‘Dancing With the Stars’ Shocks Fans: Did Prince’s Cosmic Energy Just Kick a Top Scorer Off the Floor Before Finale Frenzy?
Added on November 19, 2025 inTV News Cards
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So here we are, almost at the curtain call of Dancing With the Stars Season 34—and this week, the ballroom turned a royal purple as the contestants paid homage to the legendary, late Prince. Now, if you think nailing a tango is tough, imagine doing it to the eclectic beats of a musical icon known for defying norms and spinning genres like a cosmic dervish under a Sagittarius moon. Did the energy of Prince’s unapologetic creativity align with the stars to sprinkle some extra magic on the dance floor? Well, Tuesday’s semi-finals certainly set the stage for drama, heartbreak, and jaw-dropping performances. Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas’s exit stunned everyone, proving that in this competition, even consistent stars can flicker unexpectedly. Meanwhile, scores soared and perfect 30s were handed out like confetti, keeping us all at the edge of our seats before the grand finale on November 25. Who will waltz away with the mirrorball? Let’s dive in and find out if destiny or skill truly called the shots on this cosmic Prince Night. LEARN MORE
[This story contains spoilers from episode 10 of Dancing With the Stars season 34.]
Season 34 of Dancing With the Stars is nearly over, but before it comes to a close, the couples are honoring the late Prince.
Tuesday night marked the semi-finals, where couples performed two competitive dances: one in a ballroom style they have already learned on the show and a second number in a dance style they have not yet performed. Each number will be set to a song by Prince.
Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas were eliminated at the end of Prince Night. It was an emotional elimination in the ballroom and quite a shocking one, as Whitney and Mark have consistently performed (and scored) well throughout the duration of season 34.
Heading into Tuesday’s episode, social media star Alix Earle, Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, The Traitors season three winner (and Zac Efron’s brother) Dylan Efron, actress Elaine Hendrix, conservationist (and son of Steve Irwin) Robert Irwin and Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Whitney rounded out the remaining cast, while Whitney exited the show at the end of the episode.
The winner of DWTS will be crowned during the special three-hour finale on Nov. 25, which will task the couples to perform in three rounds of competition, including the judges choice, instant dance and coveted freestyle rounds. The semi-finals episode determined which couples moved forward with a shot at the mirrorball, as a crowded five duos head into the final episode of season 34. (Read The Hollywood Reporter‘s ranking of the top 10 dances of season 34, so far, here.)
Notably in the crowd for the semi-finals was Dylan’s brother Zac, marking the first time The Iron Claw star attended a live taping in support of his brother. Robert and Witney topped the leaderboard after the first round of competition, becoming the only duo to earn a perfect 30/30 in the first half of Prince Night.
The second round saw three couples given perfect marks, including Alix, Elaine and Jordan, with the latter two celebrities acquiring their first flawless scores ever. After both numbers were performed by each couple, Robert and Witney remained as the top-scoring pair of the night, with a combined 59 points.
During last week’s 20th Birthday Party-themed episode, Tom Bergeron made his guest judge debut while four couples earned solo perfect scores, including Robert and Witney Carson; Dylan and Daniella Karagach; Alix and Val Chmerkovskiy; and Whitney and Mark Ballas.
After the show, Jordan and Ezra spoke with The Hollywood Reporter, where the gymnast said receiving her first perfect DWTS score felt “different” and that she was “honored.”
“Yes, I’ve gotten 10s in my career, but getting a perfect score is different. I feel just a different light — I don’t even know how to explain [it],” Chiles said. “When I got that score, I was just like, Wow. It’s like a next step, the next chapter that I’m gonna be able to create, so I’m just honored.”
Elaine, who was called safe first out of all the couples on Prince Night, told THR she felt “so much shock, gratitude [and] excitement beyond belief” when it was announced she was moving onto the finale. She also reflected on her journey thus far, noting that she “knew [DWTS] was gonna be hard, but I did not know it was going to be just how hard it is.”
“So to actually be here now [going into the finale,] just blows my mind that it’s actually a reality,” Elaine added. “I’m stunned. I’m grateful. I’m relieved. It’s just a whirlwind of emotions.”
Alix and Val also caught up with THR, where the pro dancer sung praise towards the social media star: “I’ve had a whole spectrum of emotions throughout my tenure on the show, and there have been times when I was pleasantly surprised, I will tell you, there’s been plenty of times when I was unpleasantly surprised. And that’s why I don’t take anything for granted. And of course I was confident, I have a superstar as my partner.”
The couple with the lowest combined total of judges’ scores and viewer votes is eliminated at the end of each episode. Live voting takes place during the East Coast airing of each show and ends shortly after the final performance is completed.
See the full list of scores for week 10 of DWTS season 34 (aka Prince Night) below.
Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten: 27/30
Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy: 28/30
Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas: 29/30
Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach: 27/30
Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa: 27/30
Robert Irwin and Witney Carson: 30/30
Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten: 30/30
Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy: 30/30
Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach: 28/30
Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas: 29/30
Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa: 30/30
Robert Irwin and Witney Carson: 29/30
Robert Irwin and Witney Carson: 59
Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy: 58
Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas: 58 (ELIMINATED)
Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa: 57
Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten: 57
Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach: 55
Season 34 of DWTS airs and streams simultaneously on ABC and Disney+ on Tuesdays, with new episodes available to stream on Wednesdays on Hulu.
Dominoe Ibarra contributed to this report.
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