Pop Muzik” by M / Robin Scott.

Other strategic moves by DWTS, like the utilization of Disney+ streaming services, have prompted its growing popularity among younger audiences. DWTS has been available to watch on ABC platforms since its creation, but in 2022, the show added another avenue for watching: streaming on Disney+. The platform predominantly caters toward children from two to seventeen years old, so streaming on the platform allows for show exposure to more young audience members.

In just a few years, DWTS has gone from a show for grandparents to the trendiest topic among Gen Z. For record-high viewing and voting numbers, the show has just one message of appreciation to send: “Thank you, TikTok.”