After a record-breaking 33rd season, “Dancing with the Stars” has returned with its 34th season, carrying forward the momentum and fan enthusiasm that revitalized the series. Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough return as the season’s co-hosts, alongside the judging panel of Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough.
The season premiere of the reality dance competition saw
After a record-breaking 33rd season, “Dancing with the Stars” has returned with its 34th season, carrying forward the momentum and fan enthusiasm that revitalized the series. Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough return as the season’s co-hosts, alongside the judging panel of Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough.
The season premiere of the reality dance competition saw strong viewership numbers, with 8.13 million total viewers across all platforms after three days. The popularity of the show has grown thanks to the presence of the dancing pros on TikTok, specifically Riley Arnold and Ezra Sosa, as well as the program’s expanded reach on Disney+ and Hulu. After the popularity of last season, more and more of the stars and pros are posting on social media to get audiences involved, causing the 20th anniversary of the show to be its most popular year yet. After almost being canceled a few years ago due to low ratings, the program’s rapid growth comes as a surprising comeback and cements the show’s place on the network for the time being.
The season 34 cast of stars showcases a diverse range of talent, bringing together actors, musicians, influencers, athletes and more. This year’s lineup includes Jen Affleck, Hilaria Baldwin, Jordan Chiles, Baron Davis, Alix Earle, Dylan Efron, Corey Feldman, Danielle Fishel, Elaine Hendrix, Scott Hoying, Robert Irwin, Lauren Jauregui, Whitney Leavitt and Andy Richter.
With the first two weeks underway, there are already a few clear front runners for the highly coveted Mirrorball Trophy. From “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” Whitney Leavitt, paired with pro Mark Ballas, has already shown much promise by tying for the top of leaderboard both weeks. She has previous dancing experience, growing up dancing in Utah and receiving a dance degree at Brigham Young University (BYU). Tied with her is wildlife conservationist and fan favorite Robert Irwin, partnered with Witney Carson. Despite having no formal dance training, he is one of the most impressive stars so far. Although this should come as no surprise seeing how his sister, Bindi Irwin, competed and won the Mirrorball back in season 21. Judge Derek Hough even called Irwin’s week one jive to “Born To Be Wild” by Steppenwolf the best first dance he had ever seen. Rounding out the frontrunners is social media influencer Alix Earle with Val Chmerkovskiy. Although not currently on the top of the leaderboard, Earle’s talent and potential, combined with a strong fanbase, makes her a strong contender.
Despite only being two weeks into the competition, the judges are already catching heat this season for their scores. Many fans believe the first few weeks are too early for judges to be giving the contestants sevens and eights, feeling higher scores must be reserved for more polished performances later in the season. Some say that giving out high scores so quickly makes it difficult for the judges’ scores to reflect the contestants’ growth throughout the season, and instead causes the performance scores to be stuck in the same range for many weeks at a time. This was a big complaint last season, and unfortunately, the pattern seems to be repeating in season 34.
As the season progresses, fans can look forward to a variety of theme nights such as Disney Night, Wicked Night, Halloween Night and more. These themes influence the music, costumes and dances chosen by the pros, keeping fans engaged. Many are already speculating as to what music the celebrities will be dancing to for each of these nights, especially for the highly anticipated Disney and Wicked Nights.
While there were no eliminations on premiere night, the following week’s “One Hit Wonders Night” raised the stakes with a double elimination. After combining the judge’s scores with the viewer votes from the first two weeks, Baron Davis and Britt Stewart along with Corey Feldman and Jenna Johnson were sent home. The night itself, however, was filled with fun and memorable performances all around. Even after tearing her hamstring during rehearsals, “Boy Meets World” actress Danielle Fishel danced through the pain and delivered a solid Cha Cha with her partner Pasha Pashkov. Other standout performances came from Hilaria Baldwin’s Tango and Jordan Chiles’ Jive. With so many talented and interesting personalities in the cast, we can expect a very exciting and unforgettable season ahead.
, with 8.13 million total viewers across all platforms after three days. The popularity of the show has grown thanks to the presence of the dancing pros on TikTok, specifically Riley Arnold and Ezra Sosa, as well as the program’s expanded reach on Disney+ and Hulu. After the popularity of last season, more and more of the stars and pros are posting on social media to get audiences involved, causing the 20th anniversary of the show to be its most popular year yet. After almost being canceled a few years ago due to low ratings, the program’s rapid growth comes as a surprising comeback and cements the show’s place on the network for the time being.
The season 34 cast of stars showcases a diverse range of talent, bringing together actors, musicians, influencers, athletes and more. This year’s lineup includes Jen Affleck, Hilaria Baldwin, Jordan Chiles, Baron Davis, Alix Earle, Dylan Efron, Corey Feldman, Danielle Fishel, Elaine Hendrix, Scott Hoying, Robert Irwin, Lauren Jauregui, Whitney Leavitt and Andy Richter.
With the first two weeks underway, there are already a few clear front runners for the highly coveted Mirrorball Trophy. From “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” Whitney Leavitt, paired with pro Mark Ballas, has already shown much promise by tying for the top of leaderboard both weeks. She has previous dancing experience, growing up dancing in Utah and receiving a dance degree at Brigham Young University (BYU). Tied with her is wildlife conservationist and fan favorite Robert Irwin, partnered with Witney Carson. Despite having no formal dance training, he is one of the most impressive stars so far. Although this should come as no surprise seeing how his sister, Bindi Irwin, competed and won the Mirrorball back in season 21. Judge Derek Hough even called Irwin’s week one jive to “Born To Be Wild” by Steppenwolf the best first dance he had ever seen. Rounding out the frontrunners is social media influencer Alix Earle with Val Chmerkovskiy. Although not currently on the top of the leaderboard, Earle’s talent and potential, combined with a strong fanbase, makes her a strong contender.
Despite only being two weeks into the competition, the judges are already catching heat this season for their scores. Many fans believe the first few weeks are too early for judges to be giving the contestants sevens and eights, feeling higher scores must be reserved for more polished performances later in the season. Some say that giving out high scores so quickly makes it difficult for the judges’ scores to reflect the contestants’ growth throughout the season, and instead causes the performance scores to be stuck in the same range for many weeks at a time. This was a big complaint last season, and unfortunately, the pattern seems to be repeating in season 34.
As the season progresses, fans can look forward to a variety of theme nights such as Disney Night, Wicked Night, Halloween Night and more. These themes influence the music, costumes and dances chosen by the pros, keeping fans engaged. Many are already speculating as to what music the celebrities will be dancing to for each of these nights, especially for the highly anticipated Disney and Wicked Nights.
While there were no eliminations on premiere night, the following week’s “One Hit Wonders Night” raised the stakes with a double elimination. After combining the judge’s scores with the viewer votes from the first two weeks, Baron Davis and Britt Stewart along with Corey Feldman and Jenna Johnson were sent home. The night itself, however, was filled with fun and memorable performances all around. Even after tearing her hamstring during rehearsals, “Boy Meets World” actress Danielle Fishel danced through the pain and delivered a solid Cha Cha with her partner Pasha Pashkov. Other standout performances came from Hilaria Baldwin’s Tango and Jordan Chiles’ Jive. With so many talented and interesting personalities in the cast, we can expect a very exciting and unforgettable season ahead.
