As Dancing With the Stars Season 33 continues to air amid the 2024 TV schedule, fans are once again able to choose their favorites and who they want to win the coveted Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. With a new slate of celebrities dancing in the ballroom, it’s always exciting to see who comes out on top or discuss who should've won. Even though some former contestants give advice to the newbies every so often, as Candace Cameron Bure did last year, Zendaya hasn’t actually watched at all since she was on it and explained why.
The Euphoria star competed on DWTS Season 16 alongside Val Chmerkovskiy. While the two were poised to win, they came up short and earned second place behind Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough. Even over 10 years later, it’s still upsetting to think about as a fan, but Zendaya quickly moved on. Speaking on Entertainment Weekly’s The Awardist podcast, she admitted that she hasn’t watched any other season of the dancing competition series since her own season, not because of the loss but because of her level of interest:
I have not watched Dancing With the Stars since I was on [it]. I didn’t really watch Dancing With the Stars before I was on Dancing With the Stars. I don’t think I was the target demographic. My grandma, like, loves Dancing With the Stars. That’s her bag.
That’s not to say only older people watch Dancing with the Stars, because a lot of younger people do, too, myself included. It's Zendaya’s preference, however, and since she never really watched it before she was on it, it makes sense that she still hasn’t really watched it afterwards. Despite all of that, her experience on the series is also tied into the reason why she doesn’t watch, and it makes complete sense:
I also think it was a very stressful experience. I was like, ‘I don’t think I’m gonna be watching this anymore.’
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The Dune star lived the Dancing with the Stars experience. She knows the hard work it takes to compete and surely knows the ins and outs of the series. While she was an immediate fan favorite and nearly won it all, it didn’t come without some stress. So not wanting to relive that by watching DWTS also makes sense. From the outside looking in, it seems to be an overwhelming experience and, for the A-lister, seeing other celebrities go through it may just add to the stress.
Even though Zendaya had a stressful time on the show, her experience still managed to inspire other hopefuls. Season 32’s winner Xochitl Gomez told CinemaBlend she was inspired by the Spider-Man star as well as Laurie Hernandez, who also danced with her partner, Val Chmerkovskiy. What struck Gomez about their performances was how young they were when they were on DWTS and had to think outside the box to really stand out. With that, I'd say that Zendaya's efforts on the long-running series weren't for naught.
Dancing With the Stars may be stressful for competitors, but it’s also highly entertaining, even if you aren’t the target demographic. New episodes of DWTS return on Monday, October 7 and Tuesday, October 8 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Fans can also stream episodes using a Disney+ subscription.