TVSquad

This week on Dancing with the Stars, Len ruffled some feathers by announcing that Ty should go home and that potential professional dancer Mayo was too tall. Both proved him wrong. This caused an uproar from several viewers that Len is too old, stuffy, biased, or mean. This led me to wonder if the judges are expendable.

The show shouldn't go the way of American Idol and add a judge, because the time allotment would go bonkers and the scores would confuse viewers (getting a 30 is a lot easier than getting a 40). Let's take a look at the positives and negatives of our three judges.

Len Goodman – As the head judge, Len Goodman represents traditional dance. He doesn't like flashy performances; instead, he grades on quality. This week, he gave Melissa a seven for her practice, but gave Ty a seven for the live dance. Judging by the performances, Ty clearly did better (Melissa stopped at one point to fix her jeans). Len's scores have been off this season, possibly because he doesn't want to announce front-runners like previous seasons (Kristi Yamaguchi and Brooke Burke both come to mind).

In his defense: Len is truthful about his opinions. He actually points out dancing mistakes that can be worked on, and he normally has one week where he helps the contestants with their posture.

Is he expendable? No. Like Simon Cowell, if Len leaves the show, I think most of the audience would leave, as well.

Carrie Ann Inaba - I used to think that Carrie Ann was the Randy Jackson of the judges, but the two have switched bodies: Carrie Ann screams at the celebrities; Randy is now critical about pitch. I was a fan of her strict rulings against lifts since one of the three judges should follow protocol. Sometime this season, Carrie Ann has digressed into a fan girl. Instead of giving strong comments, she hoots, hollers, and exclaims her love for the celebrity.

In her defense: Carrie Ann represents a youthful view of dance. By getting rid of her, there would be two grumpy old men. Carrie Ann also slips a small tip for each contestant, i.e. fix their arms, posture, or work on their core. A little tip is better than no tip.

Is she expendable? Yes, because I only have room for one screaming female dancing judge: Mary Murphy.

Bruno Tonioli – Bruno has a taste for flash and passion. His criticisms often don't make sense, but you accept it because it's Bruno. He wants all the contestants to smolder with heat, and he's disappointed when there's no spark. He often comes off as a creepy old man because he causes trouble when he starts speaking double entendres on the family-friendly show.

In his defense: Every reality TV group of judges needs the supportive judge; Bruno is the one. He is right that passion makes for good television; the audience wants to feel a connection.

Is he expendable? Possibly. I found Bruno to be a package deal with Len. The two are transplanted from Strictly Come Dancing so the two understand each other. If we got rid of Len, Bruno should go, as well.

In the end the combination of all three judges, when they are at their peak essence, should help counterbalance each other. Len needs technicality, Bruno needs passion, and Carrie Ann wants youthful energy (and no lifts!). Unfortunately, this season is unnecessarily catty and biased towards all the front runners (Gilles, Melissa, Lil Kim, and Shawn). Do you think the judges are expendable, and who would you have replace them? Post your comments below.