By Zoe Mellinger
Arts Editor
This fall, Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) returned to screens with season 34, taking over social media feeds every Tuesday night. For fans who love televised drama, this season has delivered plenty of surprises, strong performances, and shocking eliminations.
As of now, six celebrity-pro pairs have already been eliminated: Corey Feldman and Jenna Johnson, Baron Davis and Britt Stewart, Lauren Jauregui and Brandon Armstrong, Hilaria Baldwin and Gleb Savchenko, and Scott Hoying and Rylee Arnold. The judging panel features Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli, and Carrie Ann Inaba, with guest judge appearances including former pro Kym Johnson in week five and Wicked director John M. Chu in week six. Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough return as hosts, bringing energy and humor to every episode. However, Julianne Hough recently drew some criticism for her on-air questions to the cast. She faced backlash for her comment to postpartum star Jen Affleck that she had “clearly given birth,” her comment to Corey Feldman asking “How does it feel dancing with scoliosis?”, and her comments to the cast that they were “clearly being emotional right now” after just performing their heartfelt dedication routine.
The show’s first elimination didn’t come until the second episode, when producers revealed a double elimination — both Corey Feldman with Jenna Johnson and Baron Davis with Britt Stewart were sent home. Social media audiences weren’t entirely surprised, as both struggled to keep up with the fast-paced ballroom style.
Then, in episode three, Fifth Harmony alum Lauren Jauregui, dancing with Brandon Armstrong, was the third to go. Her cha-cha earned middling scores and received the fewest combined viewer votes. This elimination came as a surprise to some viewers, as Jauregui is a young star with prior dance experience from her time in Fifth Harmony. Audiences expected one of the older stars, like Andy Richter or Hilaria Baldwin, to be eliminated that week.
On Disney Night (episode four), Hilaria Baldwin and her partner Gleb Savchenko were eliminated despite delivering a fan-favorite Star Wars-themed quickstep that earned a 23/30 from the judges. On the other hand, Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas earned the first “9” of the season for their Foxtrot to “The Room Where It Happens” from Hamilton.
Episode five was “Dedication Night.” The remaining ten couples poured their hearts into performances honoring family, mentors, and loved ones. Most couples were joined on stage and performed with those they were honoring. One of the most popular dances from that night was influencer Alix Earle’s dedication to her little sister Izabel Earle. Their dance was inspired by the impact of Izabel’s birth on the Earle family after a scandal involving their father’s affair. This contemporary dance to Coldplay’s “Sparks” left the crowd in tears watching their beautiful sisterly bond. For the first time in history, no one was eliminated that night.
Finally, the last week aired was episode six, “Wicked Night,” on Oct. 21st. All of the dances were to a different song from the Wicked musical. Whitney Leavitt and Jordan Chiles both received 10s with their quicksteps and rumba. Scott Hoying, with Rylee Arnold, went home that night.
“Who should go home tonight instead of Andy?” has been a common discussion by fans on social media, who argue that Richter — who struggles the most with the dances — should stay in the competition through the help of viewer votes. So if you want to join the trend and help Andy stay next week, don’t forget to text “Andy” to 21523.
Still standing in the competition now are pairs Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy, Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa, Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach, Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov, Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten, Robert Irwin and Witney Carson, Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas, and Andy Richter and Emma Slater.
Among these, Alix, Whitney, Jordan, and Robert are widely recognized as front-runners in this competition — Alix for her massive social media following, Whitney for her professional dance experience, Jordan for her athleticism, and Robert for his positivity and entertaining character.
If you want to remain up to date on all the drama and dances on DWTS, don’t forget to tune in every Tuesday night on Disney+ or ABC at 8 p.m.
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