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Dancing with the Stars: This Week’s Twists and Turns

Claire Stevens Student Contributor, Texas A&M University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at TAMU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

September is not only the start of the fall season, but it’s also the start of a new Dancing with the Stars season! As someone who is obsessed with the show, the stars, and the pros for this season, I’m here to give you a synopsis of the show so that you can watch it with me!

This cast is especially star-studded this season, so if you’re interested in watching, here is the full list of contestants with their pro partners!

  • Alix Earle (Val Chmerkovski)
  • Andy Richter (Emma Slater)
  • Baron Davis (Britt Stewart)
  • Corey Feldman (Jenna Johnson)
  • Danielle Fishel (Pasha Pashkov)
  • Dylan Efron (Danielle Karagach)
  • Elaine Hendrix (Alan Bernsten)
  • Hilaria Baldwin (Gleb Savchenko)
  • Jen Affleck (Jan Ravnik)
  • Jordan Chiles (Ezra Sosa)
  • Lauren Jauregui (Brandon Armstrong)
  • Robert Irwin (Witney Carson)
  • Scott Hoying (Rylee Arnold)
  • Whitney Leavitt (Mark Ballas)

The stars this year are incredible, and it is already so hard for me to decide which ones I think will go far in the competition. However, I do have my favorites (Robert Irwin and Danielle Fishel), and I really hope they make it all the way to the finale! Watching the couples improve and do different styles of dance every week is super fun, and I truly can’t wait every week to watch it.

The first episode premiered on September 16, and there was no elimination that week. Personally, I thought Robert’s dance to “Born to be Wild” by Steppenwolf was the best by far. It was so fun, energetic, and showed his personality perfectly. Additionally, Whitney Leavitt (The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star) shocked the judges with her technical and entertaining dance. It was lots of fun to watch!

Week 2, One-Hit-Wonder night, aired on September 23, and there was a double elimination. (Spoilers Ahead!!)

It was incredibly hard for me to pick my favorite dance of the week, and the judges agreed, with Jen Affleck, Jordan Chiles, Whitney Leavitt, and Robert Irwin all tying with a score of 22/30. Additionally, multiple contestants are struggling physically, specifically Danielle, who is healing from a torn hamstring, but overall, she still did amazing. I’ll admit it’s hard for me to be unbiased about Robert’s success because I love him so much! He’s genuinely such a good dancer and contestant, and I’m crossing my fingers every week that the rest of the world and the judges agree. 

Two contestants, however, weren’t so lucky this week. Sadly, both Baron Davis (basketball player) and Corey Feldman (actor) were voted off. The judges’ scores and the voters were not enough to keep them around for another week, but they both expressed their gratitude to their partners and the show. It’s always sad to see contestants go…they’ve worked so hard!

If I have successfully got you interested in Dancing with the Stars, tune in every Tuesday (September 30th is TikTok night!) at 8 p.m. EST (7 p.m. CT) to see who continues further in the competition! And, of course, remember to vote for your favorites!

Claire Stevens is a third-year writer for the TAMU chapter of Her Campus. As executive of the PR committee, she works with others to create merchandise designs, write press releases, and hand out brand samples. Her writing covers the college experience, music, podcasts, and everything in between.

Aside from her time devoted to Her Campus at TAMU, Claire is a senior Business major at Texas A&M. She has worked various jobs over the years, with her favorite being a barista for a small, family-owned coffee shop in her hometown of Allen, Texas. This experience has cultivated a passion and developed many thoughts on all things coffee and tea related! Because of this, she has many opinions on various coffee and tea beverages. Claire plans to have a business career, but her dream job is owning her own coffee/book shop!

In her free time, Claire enjoys reading, going on walks with her dog, spending time with her friends, and checking out unique coffee shops with her mom. She is absolutely obsessed with Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, and Olivia Rodrigo, and, when not listening to music, can frequently be found watching Gilmore Girls or Friends.