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ShowsDancing with the StarsSeason 13
Aired fall 2011 · A mixed celebrity roster in the later double-cycle era

Fall 2011

Season thirteen ran the established format across a varied celebrity cast without generating a clear competitive through-line. Eleven episodes gave the season adequate room, but the cast mix settled into a predictable frame that never sharpened into distinctive drama.

Filmed
Los Angeles, California
CBS Television City, Los Angeles
Premiered
Sep 19, 2011
ABC · September 2011
Episodes
11
Format
Celebrity ballroom · 11 episodes
Mixed celebrity cast, standard double-cycle format
Host
Tom Bergeron
thirteenth season with Tom Bergeron at the helm
On this page
  1. 01The take
  2. 02The shape of the season
  3. 03Where it sits in the canon
  4. 05Adjacent in the canon
  5. 06Also appears in
01The take

Fall 2011.

The format ran cleanly, but the competitive field never fully separated into a story worth tracking.
02The shape of the season

A rhythm worth tracking.

Season thirteen delivered the double-cycle format without a defining casting angle or structural contribution. The celebrity roster covered the usual range of entertainment and athletic backgrounds, but the competitive field settled into a predictable shape early and stayed there. Eleven episodes were enough room for the elimination arc to do its job — weekly results carried weight, choreography improved across the run — but the season produced no moment that changed how the show was watched.

03Where it sits in the canon

The #15 slot.

Slot #15 of 16 in the Dancing with the Stars Editor's Canon. The seasons on either side show what I ranked it against.

No spoilers. Every page is reviewed before it goes live.
06Also appears in

Cross-references.

Dancing with the Stars — Editor's CanonEditor's Canon · #15
Dancing with the Stars S13 — Fall 2011 — tiered.tv