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Jimmy Kimmel sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez has become an unexpected hit on the current season of Dancing With the Stars, drawing enough audience votes to remain in the competition despite a low Samba score. Psychology Today says his underdog appeal and fans’ tendency to share in the success of people they support may help explain the response, while noting that the psychological framework does not establish why any individual votes.

Guillermo Rodriguez, Jimmy Kimmel’s longtime sidekick, has become an unexpected audience favorite on the current season of Dancing With the Stars, staying in the competition after receiving a low score for a Samba. In a Psychology Today analysis, the response is linked in part to basking in reflected glory: the idea that people can feel some reflected pride when someone they support succeeds.

Rodriguez is competing with professional dancer Witney Carson, as discussed in coverage of Guillermo Rodriguez. The analysis says his popularity builds on a public persona developed before the show: he moved from working as a security guard to appearing as a comedic onstage sidekick for Kimmel and already had a following. The piece describes his appeal as grounded in a perceived lack of pretense, his willingness to be himself and his readiness to acknowledge when he is not skilled at something.

His performance scores and audience support have not moved in lockstep. The article reports that judges gave Rodriguez and Carson 13 out of 30 for a Samba, but audience voting was still sufficient to keep them in the competition. After the dance, Rodriguez opened his shirt to reveal the words “Dancing 4 The People”, a gesture the analysis interprets as crediting fan enthusiasm rather than his dancing ability for his progress. The exact vote total is not provided.

Psychology Today connects that support to the concept of basking in reflected glory, or BIRG. The term is associated with social psychologist Robert Cialdini and research published with colleagues in 1976. The idea is that people may emphasize their connection to a successful person or group and experience some of that success as their own. The article applies the concept to Rodriguez’s growing audience support, while also noting that the explanation is an interpretation, not evidence of what motivates every voter.

How Fan Support Shapes the Contest

Rodriguez’s run illustrates a tension in reality competition shows: judges assess performance, while audience voting can reward a broader mix of entertainment, personality and emotional connection. A contestant does not need the highest score to remain in contention if enough viewers vote for them. That dynamic can alter the competition for other participants and their supporters, though the available information does not show how votes are distributed across contestants.

The BIRG framework also offers a way to think about why a contestant’s success can feel personally rewarding to fans. Psychology Today describes that response as one possible part of Rodriguez’s appeal, alongside his existing fame and perceived authenticity. The analysis cautions, in effect, that shared enthusiasm has a reverse side: if fans identify with a favorite’s success, a loss may feel disappointing, and some supporters may distance themselves from the person after a setback. This is a general account of fan behavior, not proof that Rodriguez’s supporters will react in any particular way.

For viewers, the episode is a reminder that televised outcomes may reflect more than technical marks. Voting behavior helps decide who advances, while judges’ scores provide a separate measure. The two can diverge, leaving a popular contestant in the show even when a dance receives a comparatively low score.

Rodriguez’s Path to the Dance Floor

Rodriguez became familiar to television audiences through his work alongside Jimmy Kimmel, after starting as a security guard. Psychology Today presents that history as relevant to the current response: he did not enter the dance competition without an audience, and his comedic television persona helped establish a connection with viewers before the season began.

The analysis also points to an underdog narrative. Rodriguez is described as less technically accomplished than some contestants, yet he has continued to advance. Viewers commenting on a Deadline article about his run praised his lack of pretense; one comment quoted by Psychology Today said, “The world needs more Guillermos and especially now!” Those comments indicate some readers’ reactions, but they do not represent all viewers or provide a measure of overall public opinion.

The psychological research discussed in the article predates the television competition. Cialdini and colleagues’ 1976 paper examined basking in reflected glory, while a 1986 study by C. R. Snyder, M. Lassegard and C. E. Ford examined distancing after group success and failure, including the related idea of cutting off reflected failure. Psychology Today uses these concepts to interpret fan attachment, not to report a new experiment about Rodriguez or the show.

““Just like everybody else, I’m obsessed with you.””

— Derek Hough, Dancing With the Stars judge, as quoted by Psychology Today

What the Vote Cannot Show

The article does not give vote totals, a detailed breakdown of audience support or enough information to compare Rodriguez’s vote share with those of other contestants. It also does not establish that basking in reflected glory caused viewers to vote for him. The concept is offered as one possible explanation alongside his existing fan base, personality and underdog appeal.

Some viewers have accused the show of being rigged, according to the Psychology Today account, while others have posted that Rodriguez should leave the competition. No evidence supporting the rigging allegations is included in the available reporting. The article does not state whether the show, its judges or its producers have responded to those claims, or whether the voting process has been independently reviewed.

The supplied account also does not provide the season’s full schedule, the next elimination date or confirmation of how long Rodriguez and Carson remain in the competition. The eventual winner—and whether Rodriguez reaches the final or wins the mirror ball—remains unknown.

The Next Audience Vote

Rodriguez and Carson are due to return for the next installment of the competition, according to the account. Their continued progress will depend in part on the show’s audience voting and on the judges’ assessments of future dances. No next performance date or vote results are specified in the material provided.

Further episodes may show whether support for Rodriguez continues despite differences between judges’ scores and audience voting. Until the show reports additional results, the reasons individual viewers back him—and the scale of that support—remain uncertain. For now, the confirmed development is that his votes have kept him in the competition despite the reported Samba score.

Key Questions

Why is Guillermo Rodriguez attracting attention on Dancing With the Stars?

Psychology Today points to his existing television following, perceived lack of pretense, willingness to acknowledge his limits and underdog story. The article also discusses basking in reflected glory as one possible explanation for fans’ support.

What does basking in reflected glory mean?

Basking in reflected glory, or BIRG, describes how people may feel reflected pride in the success of someone or a group they support. The idea is associated with social psychologist Robert Cialdini and colleagues’ 1976 research.

How did Rodriguez stay in the competition after a low score?

The article reports that Rodriguez and Witney Carson received 13 out of 30 for a Samba, while audience votes were enough to keep them in the show. It does not provide the vote count or a detailed comparison with other contestants.

Has Dancing With the Stars been shown to be rigged?

No evidence of rigging is presented in the available account. Psychology Today reports that some viewers made accusations online, but the claims are unverified; the article does not provide a response from the show.

Source: psychologytoday.com