Comedian Andy Richter has made it through six weeks of Dancing With the Stars and is now one of nine cast members still in the running for the Mirrorball Trophy. He’s up against some stiff competition, including two-time Olympian gymnast Jordan Chiles, wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin and Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast members Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt.
The actor, 58, best known for his work as Conan O’Brien’s sidekick on Late Night and The Tonight Show, was not exactly thrilled about joining the DWTS Season 34 cast. But he has somehow won over the audience enough for them to continue voting to keep him on the show.
“Honest to God, my first reaction was, ‘Turn it down and don’t tell anyone,’” Richter told O’Brien on his SiriusXM show on Sept. 24. “Don’t let anyone know that I’ve been asked. Because they’d be like, ‘Why wouldn’t you do it?’ It’s because crabby baby does not want to be pushed out of his comfort zone, basically, is the long and short of it.”
Richter signed on anyway and partnered with pro dancer Emma Slater. He told O’Brien he thought he may “stick around for a little bit” thanks to Slater’s talent, but an executive producer reminded him, “They’re asking [viewers] to vote for your favorite dancer, not the best dancer, the favorite dancer.”
Judges’ scores affect rankings, but it’s the audience votes — texted in during each episode — that ultimately determine who stays. Fans can vote for multiple couples and can cast up to 10 votes per couple.
While DWTS does not publicly share the total number of votes each couple receives from viewers, it’s clear Richter’s fan base is the reason Richter and Slater keep advancing, since they’ve earned some of the lowest scores from the judges. On Tuesday, the pair was ranked at the bottom of the leaderboard, but it was Pentatonix performer Scott Hoying and dancer Rylee Arnold who were eliminated. What’s keeping him on the show? A swarm of wholesome and deeply committed memes. Richter’s mix of positivity, likability and overall dad energy has made him a fan favorite online. TikTok, X and Reddit are filled with new posts every Tuesday night urging viewers to keep voting for him even if, technically, he’s not the best dancer of the group — and this is, after all, a dancing competition.
One popular meme thread riffs on Richter’s initial reaction about not wanting to be on the show at all — fans joke that he did not expect to make it this far and can’t believe it’s been six weeks.
Richter isn’t the first underdog to make it unexpectedly far in a talent-based reality show, purely thanks to audience support. In 2007, 17-year-old Sanjaya Malakar was a finalist on American Idol, despite being relentlessly criticized by judge Simon Cowell. His success was fueled by viewers who thought he was very funny on the show, not because of his singing.
Nearly two decades later, Richter is unintentionally pulling off a similar stunt — not because of his dance skills but because he’s got the internet’s vote.
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