Hilaria Baldwin is one of the celebrities currently competing on Dancing with the Stars Season 34. Her participation in the show has gotten a lot of fans talking, as she has previous ballroom dancing experience. Some people wonder if it’s fair for Baldwin to be competing against stars who are completely new to dancing.
According to USA Today, Hilaria Baldwin has been involved in ballroom dancing since childhood. Although her husband, actor Alec Baldwin, has apparently encouraged her to do the show for years, she told the outlet she was hesitant to participate due to her past dance experience.
“I didn’t know if I belonged in this space,” she admitted. “For years I’ve been saying: ‘I’ve got a lot of experience. Is that a problem?’ Apparently it’s not.”
When news of Baldwin’s dance experience made it to fans, it started a conversation. For example, a fan on X (formerly Twitter) discovered that Baldwin had once placed higher than DWTS pro Emma Slater in a dance competition.
Baldwin is far from the first celebrity on DWTS to have a dance background. However, some fans take issue with the fact that she specifically has ballroom experience, which is the main focus of the show. The fact that Baldwin competed in the famous Blackpool Dance Festival is significant.
Former Pro Sharna Burgess Comments on the Situation
A fan in the DWTS subreddit recently pointed to a past Instagram story from former pro Sharna Burgess regarding Hilaria Baldwin’s ballroom experience. Ahead of the premiere, Burgess wrote that Baldwin “has better technique starting the show than anyone who’s ever done it.”
Burgess wondered how the judges would go about scoring her against the other contestants, explaining, “Like logistically for her journey you don’t want 9s and 10s every week… but then you have to somehow justify a lower score.”
Fans in the comments argued that despite Baldwin’s experience, they haven’t been particularly impressed by her dances so far this season. One commenter wrote, “It’s certainly unfair that she has so much background knowledge but I don’t see her sticking around for much longer.”
The original poster responded, “I don’t get joy from her like I do from others. It’s like she’s there to show off what she already knows, not to enjoy the process of learning.”
What do you think? Is it fair for Hilaria Baldwin to be competing on DWTS this season? Let us know in the comments below.
Words by:
Jill O'Rourke Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit
