The Reverse Psychology of Len Goodman

Len Goodman, you are one crafty old chap! I have been blind to your shenanigans on how you manipulate the vote as the Head Judge on the Dancing with the Stars. Very devious, very simple, but very effective.

For those of you who don’t know Len Goodman, he’s the Head Judge of DWTS and the traditionalist ballroom dancer amongst the other judges, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli. But don’t be fooled by his age. He is like Jedi Master Yoda who you don’t want to face in combat/competition or else get whooped on.

Like Yoda’s strong mind tricks, Len Goodman is a master of reverse psychology and easily gets fans to vote for the dancers he thinks should be in the DWTS finals. All Len has to do is provide negative comments to his favorite dancers, rile up the fans, and watch as the people defend the chastised dancers with their votes, ensuring their passage to the next round. Don’t like the fact that Lance Bass wasn’t wearing shoes? Lance and Lacey’s ticket to Week 8. Give Brooke Burke an 8 when Carrie and Bruno give her 10’s? Brooke and Derek Hough are guaranteed to move on. Comment about Warren’s footwork, but he still moves on.

The dancers in danger are the ones who Len has some good words for. Guys like Maurice Greene who pleasantly surprised Len in Week 8 but then was dismissed, and Cody Linley who Len talks about improving throughout the season. These words of encouragement are lukewarm fodder for the fans that don’t do much to generate public votes.

So sneaky! I love it!

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