Parents' Guide to

Dance Your Ass Off

By Kari Croop, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Dance contest pushes overweight contenders toward health.

TV Oxygen Reality TV 2009
Dance Your Ass Off Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

See all
age 14+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Mommyconcerned
Mommyconcerned Parent of 11-year-old
July 6, 2010
age 11+

This title has:

Too much swearing
Great messages
Great role models
xword8
xword8 Parent of 7, 13 and 15-year-old
June 27, 2009
age 17+

Bad judgment

I know I'm making comments before this show has even aired, but I have no intention of allowing it to be watched in my home. I have gone out of my way to set parental controls on my TV, in the hope that I can filter out offensive material. Then my child tells me about a new show called "Dance Your A** Off". She saw an add on a "family friendly" channel and quoted it to me. What kind of fools use such crude language in the title of a show? Any program produced by people with such poor judgment will not be viewed in my home.

This title has:

Too much swearing
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

A pack of plus-sized men and women are trying to lose weight and get healthy in DANCE YOUR ASS OFF, an elimination-style reality dance competition. Over the course of 10 episodes, the 12 contenders meet regularly with a physician, a nutritionist, a personal trainer, and a dance instructor -- the latter of whom then joins them on the dance floor as their partner. Ultimately, they're judged both on how much weight they lose each week and how well they perform their choreography.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (4 ):

A blend of The Biggest Loser and Dancing with the Stars (minus the stars), this dance contest tries hard to entertain. And while some viewers will watch because they find the dancers' stories inspiring, others might be tuning in to have a laugh at their expense. After all, the show goes out of its way to dress the contenders in flashy costumes that are typically unflattering (including fishnet body stockings and ultra-short shorts), so you have to wonder whether producers are milking what could be a 100% postive process for extra comedic potential.

The show also loses points for iffy renditions of popular songs like Cher's "Believe." But at least it's making an effort to help contestants (and, hopefully, viewers) get healthy in a fun, upbeat way.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the importance of staying healthy through proper nutrition and regular exercise. Overall, do you think you do a good job of choosing healthy foods and staying active? What are some things you could do as a family to make better choices when it comes to your health?

  • Families can also discuss the intent of a show like this one. Is it meant to motivate and inspire viewers to get healthy, or was it designed to exploit its contestants for entertainment purposes? Could it be a little bit of both?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended tv lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate