Dancing with the Stars season 34 has come to a close and if you weren’t able to tune in every Tuesday at 8pm for the past 11 weeks, I’ll give you a weekly breakdown of everything that happened during the season of fan favorites.
Who was dancing?
Alix Earle (social media personality) & Val Chmerkovskiy
Andy Richter (actor and comedian) & Emma Slater
Baron Davis (NBA all star) & Britt Stewart
Corey Feldman (actor) & Jenna Johnson
Danielle Fishel (actress) & Pasha Pashkov
Dylan Efron (content creator) & Daniella Karagach
Elaine Hendrix (actress) & Alan Bersten
Hilaria Baldwin (author) & Gleb Savchenko
Jen Affleck (social media personality and reality star) & Jan Ravnik
Jordan Chiles (olympic gold medalist) & Ezra Sosa
Lauren Jauregui (singer) & Brandon Armstrong
Robert Irwin (wildlife conservationist) & Witney Carson
Scott Hoying (singer) & Rylee Arnold
Whitney Leavitt (social media personality and reality star) & Mark Ballas
Weekly Recaps
Week 1: Premiere Night
The season 34 premiere of DWTS started with a bang. From a lightning jive from Robert to a spicy salsa from Jen. Unfortunately, the judging panel was only comprised of Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli as Carrie Ann Inaba was sick. Therefore all scoring was out of 20 instead of the original 30 with all three judges. From this week Robert and Whitney topped the leaderboard with 15/20, while Corey and Andy were at the bottom with scores of 9/20. No couples were eliminated on the premiere, giving everyone a chance to dance again next week.
Alix & Val – 13/20 (cha-cha)
Andy & Emma – 9/20 (cha-cha)
Baron & Britt – 10/20 (cha-cha)
Corey & Jenna – 9/20 (tango)
Danielle & Pasha – 12/20 (tango)
Dylan & Daniella – 10/20 (cha-cha)
Elaine & Alan – 12/20 (cha-cha)
Hilaria & Gleb – 14/20 (cha-cha)
Jen & Jan – 12/20 (samba)
Jordan & Ezra – 10/20 (salsa)
Lauren & Brandon – 13/20 (tango)
Robert & Witney – 15/20 (jive)
Scott & Rylee – 10/20 (tango)
Whitney & Mark – 15/20 (Argentine tango)
Week 2: One Hit Wonders Night
The second week of the season brought back Carrie Ann and the only double elimination of the season. The night was full of songs that are considered ‘one hit wonders’ such as Mambo No. 5, Blue (Da Ba Dee), and Play That Funky Music. The top of the leaderboard was dominated with 22/30 scores for Robert, Whitney, Jen (my personal favorite from this week), and Jordan. The bottom of the leaderboard was again Corey, who was eliminated along with Baron.
Alix & Val – 21/30 (jive)
Andy & Emma – 16/30 (tango)
Baron & Britt – 18/30 (samba) | Eliminated
Corey & Jenna – 15/30 (cha-cha) | Eliminated
Danielle & Pasha – 19/30 (cha-cha)
Dylan & Daniella – 20/30 (samba)
Elaine & Alan – 21/30 (jive)
Hilaria & Gleb – 21/30 (tango)
Jen & Jan – 22/30 (quickstep)
Jordan & Ezra – 22/30 (jive)
Lauren & Brandon – 21/30 (foxtrot)
Robert & Witney – 22/30 (Argentine tango)
Scott & Rylee – 18/30 (cha-cha)
Whitney & Mark – 22/30 (cha-cha)
Week 3: TikTok Night
A first for DWTS, week three saw the first TikTok Night. Season 31 champion Charli D’amelio came back for the opening number and a dance with her former partner Mark Ballas. The top and bottom of the leaderboard was again tied spots. Whitney saw her third week at the top alongside Jordan with scores of 24/30, while Andy and Lauren sat at the bottom with 18/30. The rest of the Fifth Harmony group saw as Lauren was eliminated after dancing to her own song “Work From Home,” which also brought our first iconic moment of the season. When asked how Lauren was feeling after being eliminated, she simply gave the one word “pissed,” which brought many people back to Anna Delvey’s elimination the season before where she was taking “nothing” from the competition. Scott also danced the first modern style with a jazz that really boosted his scores.
Alix & Val – 23/30 (quickstep)
Andy & Emma – 18/30 (foxtrot)
Danielle & Pasha – 21/30 (foxtrot)
Dylan & Daniella – 23/30 (foxtrot)
Elaine & Alan – 21/30 (tango)
Hilaria & Gleb – 22/30 (samba)
Jen & Jan – 19/30 (cha-cha)
Jordan & Ezra – 24/30 (tango)
Lauren & Brandon – 18/30 (cha-cha) | Eliminated
Robert & Witney – 22/30 (salsa)
Scott & Rylee – 22/30 (jazz)
Whitney & Mark – 24/30 (samba)
Week 4: Disney Night
A heartfelt fan favorite theme, the fourth week saw the iconic Disney night return. All 11 couples prepared by going to Disneyland and spending the day having some fun. My personal favorite dance from this week was Whitney and Mark’s foxtrot to ‘The Room Where It Happens’ from Hamilton, which landed them a spot at the top of the leaderboard. While Andy was at the bottom of the leaderboard, it was Hilaria who ended up going home at the end of the night.
Alix & Val – 24/30 (Viennese waltz)
Andy & Emma – 18/30 (Viennese waltz)
Danielle & Pasha – 21/30 (quickstep)
Dylan & Daniella – 23/30 (quickstep)
Elaine & Alan – 24/30 (quickstep)
Hilaria & Gleb – 23/30 (quickstep) | Eliminated
Jen & Jan – 23/30 (jazz)
Jordan & Ezra – 24/30 (quickstep)
Robert & Witney – 22/30 (cha-cha)
Scott & Rylee – 21/30 (salsa)
Whitney & Mark – 25/30 (foxtrot)
Week 5: Dedication Night
The tearjerking dedication night brought back former DWTS pro (and 2x mirrorball champion) Kym Johnson as a guest judge, as well as many moving dances. Some stars dedicated dances to their parents, siblings, tv and movie co-stars, and romantic partners. Dylan dominated the leaderboard with all 9s while once again Andy was at the bottom with all 6s. The end of the night saw a shocking elimination with nobody going home and everyone went on to dance another week.
Alix & Val – 35/40 (contemporary)
Andy & Emma – 24/40 (salsa)
Danielle & Pasha – 29/40 (jive)
Dylan & Daniella – 36/40 (contemporary)
Elaine & Alan – 30/40 (foxtrot)
Jen & Jan – 29/40 (Viennese waltz)
Jordan & Ezra – 32/40 (Viennese waltz)
Robert & Witney – 35/40 (contemporary)
Scott & Rylee – 30/40 (foxtrot)
Whitney & Mark – 33/40 (contemporary)
Week 6: Wicked Night
To honor the upcoming release of the new Wicked: For Good movie, DWTS themed a whole night around it! Director of both Wicked movies Jon M. Chu joined the judging panel for this week full of music from the Wicked musical. We got a near perfect score this week from both Jordan and Whitney who lead the pack in scores, while Andy was at the bottom Scott only scored one more point, but it wasn’t enough to save him from going home at the end of the night.
Alix & Val – 35/40 (jazz)
Andy & Emma – 27/40 (jazz)
Danielle & Pasha – 36/40 (Argentine tango)
Dylan & Daniella – 32/40 (rumba)
Elaine & Alan – 36/40 (contemporary)
Jen & Jan – 32/40 (foxtrot)
Jordan & Ezra – 39/40 (rumba)
Robert & Witney – 36/40 (jazz)
Scott & Rylee – 28/40 (contemporary) | Eliminated
Whitney & Mark – 39/40 (quickstep)
Week 7: Halloween Night
Week Seven saw the best spooky and scary dances. The judging panel was joined by another DWTS alumni (and 2x mirrorball champion winner) Cheryl Burke as a guest judge. This week saw a unique performance from Elaine Hendrix who due to a rib injury didn’t dance live. She was rushed to the hospital the morning of the show day. Because of this, judges and fans only saw the recorded dance during rehearsal the day before. Elaine still walked away with four 8s from the judges; earning a 32/40. This week also saw the return of the ‘Monster-thon’ dance challlenge, where everyone was put on the floor to dance at the same time. One at a time, couples were removed from the floor and it came down the Alix and Whitney for the winning spot and immunity from a dance challenge later in the season. In the end the judges picked Whitney to win the ‘Monster-thon’ and immunity from a future challenge. Alix was on top of the leaderboard with a near perfect score, and Andy was yet again keeping a strong base at the bottom of the leaderboard. Even so, it was Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jen who was eliminated at the end of the night.
Alix & Val – 39/40 (Argentine tango)
Andy & Emma – 28/40 (paso doble)
Danielle & Pasha – 33/40 (Viennese waltz)
Dylan & Daniella – 35/40 (Viennese waltz)
Elaine & Alan – 32/40 (Argentine tango)
Jen & Jan – 32/40 (contemporary) | Eliminated
Jordan & Ezra – 34/40 (contemporary)
Robert & Witney – 38/40 (Argentine tango)
Whitney & Mark – 37/40 (jazz)
Week 8: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night
Where to begin with the Rock & Roll HOF Night… Rapper Flavor Flav was the guest judge for this week. This guest judge had me thinking back to Gene Simmons guest judging last season, and let’s just say that he was in a world of his own. The iconic team dance also came back but with a little twist. Co-hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough joined in on the dancing. Team Kool was led by Julianne alongside Andy, Robert, Alix, and Elaine as well as their professional partners. Team Chicago was led by Alfonso alongside Danielle, Whitney, Jordan, and Dylan as well as their respective partners. Team Chicago saw a perfect 40 from the judging panel, while Team Kool earned a 38 with two 9s and two 10s. Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to Boy Meets World star Danielle at the end of the night.
Alix & Val – 39/40 (paso doble)
Andy & Emma – 30/40 (contemporary)
Danielle & Pasha – 34/40 (contemporary) | Eliminated
Dylan & Daniella – 36/40 (jive)
Elaine & Alan – 37/40 (Viennese waltz)
Jordan & Ezra – 38/40 (jazz)
Robert & Witney – 38/40 (paso doble)
Whitney & Mark – 39/40 (paso doble)
Week 9: 20th Birthday
During week nine, DWTS celebrated their 20th year on air. To complete this nostalgic night, not only did they bring back the six original pros for the opening number, but former host of the show Tom Bergeron came back to join the judging panel for the night. This episode also had dances inspired by freestyles from past seasons. We also saw a new dance relay round where stars were paired with mirrorball star winners from past seasons. Since Whitney had won the ‘Monster-thon’ a few weeks before, she had immunity from the relay round. Round one had Elaine and season 24 champion Rashad Jennings against Jordan and season 4 champion Apolo Anton Ohno dance a quickstep, which Jordan won. Round two had Dylan and season 20 champion Rumer Willis against Andy and season 29 champion Kaitlyn Bristowe dance a Viennese waltz, which Dylan won. The final round had Robert and season 32 champion Xochitl Gomez against Alix and season 33 champion Joey Graziadei dance a jive, which Robert won. The wildlife conservationist also was awarded the first perfect score of the season. Unfortunately, the people’s princess, Andy, was eliminated at the end of the night.
Alix & Val – 40/40 (foxtrot inspired by New & Jenna’s season 29 freestyle)
Andy & Emma – 29/40 (quickstep inspired by Jordan & Lindsay’s season 25 freestyle) | Eliminated
Dylan & Daniella – 40/40 (Argentine tango inspired by Milo & Witney’s season 27 freestyle)
Elaine & Alan – 36/40 (salsa inspired by Mario & Karina’s season 3 freestyle)
Jordan & Ezra – 37/40 (cha-cha inspired by Wayne & Witney’s season 31 freestyle)
Robert & Witney – 40/40 (foxtrot inspired by Bindi & Derek’s season 21 freestyle)
Whitney & Mark – 40/40 (Argentine tango inspired by Gabby & Val’s season 31 freestyle)
Week 10: Prince Night
The final week before the finale, Prince night, a night full of music from the legendary singer Prince, saw a new dance style for the couples as well as a previously performed style in two rounds. Robert locked in at the top of the leaderboard with a near perfect score, despite Whitney tying for the second spot she was eliminated at the end of the night, narrowly missing out on the finale.
Alix & Val – 28/30 (Argentine tango) | 30/30 (Viennese waltz)
Dylan & Daniella – 27/30 (tango) | 28/30 (cha-cha)
Elaine & Alan – 27/30 (foxtrot) | 30/30 (paso doble)
Jordan & Ezra – 27/30 (jive) | 30/30 (Argentine tango)
Robert & Witney – 30/30 (jive) | 29/30 (Viennese waltz)
Whitney & Mark – 29/30 (cha-cha) | 29/30 (Viennese waltz) | Eliminated
Week 11: Finale
The finale went out with a bang, as per usual. The couples left had to prepare for 3 dances this week; a freestyle, a judges choice, and the instant dance. For the judges choice round, Carrie Ann had both Alix and Jordan, Derek had both Elaine and Robert, while Bruno only had Dylan. The instant dance round was next, where couples had 5 minutes to prepare for a style of dance they performed in the first few weeks of competition. The final round of dancing for the night and the season was the freestyle round. Jordan had an ELECTRIC dance that was truly top tier as well as Elaine having a pretty fun and lighthearted freestyle with a lot of the cast joining in.
Alix & Val – Judge’s Choice: 30/30 (samba)|Instant Dance: 30/30 (cha-cha)|Freestyle: 30/30
Dylan & Daniella – Judge’s Choice: 28/30 (Paso Doble)|Instant Dance: 30/30 (foxtrot)|Freestyle: 30/30
Elaine & Alan – Judge’s Choice: 30/30 (rumba)|Instant Dance: 27/30 (quickstep)|Freestyle: 30/30
Jordan & Ezra – Judge’s Choice: 29/30 (Paso Doble)|Instant Dance: 30/30 (tango)|Freestyle: 30/30
Robert & Witney – Judge’s Choice: 29/30 (quickstep)|Instant Dance: 30/30 (cha-cha)|Freestyle: 30/30
At the end of the night, Robert and Witney were crowned our season 34 mirrorball champions, giving Witney her second ever mirrorball, as well as a second mirrorball for the Irwin family. DWTS hasn’t been renewed yet for a 36th season, however it’s very likely. We can expect another season to be held in fall of 2026 if renewed. I personally can’t wait to see who’s cast next season and what pros will return…