Are ‘DWTS’ Fans Using Fake Emails to Vote? Drama Explained

Paige Strout November 24, 2025, 3:00 pm

Julianne Hough, Alix Earle, and Val Chmerkovskiy on Season 34, Episode 10, of ABC's 'Dancing With the Stars,' November 18, 2025. — Disney/Eric McCandless

What To Know

Dancing With the Stars Season 34 fans have alleged that some viewers are using multiple fake email addresses to cast extra votes for their favorite couples.
A TikTok user highlighted this alleged voting manipulation, expressing concern that such tactics are undermining the integrity and enjoyment of the show.
The controversy has sparked calls for changes to the voting system in future seasons.

Dancing With the Stars Season 34 has broken voting records, and some fans have a theory as to why.

A TikTok user has sent DWTS fans into a frenzy after revealing a message they received from someone who claimed to be using multiple email addresses to vote for their favorite couple. “Y’all, this is crazy. What is going on with Dancing With the Stars?” the user, @enolsttayw, stated in the Sunday, November 23, post. “This is crazy. The new fandom is crazy. They’re bonkers.”

The TikTok user shared a screenshot of a message they received from a viewer about Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy during the Tuesday, November 25, Finale. Per a screenshot of the message, the viewer claimed they used 17 different emails to submit 220 votes for the couple during last week’s Semifinals.

“With what time? Are you watching the show? Are you sitting there, holding a glass of wine and looking at the technique and looking at each of what these people are giving us on the screen?” the TikTok user questioned. “Are you enjoying the show? Are you enjoying the program?”

The viewer’s message alleged that fans of Robert Irwin and Witney Carson were using a similar email voting method to help them advance in the competition. For the TikTok user, however, the voting drama has “ruined Dancing With the Stars.”

@enolsttayw DWTS fandoms have gone too far!! Who are voting for? #teamelaine #teamjordan #dwts #greenscreen ♬ Deranged – Atomica Music

They said, “All these fandom votes have ruined Dancing With the Stars. Being given 10 votes per person is very generous, very generous. And here we are, just hacking the system so we get our one person we absolutely need to win. It’s a TV show. We have five people in the finale. That’s a lot of people in the finale.”

The TikTok user ended their post by stating that the voting system “needs to change” for Season 35. Other users were just as surprised by the alleged voting campaigns. “No wonder we break a record ever[y] week,” one person joked, while another added, “As someone who truly enjoys this show it seriously isn’t THAT serious😭.”

“OG watcher here. I fear we have lost the plot 🤦🏽‍♀️,” a different person commented. Someone else shared, “No person could ever make me put that much effort into voting😭😭😭 insane.”

11 ‘DWTS’ Contestants We Need on Another 'All-Star' Season

For Season 34, fans can vote via text or at dwtsvote.abc.com. Fans can submit up to 10 votes per couple per phone number or email. Voting is only open during the show’s live broadcast, which starts at 8 p.m. ET.

Earle and Irwin are two of the five celebrities who will compete for the Len Goodman mirrorball trophy during the Season 34 finale this week. The two and their respective partners will go up against Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten, Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa, and Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach.

Dancing With the Stars, Season 34, Tuesdays, 8/7c, ABC and Disney+ (Streaming Next Day on Hulu)

For a more extended celebration of two decades of Dancing With the Stars, from exclusive interviews to retrospectives and must-see photos, pick up a copy of TV Guide Magazine’s Dancing With the Stars 20th Anniversary special issue, available for purchase online at DWTS.TVGM2025.com and on newsstands now.