Dancing with the Stars (American TV series) season 34

Couples On April 22, 2025, during an upfront for Hulu's unscripted programming, Robert Irwin was announced as the first celebrity participant for the thirty-fourth season. He is the younger brother of season twenty-one winner, Bindi Irwin. Alix Earle joined the cast one month later. On June 30, during The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' second season reunion special, host Nick Viall revealed that Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt were joining Dancing with the Stars. Affleck announced the birth of her third child two days later; she was eight weeks postpartum when the season premiered. On August 25, Entertainment Tonight reported that Hilaria Baldwin joined the cast; People confirmed her appearance the following day. Jordon Hudson was originally cast to compete on the season, but she declined due to conflicts of interest. The full roster of celebrity participants and their partnerships was officially revealed on Good Morning America on September 3. According to Parade, Artem Chigvintsev was not slated to return as a professional dancer this season. Entertainment journalist Kristyn Burtt announced that Mark Ballas, Britt Stewart, Brandon Armstrong, Rylee Arnold, Ezra Sosa, Emma Slater, Valentin Chmerkovskiy, Daniella Karagach, Pasha Pashkov, Alan Bersten, Witney Carson, Gleb Savchenko, and the reigning champion Jenna Johnson were slated to return. Ballas competed for the first time since winning the thirty-first season with Charli D'Amelio. Jan Ravnik, former backup dancer for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, joined the series as a first-time pro. Although Sasha Farber did not return as a pro this season, he was involved in other capacities. Hosts and judges Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough returned as hosts for the season. Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli returned as judges. Inaba missed the season premiere due to an undisclosed illness; there was no replacement judge set in her place. An official Dancing with the Stars podcast, hosted by season thirty-three winner Joey Graziadei, was launched on September 18, 2025. He revealed all of the season's themes during the inaugural episode, and later shared the freestyle songs for the season finale. Kym Johnson served as the guest judge for Dedication Night. Jon M. Chu served as the guest judge for Wicked Night. Cheryl Burke served as the guest judge for Halloween Night. Flavor Flav served as a guest judge for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night. Tom Bergeron served as the guest judge for the 20th Birthday Party. Dance troupe Hailey Bills, Onye Stevenson, Carter Williams, and Jaxon Willard joined the show as first-time troupe members. Bills is the niece of Jenna Johnson and a former pro on Dancing with the Stars: Juniors. Williams was a top six finalist on the seventeenth season of So You Think You Can Dance. Willard was a contestant on the second season of World of Dance. == Scoring chart ==

The highest score each week is indicated in with a dagger (), while the lowest score each week is indicated in with a double-dagger (). Color key: ;Notes == Weekly scores ==

''Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli.'' Week 1: Premiere ''Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli.'' Each couple performed one unlearned dance to a "personal anthem" of the celebrity. There was no elimination this week; all scores were carried over to the following week. A double elimination took place this week. The opening number, choreographed by Emma Slater, was set to "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" by C+C Music Factory feat. Freedom Williams. The opening number was set to "Apple" by Charli XCX and featured season 31 champion Charli D'Amelio, with viral moves created by actor and content creator Kelley Heyer. The opening number, choreographed by Mandy Moore, was set to "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast (1991) and featured a guest appearance from Danny Gardner, who stars as Lumière on the North American tour of its accompanying stage musical. No eliminations took place this week; all scores were carried over to the following week. For the first time on the series, the friends and family members selected by each celebrity contestant joined them on the ballroom floor for their routines. Jon M. Chu, who directed both films, appeared as a guest judge. Two-time mirrorball champion Cheryl Burke returned as a guest judge. Couples are listed in the order they performed. Week 8: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night ''Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Flavor Flav, Bruno Tonioli.'' Each couple performed one unlearned dance to a song by an artist or group who was either inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF) or are slated to be. Rapper and television personality Flavor Flav, who is also a RRHOF inductee, appeared as a guest judge. The opening number, choreographed by Britt Stewart, was set to "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard and "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Notes Week 9: 20th Birthday Party ''Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Tom Bergeron, Bruno Tonioli.'' In celebration of the twentieth anniversary of Dancing with the Stars, each couple reinterpreted a memorable freestyle performance by showcasing an unlearned dance style. Six couples also participated in a dance relay, featuring the quickstep, Viennese waltz and jive, for two bonus points. For receiving the highest cumulative points in the season so far, Whitney & Mark earned immunity from the dance relays and automatically received two bonus points. Tom Bergeron, who hosted Dancing with the Stars for its first twenty-eight seasons, appeared as a guest judge. The opening number, choreographed by Luam Keflezgy, was set to "Let's Go Crazy". The troupe also performed a number to "Musicology". For the instant dance round, the couples had approximately five minutes to choreograph and learn a new dance before performing it live. Although the assigned dance styles and songs were not known beforehand by the couples, they were told that it would be one of four dance styles they had performed earlier in the season. The opening number, choreographed by Joey Pizzi, was set to "Never Can Say Goodbye" by the Communards. All of the eliminated couples returned to the ballroom with additional performances to "Sugar on My Tongue" by Tyler, the Creator, "Applause" by Lady Gaga, and "I Don't Dance" by Alexander Jean. The professional dancers featured on the Dancing with the Stars: Live! tour in 2026 performed a routine to "Sapphire" by Ed Sheeran, choreographed by Mandy Moore. Additional troupe and pro performances were set to "Talk Talk" by Charli XCX featuring Troye Sivan and "The Fate of Ophelia (Alone in My Tower Acoustic Version)" by Taylor Swift. Season 33 champions Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson returned for a performance to "Tanguera" by Fabio Hager Sexteto. Couples are listed in the order they performed. == Dance chart ==

The couples performed the following each week: • Weeks 1–6: One unlearned dance • Week 7: One unlearned dance & dance marathon • Week 8: One unlearned dance & team dance • Week 9 (Quarterfinals): One unlearned dance & dance relay • Week 10 (Semifinals): One unlearned dance & one repeat dance • Week 11 (Finale): Judges' choice, instant dance & freestyle ==Ratings==

Season thirty-four became the program's most-watched in several years. "TikTok Night" marked the first time in twenty years that Dancing with the Stars saw an increase in viewership for two consecutive weeks since its premiere episode. With "Wicked Night", the series became the first American fall television program in at least 34 years to increase in viewers for five weeks after its premiere episode. The season finale, which crowned Robert Irwin and Witney Carson as champions, became the show's highest-rated finale since Laurie Hernandez and Val Chmerkovskiy won in season twenty-three. It also earned the program's strongest finale demo number since Irwin's older sister, Bindi, won with Derek Hough in season twenty-one. ==References==