Why has Tyra Banks been struggling on Dancing with the Stars?

The Daily Beast

Banks flubbing the bottom two on Monday night gave more ammunition to her detractors, who compared the mistake -- which she apologized for and blamed on both the control room and her notecards -- to Steve Harvey's Miss Universe debacle. "Ever since she took over as host of the beloved, long-running competition show, fans have been complaining about Banks’ on-stage antics, and more specifically her mistakes," says Laura Bradley. "The vitriol has been harsh—which might be why as soon as Banks realized something was wrong on Monday night, she struggled to improvise her way through it." Bradley adds: "Dancing with the Stars fans have made their disdain for Banks’ performance plain since Day One of the season, and Monday’s 'Steve Harvey' moment only sealed their disapproval. The supermodel’s insistence on starting each show by strutting onto the stage, turning the ballroom into her personal catwalk, has not endeared her to many—and neither have her stiff banter, her inability to ad-lib, or the moments she’s fumbled contestants’ names. Perhaps even more important, fans really miss longtime host Tom Bergeron and his former co-host Erin Andrews, who joined in 2014. DWTS producers let both hosts go after last season citing “creative differences”—and now, they seem to be avoiding questions about whether Bergeron was fired for criticizing Sean Spicer’s casting last season. Whatever the reason for Bergeron and Andrews’ exit, fans have been begging DWTS to bring them back for weeks...Some of Banks’ issues on DWTS have been out of her control: Fans likely would have taken a beat to warm to just about any replacement for their beloved hosts, and the pre-recorded cheers the show has been using this season to fake a live audience despite the pandemic often drown Banks out, especially during the show’s introductions. (I’m begging someone, anyone, to tweak those audio levels!) Still, it’s undeniable: Banks is not exactly thriving. And the 'why' might be a little more complicated than a botched line here and there." Bradley wonders if Banks' reputation has taken a hit following the May backlash that made her out to the villain of America's Next Top Model. "It’s unclear how invested Banks’ DWTS haters are in her broader narrative as a celebrity," says Bradley. "It’s very possible they just hate her anecdotes and want their show to eliminate the right people at the right time. Either way, though, it’s clear the TV tides have, at least for now, officially turned against Tyra Banks." ALSO: Tyra Banks receives support from Dancing showrunner Andrew Llinares, Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba.