In this year’s presidential race, we’ve seen a neurosurgeon claiming to have stabbed his friend, a wealthy businessman whipping to Drake’s “Hotline Bling” on SNL and a self-proclaimed socialist dancing on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

So what’s happened? Why have candidates like Dr. Ben Carson, Donald Trump and Sen. Bernie Sanders been able to get airtime and see results in polls, while being so removed from the normal fare of politicians we’re used to seeing every four years? Republican candidates have advocated building a wall between the US and Mexico, abolishing the IRS and even reducing the tax code to three pages. Sanders has taken far-left positions and advocated for free college, among other things.

I believe that reason behind the massive shift in political normality for the 2016 campaigns lies in the lack of government efficacy: a September Gallup poll found that 55 percent of respondents said they had either “not very much” or no trust and confidence in the executive branch. Around 70 percent responded with “not very much” trust and confidence or none at all for the legislature. This is a trend downwards in government efficacy from previous years, with the number of respondents indicating no trust for the executive up eight percent since 2012.

When people lack faith in government, outsiders appear like they can change the system and approach it from a new angle. Oddly enough, by taking bold stances and dancing to “Hotline Bling,” outsiders such as Trump self-proclaim that they’re new, honest and refreshing.

“Playing as an outsider is how you can draw votes in the primary voters,” said  Andrew Sonnabend, an AP US history and AP Comparative Politics teacher. “This absolutely is crazier than it’s ever been before.”

Carson, Trump and candidate Carly Fiorina, all of whom have backgrounds outside of politics, seem to support this theory.

Sanders echoes this principle in his own way. Despite serving in the House, the Senate  and as mayor of Burlington, he takes the role of an outsider by preaching against corruption in the campaign finance system, taking far left views and refusing super PAC donations. Voter turnout has been extremely low in recent years and Sanders’ call for massive political mobilization is a push for systemic change.

But this dissatisfaction has opened a door for candidates like Trump and Carson on TV. Their controversial, blunt statements and news-grabbing appearances put them firmly outside the spectrum of expected behavior for typical front-running candidates, and interest disillusioned voters.

People who are tired of government are intrigued by blunt far-left or far-right views.

Additionally, controversial TV appearances have become more prevalent. While candidates have certainly appeared on TV in the past (Bill Clinton once played a saxophone on national TV), today’s candidates have taken it to a new level. Sen. Marco Rubio has called Putin a “gangster,” and other Republican candidates have made sexist comments towards former Secretary of State and Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton as well as Republican candidate Carly Fiorina.

In a crowded Republican field, the best way to get airtime might be to be the candidate who gets ratings for the network through simply being controversial or funny. By appearing to not care about expected behavior, these politicians connect with cynical voters who are tired of normality.

These appearances have bordered on ridiculous. Carson claimed to have been offered a “full ride” to West Point, where admission is free. As for Trump, he appeared on SNL featured jokes he made about his wife, himself and claims that he is racist. Coupled with borderline racist statements about illegal immigration, it’s clear that Trump refuses to be “politically correct.” This uniqueness has helped him draw in voters, who are tired of scripted and polite statements and political gridlock.

“When you do things to draw attention like that, you’re trying to keep yourself in the 24-hour news cycle,” Sonnabend said. “Long-term, it probably comes down to how you’ll actually win the presidency—what your plan is.”

Time will tell if this strategy works, but recent polls have put Trump at 32 percent and Carson at 22 percent on the Republican side, with Sanders at 37 percent for the Democrats. These numbers may not hold, but in the meantime, the solution might be for candidates like Trump and Sanders to dance on.