Season 34 of Dancing With the Stars concluded on Tuesday, Nov. 25, in a much-anticipated finale that saw wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin and his partner, pro Witney Carson, become the next Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy winners.
Robert came into the season as a fan favorite and had viewers furiously texting 21523 ten times each week to make sure he stayed on until the very end. The finale saw three rounds of dances, including the iconic freestyle round and an “instant” dance, with couples learning a routine and dance style in a single commercial break.
The show featured many themed nights, including Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Wicked (and Wicked For Good), Dedication Night, Prince Night, and Disney Night. The show also celebrated twenty years of competition with a special birthday party night that saw former host Tom Bergeron as a guest judge.
The three judges were back and iconic as ever: Carrie Ann Inaba with her truthful and critical (but helpful) comments, Derek Hough popping into the camera frame whenever he could and his clear love for the Irwin family, and Bruno Tonioli celebrating his 70th birthday and revealing he was in an Elton John music video.
Each contestant on this season brought something unique to the table. Here is a run down of each star and their pro:
Corey Feldman & pro Jenna Johnson: The 80s actor known for The Goonies tried his skills on the dance floor, and were eliminated in Week 2. I do wish that Corey had improved and made it through a few more weeks, because the world could always use more of Jenna’s amazing choreography.
Baron Davis & pro Britt Stewart: The 6’3 NBA point guard was first drafted by the Charlotte Hornets. Many fans compared him to competitor Dwight Howard from last season due to the height differences with their pros. Baron was also eliminated in Week 2.
Lauren Jauregui & pro Brandon Armstrong: Fifth Harmony’s Lauren looked promising coming into the competition, but the pair were shockingly eliminated in Week 3. In her interview, she only said one word: “pissed”. And rightfully so – I would have loved to see her improvements throughout the season as well as the chemistry between her and Brandon.
Hilaria Baldwin & pro Gleb Savchenko: Reality TV star and Alec Baldwin’s wife made her return to the dance floor with much support from her family. Like Lauren, Hilaria seemed to not get as many viewer votes, and the mom of seven was eliminated in Week 4.
Scott Hoying & pro Rylee Arnold: The Pentatonix frontman swapped his vocal skills for a spin on the dance floor, and had quite the season, including announcing that he and his husband are expecting their first child. After an electrifying dance on Wicked Night in Week 6, the pair were sadly eliminated.
Jen Affleck & Pro Jan Ravnik: The Hulu The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star and her partner, a former Taylor Swift Eras Tour dancer, both improved greatly throughout the first few weeks of the season. Jen was only a few weeks postpartum when starting rehearsals, but was always upbeat and motivated until her elimination in Week 7. Jan did well considering his infancy to the DWTS-verse, but will need to step his game up in the future to compare to other male pros like Val and Mark.
Danielle Fishel & pro Pasha Pashkov: Topanga from Boy Meets World took to the Dancing With the Stars stage, and brought her rays of sunshine to every dance she did. Pasha did well mentoring her, and Danielle’s hardships in her life brought an emotional backstory. Danielle and Pasha were eliminated in Week 8.
Andy Richter & pro Emma Slater: The comedian received way more airtime than anyone thought this season. As weeks went on, Andy somehow seemed to have enough fan votes to push through each round. By the end of his run, he had a dedicated fan base: the Fandys. However, DWTS is a dance competition, and Andy was unable to keep up with the rigor of his opponents’ dances, and was eliminated in Week 9.
Whitney Leavitt & pro Mark Ballas: The other The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star and lifelong dancer, Whitney produced several iconic numbers throughout her run. Mark also returned to the show, and the world got to see his amazing choreography once again. Whitney had the skills and the scores to make it to the finale, but apparently not the votes.
Elaine Hendrix & pro Alan Bersten: The 54-year-old The Parent Trap actress had an amazing run this season. Elaine taught the audience about perseverance and motivation, and also about friendship: Lisa Ann Walters of Abbott Elementary fame supported her friend in the audience almost every week. After dealing with several injuries and missing a week of competition, Alan and Elaine fought hard to get into the finale. The pair finished in 5th place.
Dylan Efron & pro Daniella Karagach: The fourth-place finisher is a content creator, and yes, Zac Efron’s brother. Dylan spent the season paving his own path away from his brother’s fame, and did so mostly shirtless (winning many viewers’ votes). Dylan improved greatly throughout the season, and definitely gained confidence in the ballroom due to Daniella’s grace.
Jordan Chiles & pro Ezra Sosa: From making up little celebration dances to an absolutely earth-shattering freestyle, the Olympic gymnast brought her quirky personality to the dance floor. Her pairing with Ezra also had successful chemistry, with both partners trusting each other’s skills and advice. Jordan and Ezra got 3rd place.
Alix Earle & pro Val Chmerkovskiy: The social media star and veteran superstar pro Val were the runners-up in the competition. From her chilling Halloween number to the Beyonce-influence freestyle, Alix improved quite a bit. As the season went on, it was clear she was capable of being in contention for the trophy based on skills alone. Val’s patient but persistent coaching helped Alix gain more confidence as well.
Robert Irwin & pro Witney Carson: The Mirrorball winner brought home a second trophy for the Irwin family: Robert’s sister Bindi won in 2015. The now 22-year old gave an emotional run, dedicating many of his dances to his late father’s influence in him and the world. Robert constantly had a smile on his face while performing, and was the perfect partner for Witney.
The week after the finale, on Tuesday, Dec. 2, DWTS aired a one-hour special holiday episode, featuring the pros as well as cameos from Andy Richter, Reggie VelJohnson from Season 33, and Scott Hoying with the rest of Pentatonix. Alfonso and Julianne also spent some time on the dance floor showing off their talent.
This episode was very sweet and recalled special dances from years past, though it felt awfully short compared to last week’s three-hour-long finale.
Overall, the season had some high points, including much improved stars and many jaw-dropping performances. However, discrepancies were brought up between judges’ scores and viewer votes. Andy, who was consistently getting 6s and 7s from the judges, stayed in longer than other contestants with higher scores.
The judges also seemed to give high scores right out of the gate. Nobody got below a 4 or 5 during the first week. By the end of the season, the judges were forced to give 9s and 10s to all dances because of the progression.
Another large part of the competition this season was contestant injuries. Elaine missed a week due to a rib injury in rehearsal, Dylan had a broken nose, and Robert suffered through injured ribs during the finale. All of these show the rigor of the dances expected of the stars, but also their perseverance through obstacles.
Until next time, Dancing With the Stars fans. Hopefully we will break the single-episode voting record every week next season as well.
