Dancing with the Stars viewers are irate over Monday night’s finale results which saw a TikToker win and its final two Black starrs lose.
During the finale, Tik Tok and reality show star Charli D’Amelio was chosen as the winner of the mirrorball trophy over contestants Shangela, of RuPaul’s Drag Race and We’re Here fame, and Wayne Brady, iconic entertainer and Broadway star.
D'Amelio's win was seen by many viewers as a choice that didn't line up with the majority of viewers' sentiments. One viewer wrote on Twitter, "Shangela not winning is pure homophobia."
Shangela not winning is pure homophobia and we all know it
— Seddera Side (@sedderaside) November 22, 2022
Another wrote, "You mean to tell me Shangela and Gleb [Savchenko] got 4th after the most iconic performance ever?" One commenter critiqued D'Amelio's performances, writing, "not charli getting by with them stiff a-- shoulders when shangela and wayne get ripped apart for breathing wrong."
You mean to tell me Shangela and Gleb got 4th after the most iconic performance ever? #DWTS pic.twitter.com/FYs5nWVOcd
— madisen (@shyingflutters) November 22, 2022
not charli getting by with them stiff ass shoulders when shangela and wayne get ripped apart for breathing wrong #DWTSFinale
— lu (@mxmopeaches) November 22, 2022
These two comments seemingly referencing fans commenting over the course of the season about how Shangela seemed to be judged harsher than other contestants even though by the sheer nature of being a drag queen, everything she had to do for a performance was more complicated.
“When the judges keep nitpicking on wayne & shangela but have NOTHING BUT PRAISE for charli & gabby,” wrote another commenter. Another added, “whyyyyyyy are we being so hard on Shangela and Wayne tonight??” wrote a viewer.
when the judges keep nitpicking on wayne & shangela but have NOTHING BUT PRAISE for charli & gabby #DWTS pic.twitter.com/lFNagnGWdl
— rylee (@moonlitbase) November 22, 2022
whyyyyyyy are we being so hard on Shangela and Wayne tonight?? #DWTS pic.twitter.com/rhBf3mTcbA
— positiviTEA (@ksthoughtss) November 22, 2022
These tweets added to another common sentiment that D'Amelio and The Bachelor/Bachelorette star Gabby were overpraised for being conventionally attractive, skinny and white.
Overall, Brady and Shangela were great representations of Black excellence, and regardless of if they did get a mirrorball trophy, they did us proud on the Dancing with the Stars stage.