Dancing Queens: A New Reality Show about Ballroom Dancing

Last week, I saw this trailer on social media:

Your initial reactions are probably similar to mine. My eyes rolled a little at the extreme push to overdramatize, like every good reality show does. I don’t like reality shows in general for that reason, but I admit I was also curious and wondered where I’d be able to stream the show (Peacock+, if you’re also curious).

It reminded me of the short-lived reality show called Montecito that aired in 2014. I remember frequently rolling my eyes while watching it with my roommate. Like this new show, it followed several very wealthy women as they competed in pro-am ballroom (a division of ballroom dance competitions where amateur students partner with their professional teachers). It portrayed a cliché that the U.S. ballroom world has only itself to blame for creating — rich women are doted upon by their attractive young dance instructors and said women quickly develop unreasonable expectations that go beyond the standard student-teacher relationship. I was very judgy toward one woman in particular who threw a tantrum because her teacher was dancing with another student in the heat before hers and she would have to walk onto the dance floor by herself. At my first ballroom dance…