ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” affords viewers the unique opportunity to watch people dance with celebrities. As novel and groundbreaking as this concept sounds, we continually see celebrity dancers who haven’t been relevant in years.

This points to a disturbing revelation: Those who appear on DWTS are invariably on the decline in their careers. Really, Carson Kressley? David Arquette? Ricki Lake? It can easily be argued that nobody has cared what these people do for years now.

ABC were concerned with accuracy, perhaps the show should be called “Dancing With the D-Listers.” To be fair, if a name is recognizable, the person can be called a “star,” but it’s hard to ignore the distinct lack of rising celebrities and contemporary powerhouses gracing the stage.

One could point to the intrinsic nature of television acting, the way in which television actors and hosts are almost never as recognizable as movie stars. Even while taking this factor into account, however, the fact remains that celebrity contestants on “Dancing With the Stars” are invariably actors and personalities who haven’t really been involved in much noteworthy work lately. Even Nancy Grace, one of the more recognizable names on the show, holds a career set firmly in a downward spiral, given her past controversies and accusations of misconduct.

It’s impossible to ignore the writing on the wall here: If you’re a celebrity and you’re on “Dancing With the Stars,” you should start looking for better work or get out of the fame game while the getting is good. Appearing on DWTS is a career death sentence and it’s essentially a signed confession that you want to stay famous.

This editorial is the consensus opinion of the editorial staff of the Daily Kent Stater.