I've made it clear that I don't particularly like it when people do things like vote based entirely on who the pro is, but I'm not going to sit here and berate people for it. I know I complain about biased fans way too much, but I do believe there is a place for bias on the show, and voting is a big part of that place. My problem is the levels of hypocrisy I've been seeing from quite some time now from both sides. I repeat: from both sides. I know Hough fans generally like to act like they're superior to everyone else because they back the guy with six Mirrorball trophies and multiple Emmys, but just because you stan a legend doesn't mean you yourself are one. And I know the general mindset of the Chmerkovskiy fanbase is that Derek is full of himself and "only comes back for the attention" but if you're gonna criticize him for that you may want to take a look at your own favorite who just came crawling back to DWTS yet again.
I know I tend to rant about why I dislike blind praise for someone you love, opposite is even worse. Both sides of this neverending argument love to pick apart the other for everything, including things they PRAISED their own favorite for doing in the past. For instance, right now I'm seeing a lot of criticism of from the Hough faction for the upcoming dance dedicated to those affected by Hurricane Katrina that Val is working on with Normani, Most of the complaints I've seen are accusations of them "begging for sympathy votes" as if no other couple in the history of DWTS would EVER stoop so LOW as to perform an emotional routine paying tribute to an important person or event (news flash: once we get so deep into a season, pretty much every couple left has done this at least once). I seem to recall a similar reaction when Bindi Irwin and Derek performed not one, but TWO emotional Contemporary routines in tribute of her late father. Any Derek fans who praised those routines but are bashing Normani and Val for the Katrina dance need to have a seat.
The Chmerkovskiy fans do the exact same thing, except while Derek stans try to pretend they're "above" all the petty drama, Chmerkovskiy stans are usually loud an unapologetic about engaging in it (and I'm not sure which is worse). When Derek and Julianne did their first two tours they rolled their eyes and accused them of being self-centred and attention-seeking, but then when Maks and Val did it they suddenly loved the idea. Both sides do it whenever Derek or Val does something as small as post an inspirational Instagram caption. They even take jabs at the object of their rivalry for nothing. No joke: I once saw a Derek fan act smug about how Derek was taller than Val.
If Dancing With the Stars was just about the professionals I'd probably just turn a blind eye to this, but there's more to it than that. This franchise is unique in that half the cast is a relative constant, while the other half changes every season. It's easy to get attached to the professional dancers, but what often seems to get sort of lost is the fact that-with vert few exceptions-the celebrities only ever have one shot at the Mirrorball Trophy. It's tough enough learning to dance, finding a groove with your partner, and figuring out a way to endear yourself to the audience in such a short amount of time, but with the growing fame of the professional dancers the pro partner is now a bigger part of the equation than ever before. If you get Derek Hough you'll have a lot of his loyal fans on your side, but many people will also not want to see you win, with little to nothing you can do to change that. If you get a Chmerkovskiy you'll have their fanbase, but there will also be a faction that is rooting against you from the get-go. (With most other pros-except for maybe Sharna-you probably won't have too many people automatically rooting for or against you for it to really affect things).
Some people are probably going to think I'm too mean. Maybe I am, but definitely not as much as the people who openly trash celebrity contestants them and often even fabricate reasons to do so because of their pro partner. ("Nastia is so perfect it's boring!" "Normani is so full of herself!") My heart always breaks for the celebs on the receiving end of this; they signed up for a dance show, not to be a pawn in a rivalry between stans that aren't even their own. I don't expect people to root for the celebrities partnered with pros they don't like (though I really do wish people could see past that) but they should be able to separate their feelings for a disliked pro from a celebrity who's innocent in all of this.
Bottom line, everyone involved in this stan war needs to grow up and focus on their own favorites instead of those they dislike. I was hoping it'd simmer down in a season none of the BallasHough group is competing on, but somehow it's still going strong. At this point, it's turned me off of all the pros in both factions and made me wish for Season 25 to be both a BH AND C Fam-free zone. I love the pros, and the fact that they have so many loyal fans, but I think it's time everyone grew up and focused on sending love to their favorites instead of hate to their least favorites.
To close this off, let's remember a fun number in which both sides came together for some Latin heat!
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