‘Will this show up on the phone bill?” I asked my husband as I frantically texted “Robert” to 21523. My husband shrugged. We haven’t dabbled in phone-based voting since Kelly Clarkson graced our screens in the inaugural season of American Idol in 2002. Back then, we didn’t even have cell phones, much less phone bills. But that night, caution and phone bill charges were thrown to the wind, because Robert Irwin needed my votes. And I needed him to stay on Dancing with the Stars.

I can’t explain why this season of Dancing with the Stars has compelled me to make the jump from passive viewer, a title I have held for more than two decades, to active text voter. It feels like Kelly is back on that American Idol stage. And I have never felt more alive.

When the clock strikes 7 p.m. on Tuesdays, even though my friends and I are now dotted across the United States, we are together. For two hours every week, we text each other nonstop and gleefully indulge in the lighthearted fun that is watching celebrities attempt to ballroom dance. It’s the kind of guilt-free fun that almost feels too good to be true, especially on a school night.

For a few years, we fell into a binge-watching black hole. Entire seasons of shows would come out in a day, and in order to stay ahead of the spoilers, it was imperative to watch every episode as quickly as possible. Such a pace dictated the length of the conversation that would then follow. The shows were fun, but they didn’t deliver the same connection that weekly television does. Heck, my dad popped the question to my mom when she arrived home for a lunchtime episode of The Young and the Restless. The power of cable television is transcendent.

I realize that I am late to this guilt-free reality television mindset. I don’t watch The Bachelor. I’m too late to the party for Real Housewives. And don’t even mention those Mormon wives to me.

For the longest time, I felt overwhelmed by the weight of the franchises and the background I would have to pretend to understand. But DWTS? Something about it has won me over.

I’m calling it a return to a simpler time. I know this is, ironically, an oversimplification. But who cares? It feels simpler to me. After all, what is more straightforward than flipping on your television to channel three as you wait for Wheel of Fortune to conclude? I rest my case.

Simplicity is what I want for my holiday season, as well. This month, event designer Angela DiVincenti Babin headed to the country—or, more specifically, Parish Home & Farm in New Roads—to create a no-fuss Thanksgiving spread. With décor from the hidden gem destination and á la carte dishes from local grab-and-go sources, the result is a collected table that feels elevated but still achievable.

As DWTS inches toward its finale at the end of this month, I’m looking for suggestions for what to watch next. Do we think The Masked Singer will create the same nostalgic magic? Who knows? What I do know, though, is that I will be texting in my votes. As it turns out, that service doesn’t involve extra fees. Talk about simpler times.

Looking forward,

Riley Bienvenu Bourgeois
Editor