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Guillermo Rodriguez, Jimmy Kimmel’s longtime sidekick, has become an unexpected hit on the current season of Dancing With the Stars, with fan votes keeping him in the competition despite low judges’ scores. Psychology Today connects that support to underdog appeal and “basking in reflected glory,” a way fans can share emotionally in someone else’s success.
Guillermo Rodriguez, Jimmy Kimmel’s longtime sidekick, is drawing strong audience support on the current season of Dancing With the Stars, even as his dancing has received low marks from the judges. A Psychology Today analysis suggests that existing fans, an underdog narrative and a social-psychological process called “basking in reflected glory” may help explain why viewers are voting for him.
Rodriguez is dancing with professional partner Witney Carson. Psychology Today notes that his public following predates the competition: he became known as a quirky security guard who moved into an onstage sidekick role on Jimmy Kimmel’s show. The analysis describes his lack of pretension and willingness to acknowledge vulnerability as part of his appeal. It also points to a quality viewers may read as authenticity: he does not appear to take himself too seriously.
His performance results have sharpened the contrast between audience enthusiasm and judges’ scores. After a recent Samba, Rodriguez received 13 points out of 30 from the judges, according to the Psychology Today article. But audience votes were sufficient to keep him and Carson in the competition for another week. During the routine, he opened his shirt to show the words “Dancing 4 The People,” a gesture that the article presents as an acknowledgment that public support, rather than dancing skill, was carrying him forward.
The analysis also cites a Deadline headline, “Guillermo Rodriguez is finally getting his moment,” and reactions posted beneath the article. One commenter wrote, “The world needs more Guillermos and especially now!” Those comments are examples of individual viewers’ responses, not a measure of wider public opinion. The article also reports that judge Derek Hough said, “Just like everybody else, I’m obsessed with you,” and that Bruno Tonioli said, “I understand why you’re becoming a national obsession.” The show’s official Instagram account praised Rodriguez and Carson’s Samba, posting, “We couldn’t be more obsessed with Guillermo and Witney’s Samba.”
Audience psychology · Reality television
How Celebrity Associations Fuel The Guillermo Rodriguez Phenomenon
Why are viewers voting for Jimmy Kimmel’s longtime sidekick on Dancing With the Stars despite low judges’ marks? Existing fans, an underdog story and the appeal of shared success may help explain the response.
Psychology Today connects Rodriguez’s support to “basking in reflected glory,” or BIRG.
Judges’ score for the Samba, while audience votes kept Rodriguez and Witney Carson in the competition.
01 / The phenomenon
Two scoreboards, two kinds of judgment
Judges assess the routine. Audience votes can also express affection for a personality or investment in a story.
Rodriguez and Carson advanced for another week. Vote totals were not provided.
“Dancing 4 The People”
During the Samba, Rodriguez opened his shirt to reveal the phrase. The article presents the gesture as an acknowledgment that public support, rather than dance skill, was carrying him forward.
02 / Why fans may connect
A familiar face with an underdog story
Psychology Today describes several possible ingredients in Rodriguez’s appeal. These are interpretations of the response, not proof of every voter’s motive.
An established following
His public identity grew over years on Jimmy Kimmel’s show, from quirky security guard to onstage sidekick.
Beating expectations
Staying in the competition despite low marks creates a compelling gap between judges’ scores and audience choice.
At ease with vulnerability
The analysis points to his lack of pretension and willingness to acknowledge vulnerability, including not taking himself too seriously.
03 / The psychology
How “basking in reflected glory” works
BIRG describes the positive feeling people may get by associating themselves with someone else’s success.
A viewer feels attached to a contestant, a team or a familiar public figure.
The person they support succeeds or exceeds expectations.
The success can feel emotionally rewarding to the supporter, too.
That connection may encourage continued attention and support.
Cialdini and colleagues introduced BIRG in a 1976 study of football supporters, including how people may emphasize connection to a successful group by saying “we” after a win. A 1986 study by Snyder, Lassegard and Ford examined CORFing—“cutting off reflected failure”—the tendency to distance oneself from a group after a loss.
04 / Reactions in the spotlight
Strong affection—and visible disagreement
Quoted reactions illustrate individual responses. They do not measure wider public opinion.
“Just like everybody else, I’m obsessed with you.”
“I understand why you’re becoming a national obsession.”
“He needs to go home, that is not dancing!!!”
The show’s Instagram account praised the Samba: “We couldn’t be more obsessed with Guillermo and Witney’s Samba.” The response also shows how audience-voted competitions can prompt disagreement about how much popularity should count.
05 / What the evidence can say
A useful explanation, with clear limits
The reported result establishes that Rodriguez stayed after the Samba. It does not settle why each person voted or how far he will go.
Vote totals, audience demographics or a season-wide comparison of judges’ scores and viewer votes.
That every supporter is motivated by BIRG, his prior fame or the underdog narrative.
Some viewers alleged the show was rigged; the account provides no evidence that voting was manipulated.
Whether Rodriguez reaches the finale or wins. The next performance and vote may change the picture.
Does support continue?
Rodriguez and Carson are set to return for another round. Their next performance and voting result will show whether the response persists, shifts or fades. Judges’ marks and audience votes remain separate indicators of progress.
Quick answers
Key questions
Why are viewers supporting Rodriguez?
Psychology Today points to his existing following, perceived lack of pretension and underdog status. It suggests BIRG may help explain some fans’ pleasure in his success, but does not establish every voter’s reason.
Did he score highly for the Samba?
No. The reported score was 13 out of 30 from the judges. Audience votes nevertheless kept Rodriguez and Witney Carson in the competition for another week.
What does BIRG mean?
“Basking in reflected glory” describes the positive feeling people may get from associating themselves with another person’s or group’s success.
Does the result prove why people voted?
No. Without vote totals or a survey of voters, the psychological explanation remains an interpretation of the reported fan response.
How Fan Votes Shape His Run
The case highlights how a dance competition can be shaped by more than technical performance. Judges’ scores and audience votes reflect different things: the former assess a routine, while the latter can also express affection for a personality or investment in a story. When a contestant with an established following remains in the contest despite low marks, that gap becomes part of the event’s appeal—and can prompt debate among viewers about what the competition rewards.
Psychology Today connects this response to basking in reflected glory, or BIRG. The term describes the positive feeling people may get from associating themselves with someone else’s success. Supporting a contestant who appears to be beating expectations can offer fans a shared sense of achievement, even though they did not perform or determine the result themselves. This is an interpretation of the fan response, not proof that every Rodriguez voter is motivated by the same psychological process.
The dynamic can also sharpen disagreement between fan groups. Viewers who support other contestants may see Rodriguez’s continued presence as unfair to dancers they consider more skilled. The analysis notes critical comments on the show’s Instagram account, including one saying, “He needs to go home, that is not dancing!!!” The contrast illustrates a broader tension in audience-voted entertainment: popularity is part of the contest, but viewers may disagree about how much it should count.
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From Kimmel Sidekick to Contestant
Rodriguez’s Dancing With the Stars run builds on a public identity developed through years alongside Jimmy Kimmel. Psychology Today describes his shift from a security guard to an onstage sidekick as the origin of a fan base that now extends to the dance competition. That history helps explain why audiences may be responding not only to his routines but also to a familiar television personality.
The article draws on research associated with Robert Cialdini and colleagues, who introduced the term BIRG in a 1976 study of football supporters. Their work described how people may emphasize their connection to a successful group, including by saying “we” after a win. A 1986 study by Snyder, Lassegard and Ford examined the related response to failure, known as “cutting off reflected failure,” or CORFing: people may distance themselves from a group after it loses. Psychology Today applies those concepts to celebrity fandom, while noting that the same investment that makes success feel rewarding can make failure sting.
“Just like everybody else, I’m obsessed with you.”
— Derek Hough, Dancing With the Stars judge, as quoted by Psychology Today
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What the Vote Does Not Show
The available account does not give vote totals, audience demographics or a season-wide comparison of judges’ scores and viewer votes. It therefore cannot establish how many people are backing Rodriguez, why each person votes for him, or how much his prior fame accounts for his survival in the competition. The article’s explanation through BIRG is a psychological interpretation rather than a direct survey of Rodriguez’s voters.
Psychology Today also mentions accusations from viewers that the show is rigged, but provides no evidence that the voting is manipulated. Those allegations should not be treated as established fact. The competition’s eventual result, including whether Rodriguez reaches the finale or wins, remains undecided in the account.
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The Next Vote and Performance
Rodriguez and Carson are set to return for another round after receiving enough audience support to remain in the competition. Their next performance and the following voting results will show whether the public response continues, changes, or fades. Judges’ marks and audience votes will remain separate indicators of his progress, and the available account does not provide a timetable for the final result.
For viewers, the next stage will test the dynamic described in the Psychology Today analysis: whether an underdog narrative and shared investment in a contestant’s progress can sustain support across additional performances. The evidence so far establishes that Rodriguez stayed after the Samba; it does not settle how far he will go or whether fan enthusiasm will translate into a championship.
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Key Questions
Why are viewers supporting Guillermo Rodriguez on Dancing With the Stars?
Psychology Today points to his existing following from Jimmy Kimmel’s show, his perceived lack of pretension and his status as an underdog. It also suggests that basking in reflected glory may help explain why fans take pleasure in his success. The article does not establish that this is every voter’s reason.
Did Rodriguez receive a high score for the Samba?
No. Psychology Today reports that the judges gave Rodriguez and Witney Carson 13 out of 30 for the Samba. Audience voting nevertheless kept them in the competition for another week.
What does “basking in reflected glory” mean?
Basking in reflected glory, or BIRG, describes the positive feeling people can get by identifying with another person or group that is succeeding. The concept was introduced in research on sports fans and is used by Psychology Today to interpret some of the support for Rodriguez.
Is there evidence that the show’s voting is rigged?
The account reports that some viewers made rigging accusations, but it presents no evidence that voting was manipulated. The allegations remain unverified and should not be treated as fact.
Will Guillermo Rodriguez win Dancing With the Stars?
That is not known. He and Carson remained in the competition after the reported Samba, but the article does not establish how far they will advance or who will win.
Source: psychologytoday.com
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