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Aired spring 2012 · The double-cycle format at a reliable late-era high

Spring 2012

Season fourteen ran the established spring format with a competent celebrity cast across eleven episodes. The season delivered the format's core pleasures — weekly choreographic growth, live-vote drama, and a narrowing elimination arc — without anything structurally new.

Filmed
Los Angeles, California
CBS Television City, Los Angeles
Premiered
Mar 19, 2012
ABC · March 2012
Episodes
11
Format
Celebrity ballroom · 11 episodes
Standard celebrity and athletic cast, spring slot
Host
Tom Bergeron
fourteenth season with Tom Bergeron at the helm
On this page5 sections
  1. 01The take
  2. 02The shape of the season
  3. 03Where it sits in the canon
  4. 04Adjacent in the canon
  5. 05In this canon
01The take

Reliable, without a distinguishing angle.

Reliable execution across eleven episodes: the format working the way the format is supposed to work.
02The shape of the season

Eleven episodes, matching the two before.

Season fourteen ran the double-cycle spring format at a steady late-era level. The celebrity cast was competent across entertainment and athletic backgrounds, the choreography improved week to week in the expected arc, and the elimination structure gave the back half genuine competitive weight. No single casting decision or format change made the season stand apart from its neighbors. It delivered what the spring slot promised and earned its place in the catalog for exactly that.

03Where it sits in the canon

The #16 slot.

Slot #16 of 34 in the Dancing with the Stars Editor's Canon. Season fourteen ran the double-cycle spring format at a steady late-era level. The celebrity cast was competent across entertainment and athletic backgrounds, the choreography improved week to week in the expected arc, and the elimination structure gave the back half genuine competitive weight. No single casting choice or format adjustment made the season stand apart from its neighbors. It delivered what the spring slot promised. In the canon's lower tier, it earns this rank for consistent competitive shape without the mixed early field that pulls Fall 2011 a step behind it.

No spoilers. Every page is reviewed before it goes live.
05In this canon

Its Editor's Canon entry.