Dancing with the Stars Overview

Dancing with the Stars//Awaiting their scores, Mark Ballas and Whitney Leavitt hope that the judges will give them high points to get on top of the leaderboard. Judges Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli are in charge of judging each dance, and they are about to share their feedback with the dancers in order for them to get better each week. (Photo courtesy of Creative Commons)

Dancing with the Stars is a show where celebrities are picked to dance with professional dancers as partners. There are three judges, allowing for them to get scores, and whoever is the best wins the Mirrorball Trophy. Although scores matter, so do votes, which allow for the audience to be able to participate and vote for their favorite dancers to stay in.

Week 1

Dancing with the Stars season 34 premiered on Tuesday, September 16, 2025; 14 celebrities participated, all coming from different backgrounds of talent. This was their debut to show the millions of fans a glimpse of what the rest of the season was going to look like. Starting off strong was Robert Irwin, an Australian conservationist and zookeeper. He was partnered with Witney Carson, a talented, famous choreographer. They danced a jive to the song, “Born to Be Wild” and scored a total of 15 out of 20 points. But they weren’t the only ones on the top of the leaderboard. Tied with 15 points was Whitney Leavitt, from the show “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” dancing the tango with Mark Ballas, a talented musician, actor, and dancer, to the song “Golden.” It was an eventful first week, and there was no elimination.

Week 2

Going into week 2, there was a “One-Hit Wonders” theme, allowing for high-energy dances. So many talented dancers proved that they were there to win. Alix Earle, a famous TikTok star, had an amazing dance, although they were not on the top of the leaderboard. Alix mentioned, after her dance, she was feeling beat up from working hard, but was excited that she was continuing to improve. Tied at the top at the end were Jen Affleck, Jordan Chiles, Whitney Leavitt, and Robert Irwin with a score of 22/30. The judges, especially Derek Hough, were shocked with the performances this early in the season. Sadly, there was a double-elimination, and Baron Davis, an NBA star, and Cory Feldman, a talented actor and musician, were sent home. Shockingly, Andy Richter and his partner, Emma Slater, scored the lowest but were saved.

Week 3

Next up was “TikTok Night,” where the dances were filled with emotion and excitement. 2x Olympian, Jordan Chiles, danced to Doechii’s “Anxiety,” expressing how she feels through a powerful tango, proving that her anxiety is not in charge of her. On the other side, Jen Affleck danced a fun cha-cha to the popular “She’s a Bad Mama Jama,” referring to her viral video of her dancing in the hospital after giving birth to her child. Dylan Efron is continually improving, and the judges, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli, made sure to let him know he was showing “leading man qualities.” Getting eliminated from the show was Lauren Jauregui, from the girl group “Fifth Harmony,” and her partner, Brandon Armstrong, who was tied at the bottom with Andy Richter. She expressed at the end that she was “pissed” that she had to leave, although she later indicated she was grateful for her partner.

Week 4

The next week was magical as the theme was “Disney Night,” and each competitor chose a song from their favorite Disney movies. The overall favorite was Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas dancing a foxtrot to “The Room Where it Happens,” from the award-winning movie, Hamilton. They scored a whopping 25 out of 30 points, and it was very well deserved. Andy Richter and Emma Slater are scoring significantly lower than the rest of the teams, but Andy Richter was getting voted, by many. They danced a Viennese waltz to a song from Ratoutoullie, getting the crowd on their feet. Host Alfonso Ribeiro announced during the episode that the voting record had been broken and was currently at 40 million votes. Many of these votes were for Andy, saving him from getting eliminated this round. Hilaria Baldwin was eliminated after dancing to Star Wars: “Cantina Band.”

Week 5

During this emotional “Dedication Night,” each celebrity danced as a dedication to someone important in their lives. Robert Irwin danced a beautiful contemporary as a tribute to his father, who passed away when Robert was a child. He scored a 35 out of 40 to “You’ll Be in My Heart,” by Phil Collins. Dylan Efron earned the highest score of the night with a perfect 40 out of 40, which is a major feat. Surprisingly, there was no elimination for this week, which came as a great surprise to all the competitors.

Week 6

This week was themed, “Wicked Night,” and Scott Hoying from Pentatonix expressed how excited he was since this was his favorite movie. Sadly, he scored 28 out of 40 points, though it was still a very fun and exciting dance. Whitney Leavitt and Jordan Chiles were tied at the top with 39 out of 40. Elaine Hendrix was a wicked witch and did a cool stunt with her high in the air. Andy Richter and Emma Slater were still at the bottom, but again were saved. Scott Hoying and Rylee Arnold were eliminated, but Hoying said it was “a great way to go.”

Week 7

When October 30th came Dancing With the Stars introduced “Halloween Night.” Alix Earle had an outstanding performance, placing her at the top with a score of 43/45. There was a “monster-thon” which allowed for teams to earn extra points and avoid getting eliminated. Whitney and Mark placed first, and Andy and Emma were last. Elaine Hendrix suffered from a rib injury, so the judges based their scores on her most recent rehearsal. Luckily, they did not get eliminated although their score was not super high. Jen Affleck and Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour dancer, Jan Ravnik, were eliminated after she danced to “Look What You Made Me Do.”

Week 8

“Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Night” was this week’s theme, and there was a special guest judge, Flavor Flav. Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas finished the night at the top with a total of 79 points. Guest judge Flavor Flav tweeted after the show that he meant to give a 10 instead of a 9 for Alix Earle’s dance, which enraged some viewers. There were two teams that participated in a second group dance, and Alfonso Ribeiro’s “Team Kool” won with their fun dance to “Celebration.” “Boy Meets World” star Danielle Fishel was eliminated this week, and Andy Richter survived yet another week.

Week 9

This week was a celebration of Dancing With the Stars’ 20th anniversary. Alix Earle, Dylan Efron, Whitney Leavitt, and Robert Irwin scored perfect 40’s out of 40. Andy Richter and Emma Slater scored 29 out of 40, placing them at the bottom of the leaderboard yet again. Ultimately, Richter was voted out, and he expressed his gratitude to all of the fans who kept him on the show and to his partner.

Week 10

This week was themed “Prince Night,” and it served as the semifinals commemorating the amazing singer. Robert Irwin and Whitney Carson scored the highest score of 59 out of 60 with a jive to “Baby I’m a Star.” Alix Earle had an amazing performance in her second dance to “Purple Rain,” which was a Viennese Waltz. At the bottom were Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach, who scored 27 points for both routines. Shockingly, Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas got eliminated after their amazing performances this entire season. This was crazy considering how often she came out on top. Mark Ballas, who won two seasons ago, said he had a “gut feeling” that they were going to get eliminated after Derek Hough called their first dance “literal perfection.” After their departure, there were only 5 competitors and their partners advancing to the finale.

Week 11

In week 11, everybody was allowed to choose their own style of dance. There was another dance in this finale where they had to randomly choose a song as well as the type of dance. It was called an “instant dance challenge,” which Robert Irwin won. Jordan Chiles and her partner Ezra Sosa danced a powerful paso doble to Rihanna’s “Breakin’ Dishes.” About to win the Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy, Robert Irwin was against Alix Earle. It all came down to the viewers' votes as both competitors had impeccable scores. The outcome was announced after a long, dramatic pause, revealing that Robert Irwin and Witney Carson had won and Alix Earle and her partner had placed second. 

Overall, it was an exciting season, with many twists and so many joyful moments between the fans, the celebrities, and their partners and families.