Season 34 of NBC’s hit show Dancing with the Stars has concluded. From heartfelt waltzes to dynamic cha-chas, this show has something for everyone. The star-studded cast consisted of celebrities such as social media icon Alix Earle, wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin, and olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles. One contestant stuck out to me, reality star Whitney Leavitt.
The “Not-So” Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
Leavitt, 32, first encountered fame when she joined the influencer group, “MomTok,” in 2021. MomTok consisted of Mormon mothers living in Utah, creating content together. Shortly after their creation, a swinging scandal that included a couple members came to light. The women received hate from all directions, even including from the Mormon church, since their swinging actions went against the Church of Latter-day Saints’ stance on sexual relationships.
This scandal eventually led to the creation of the reality show, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. The show followed members of MomTok, even those who did not participate in the swinging, as they navigated life after the scandal. We got to see the dynamics between the members. Members being: Taylor Frankie Paul, Mikayla Matthews, Mayci Neeley, Jessi Draper, Jen Affleck, Demi Engemann, Miranda McWhorter, and Leavitt. Across three seasons, the friend group experiences many ups and downs, but one thing that was consistent was the presence of one of the women painted as the villain.
Season three premiered on Nov. 13, 2025, about halfway through the Dancing with the Stars season. During season two, Leavitt left Momtok. Her sudden departure was not viewed kindly by the other women on the show. At the beginning of season three, the women were offered interviews for the upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars. Leavitt made an unexpected arrival back onto the show, openly admitting that the sole reason for her return was the Dancing with the Stars opportunity. Not only did the other women on the show see this as disrespectful, so did the majority of the viewers. Leavitt’s transparency was met with an immense amount of hate. In my opinion, her honesty should have been valued over her potentially lying and leading on the friend group.
More than just a Dance Competition
I have been a Dancing with the Stars fan for as long as I can remember. I have been to the tour about five times and have met the cast a couple times. Watching the show get extra traction this season was exhilarating, because now I was able to talk to almost anyone about the show. The increased viewership led to a shockingly huge wave of hate to some contestants. Instead of treating the elimination of who we wanted to move forward, the conversation shifted to who we wanted off the show. I’m aware that it sounds very similar but I promise it’s different. Dancing with the Stars has always been a relatively positive show, watching people grow and learn to develop a love of dance. This season, it quickly turned sour, watching a show that revolved around love and support transition into a toxic hate train for anything and everything.
As I am a massive fan of Dancing with the Stars, I can also admit that there have always been double standards when it comes to the show. It is common knowledge what the level of pay the contestants get for being on the show is. One contestant, Andy Richter, openly admitted that he joined the show for a paycheck. I appreciate his honesty, but I don’t understand why Leavitt’s honesty was met with so much hate. Another double standard was people hating Leavitt for having previous dance experience. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in dance. Although this technically does give her an advantage, this is not the first time someone has been on the show with experience. Previous stars with arguably more performance experience include Charli D’Amelio, JoJo Siwa, and Amanda Kloots. A final double standard on the show is the score for the dances varied depending on the gender of the star. Even though it is more difficult for a female pro to teach a man with zero experience, the scoring is often more generous to male contestants. For example, one star, Dylan Efron, was partnered with Daniella Karagach this season. I am convinced that viewers were too busy watching Karagach to notice that Efron was doing the bare minimum during his dances. Which is not shocking, I am in a trance anytime I watch Karagach perform. But that does not justify Efron getting equal scores with Leavitt. Personally, I was swept away by Leavitt’s performances. From her facial expressions to her sharp lines, she entertained me every week. And I believe if Secret Lives season three had not been released during the competition, she would have definitely made it to the finals, possibly even winning.
Call Her Daddy, Call out the Hate
Leavitt sat down with Alex Cooper, the host of the very well known podcast, Call Her Daddy. During the interview, Leavitt spoke about the level of hate she has received since being on Secret Lives and how it has impacted her Dancing with the Stars experience. Her partner, Mark Ballas, joined the conversation, sharing his experience as well. Ballas has always been a fan-favorite pro, his choreography being unmatched. He spoke about receiving hate messages, telling him to “burn in hell.” When Cooper turns to ask Leavitt if she had received anything similar, Leavitt shared that while she was accustomed to receiving hate messages, this time it was so much more hurtful watching it directed at her partner. At the end of the interview, she and Ballas performed a highly anticipated freestyle that she would have performed in the finals, with a theme of the negative effects of social media. The dance begins with a jazzy combo to Frank Sinatra’s, “My Way.” At one point, it turns dark, with background dancers rushing in with spotlights coming from phones. The music transitions to the Secret Lives theme, and everyone covers Leavitt, shoving their “phones” in her face. This showcases the overwhelming pressure from social media. During this, we see an unfiltered Leavitt. Her hair is messed up, she’s clearly out of breath, with a red substance dripping out of her mouth. Ballas enters the frame again, slowly picking her up, as Sinatra’s voice comes back into the track. The final lyric is, “The record shows, I took the blow, and did it my way.” This song perfectly encapsulates Leavitt’s journey, because although she has been ripped apart again and again, she gets up every time and perseveres.
Life Since Dancing with the Stars
On the morning of Dec. 1, Leavitt took to Instagram to announce her new accomplishment. She is making her Broadway debut! Starting Feb. 2, Leavitt will be playing Roxie Hart in Chicago the Musical. This shows that even if the entire internet thinks she cannot do it, she will.