Lochte Scores: 'Dancing with the Stars' Ratings Rise

Before this week's season premiere of Dancing with the Stars, it wasn't clear what kind of effect controversial athlete Ryan Lochte would have on the series. Lochte's involvement as a contestant on DWTS this season was announced just as the story of his involvement in legal trouble at the Rio Olympics was breaking. The blow to Lochte's reputation could have rubbed off on DWTS, but at least so far, it doesn't look like that's happening.

Monday's premiere of DWTS scored a 2.1 rating in the 18-49 age demographic, a number that's on a par with last fall's premiere and substantially higher than the series' mid-season premiere in the spring. It's good news that Lochte's presence doesn't seem to be having a negative effect on the series' ratings, but neither does it seem to be attracting a larger than usual audience.

Monday's live broadcast of the show was also notable for a disruption caused by two protesters who rushed the stage as Lochte was completing his performance. The protesters claimed to be trying to call attention to Lochte's embarrassment of America, and they were briefly jailed after the incident.