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Jimmy Kimmel sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez has become an unexpected hit on the current season of Dancing With the Stars, advancing despite low judges’ scores. Psychology Today says fan identification with a successful public figure—a phenomenon known as basking in reflected glory—may help explain the support, while noting that the show’s outcome and the role of voting remain part of an ongoing competition.

Guillermo Rodriguez, Jimmy Kimmel’s longtime sidekick, has become an unexpected audience favorite on the current season of Dancing With the Stars, advancing with professional partner Witney Carson despite low judges’ scores. Psychology Today says the response may partly reflect basking in reflected glory, a social-psychology concept describing how people can feel a connection to another person’s success.

In an article responding to the attention around Rodriguez, Psychology Today points to his earlier rise from a security guard to an onstage presence on Jimmy Kimmel’s program. The article says he already had a fan base and argues that viewers may value his lack of pretense, willingness to be himself and openness about his limitations. Those qualities, it suggests, have helped make him appealing beyond the dance floor.

His results on the show have intensified that response. Psychology Today reports that Rodriguez and Carson received 13 out of 30 for a Samba, yet secured enough audience votes to continue in the competition. After the dance, Rodriguez opened his shirt to show the words “Dancing 4 The People,” a gesture the article describes as crediting the fans’ enthusiasm rather than his dancing ability. The supplied account does not identify the episode date or give a full score-and-vote breakdown.

The article describes BIRG—“basking in reflected glory”—as a possible explanation for fans’ investment. Social psychologist Robert Cialdini and co-authors introduced the concept in a 1976 study of football fans. It describes people associating themselves with a successful person or group and feeling some reflected benefit from that success. Psychology Today applies the idea to Rodriguez’s supporters, but it does not establish that BIRG is the sole reason for their votes.

Why Fans Rally Around Rodriguez

The attention around Rodriguez highlights how a competition show’s audience can respond to more than technical performance. Judges’ scores and audience support are different measures: low scores indicate how the judges assessed a dance, while the voting described by Psychology Today shows that viewers still backed the pair. The account does not provide enough information to quantify how much each factor affects the show’s results.

Psychology Today’s explanation also connects the response to the appeal of an underdog. The article argues that viewers may find it encouraging to watch someone who acknowledges a weakness persist in a demanding competition. That is an interpretation of the audience reaction, not proof that fans share one motivation. It helps explain why a contestant presented as less technically polished can still command attention and loyalty.

The concept has a less comfortable side, too. The article says fans who tie their self-image to a favorite’s success may distance themselves when that favorite loses, a behavior researchers call cutting off reflected failure, or CORFing. It also warns that strong identification can heighten tension with supporters of other contestants. The account reports critical comments directed at Rodriguez’s dancing, but does not document threats or establish that fan conflict has affected the competition.

From Kimmel Sidekick to Contestant

Rodriguez’s public profile predates his appearance on the dance show. According to Psychology Today, he first became familiar to viewers as a quirky security guard who later appeared as a sidekick on Jimmy Kimmel’s program. The article presents this existing recognition, along with his informal public persona, as relevant background to the current wave of interest—not as a new celebrity breakthrough.

The phrase basking in reflected glory is associated with a 1976 paper by Cialdini and five co-authors, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. A later 1986 study by C.R. Snyder, M. Lassegard and C.E. Ford examined how people distance themselves from groups after failure, a pattern described as cutting off reflected failure. Psychology Today uses these ideas to interpret the DWTS response; the research cited does not measure Rodriguez’s voters specifically.

In the account, support for Rodriguez is visible both in the reported audience votes and in public comments. Psychology Today quotes one commenter on a Deadline article as saying, “The world needs more Guillermos and especially now!” It also reports that judge Derek Hough said, “Just like everybody else, I’m obsessed with you,” while Bruno Tonioli said, “I understand why you’re becoming a national obsession.” The show’s official Instagram account called Rodriguez and Carson’s Samba something it was “obsessed with,” according to the article. These remarks show enthusiasm, but do not independently explain the voting result.

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

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

What Drives the Audience Vote

The available account does not provide vote totals, voting shares or a comparison with other contestants, so the scale of Rodriguez’s support cannot be independently assessed from those details. It also does not establish why individual viewers voted for him. Psychology Today presents BIRG, his perceived authenticity and his underdog appeal as possible explanations, rather than measured causes of the result.

The article mentions accusations by viewers that the competition was rigged, alongside criticism that Rodriguez should leave because of his dancing. It supplies no evidence that the show is rigged, and those comments should be understood as viewer claims, not verified findings. The account does not specify the rules for combining scores and votes or provide a response from the program to the accusations. It is also unclear how long Rodriguez and Carson will remain in the competition.

The Run Toward the Mirror Ball

Rodriguez and Carson were due to return for the next stage of the season described in Psychology Today’s account. Their progress will depend on the competition’s judging and audience voting, but the available information does not give the next episode’s date, its format or a prediction of the pair’s standing. The outcome remains open; the article raises the possibility of a run toward the mirror-ball trophy without saying that Rodriguez is favored to win.

For viewers following the story, the next useful developments will be the pair’s subsequent performance, their judges’ scores and whether they advance after the next round of voting. Those results may show whether the current audience support continues, but they would not, by themselves, demonstrate that BIRG explains it. The psychology remains an interpretation of the response, while the competition’s results will show what happens on the show.

Key Questions

Why has Guillermo Rodriguez become a DWTS audience favorite?

Psychology Today suggests several possible reasons: viewers may appreciate his unpretentious style, find his willingness to admit his limits appealing, or identify with an underdog who keeps advancing. The article does not establish one definitive motive for fans.

What does BIRG mean?

BIRG stands for “basking in reflected glory.” It describes feeling a reflected sense of success through association with a person or group that is doing well. Psychology Today applies the idea to supporters of Rodriguez, but does not claim to have measured it among DWTS voters.

Did Rodriguez receive low judges’ scores?

Psychology Today reports that Rodriguez and Witney Carson received 13 out of 30 for a Samba. It also says they received enough audience votes to continue, but the account does not include total votes or comparative figures for other pairs.

Is there evidence that DWTS is rigged?

The account mentions viewer accusations, but provides no evidence that the competition is rigged. The accusations are unverified claims, not established facts.

Source: psychologytoday.com