http://www.wetpaint.com/a-look-into-the-dwts-scoring-system-668964/
Last season Shannen Doherty was booted before clunkers like Buzz Aldrin and Kate Gosselin. And that was totally the fault of viewers. Shannen's respectable 38 points set her apart from Buzz's low score of 26. But to beat Shannen, Buzz only needed to get 2.8% more viewer votes than her to overcome the difference in their judges’ scores (8.86%-6.06% = 2.8%)!
In other words, Dancing with the Stars is totally a popularity contest where the viewers's votes overweigh the judges' scores. And really, why should we be surprised? It is a reality show, after all!
