Ribeiro rejects claim that Dancing With the Stars is rigged

Dancing With the Stars co-host Alfonso Ribeiro rejected the suggestion that the competition’s voting is rigged after actress Alexa PenaVega recounted a former contestant’s suspicion on her podcast. PenaVega later clarified that she was telling a story about Hayes Grier, not accusing the show of manipulating results. Ribeiro responded to a social-media clip of PenaVega’s account, writing that there was “No chance” the show was rigged and that producers want popular contestants to stay. He added, “It’s basic logic.” His comment was a defense of the show, not an independently verified account of how votes were tallied in Grier’s season. On an episode of the LexLos podcast, PenaVega recalled that Grier, then 15, had expressed doubt backstage after the pair were in the bottom. She said he told others he thought the show was rigged because he believed he had more votes than anyone. PenaVega recalled thinking Grier’s large social-media following meant he likely had substantial audience support. The account is her recollection of a past conversation; Grier’s vote total is not established by the reports. After Ribeiro’s comment, PenaVega said the social-media clip began in the middle...