How can Carole Baskin survive elimination on ‘DWTS’?

There’s been a lot of disgruntled Dancing with the Stars fans this season. After twenty-eight seasons of the same-old-same-old, which has become a familiar source of comfort for many, the show has been shaken up dramatically.

With Len Goodman unable to judge due to pandemic travel restrictions (causing Derek Hough to step in), the replacement of Tom Bergeron with Tyra Banks, and the creepy piped in audience cheers, the whole show feels off this season. It’s like stepping through the looking glass, but instead of chasing a white rabbit you’re chasing the never ending train of Tyra Banks’s giant red dress.

Meanwhile, the only thing that hasn’t changed is DWTS’s mediocre-at-best casting decisions. Recently, The Masked Singer has been boasting impressive contestants – from Patti LaBelle to Chris Daughtry to internet sensation Ninja – which has left DWTS fans wondering how they keep getting stuck with casts mostly consisting of reality stars they’ve only vaguely heard of and actors that once had a supporting role in a semi-popular show fifteen years ago.

Questionable casting

The biggest eyebrow raise of the season as far as casting goes, is without a doubt, Carole Baskin. Some people have pointed out she’s likely meant to be the butt of the joke this year – however, we’d have thought DWTS would have learned their lesson from last year, when Sean Spicer somehow made it to the final six to literally everyone’s dismay.

The thing about DWTS is that the judges (who are experts) have only a partial say in who stays and who goes home. The show started in the American Idol era when audience voting was the new hot thing that got viewers excited. This formula is one of DWTS’s untouched elements. This means sometimes people who should go home continue to dance another day, and people who are good sometimes get sent packing.

Despite fans not wanting to see Sean Spicer on the show at all (some even calling for boycotts), his awful dancing, and the judges’ low scores, the man was kept in a purgatory of glittery shirts, sambas, and bewildered judges’ comments. It got to the point where even Spicer seemed to look disappointed when the hosts announced his safety each week.

So, the Carole Baskin thing

With the disaster of the Spicer incident, it seems like casting Baskin is the kind of bold move only a show with zero self awareness can make. Sure, it’s kind of funny to watch a tiger-striped Baskin fumble her way through a ballroom dance to “Eye of the Tiger” – but only once.

But what happens if she’s still there six weeks from now in her umpteenth leopard print dancing to a random song from Cats the musical because the showrunners refuse to let her go off-brand for even a moment because “that’s the joke”?

Not to mention the fact Baskin isn’t famous for being likable – she’s famous for being part of documentary everyone loved to hate & couch detectives wondering whether she committed murder.

Elimination round

Dancing with the Stars only airs a single episode per week these days, which means the season premiere is only sunshine and rainbows as contestants do their very best. The second week is when the dance duos face elimination.

Despite having the lowest judges’ score of the first week (a combined score of 11), Carole Baskin can make it to week three if enough people vote to keep her. Avoiding elimination may not be easy, but it’s entirely possible – especially if she has as many secretly adoring fans as Sean Spicer did.

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So, what do you think? Will Carole Baskin be the first dancer kicked off DWTS this season? Did you vote for Baskin to stay for the memes? Let us know in the comments below.