Dancing with the Stars (American season 21)
Season twenty-one of the American television competition series Dancing with the Stars premiered on September 14, 2015.
| Dancing with the Stars | |
|---|---|
| Season 21 | |
 Promotional poster, featuring pro dancers Peta Murgatroyd and Artem Chigvintsev | |
| Celebrity winner | Bindi Irwin |
| Professional winner | Derek Hough |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 14 |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | September 14 – November 24, 2015 |
| Season chronology | |
On November 24, 2015, Bindi Irwin and her partner Derek Hough were crowned champions. Nick Carter and Sharna Burgess finished second, Alek Skarlatos and Lindsay Arnold placed third. This season set records for the total number of perfect scores awarded (23) and the number of stars to receive at least one perfect score with 7 (Bindi Irwin, Nick Carter, Alek Skarlatos, Carlos PenaVega, Tamar Braxton, Alexa PenaVega, and Andy Grammer). Irwin also set a record with 8 perfect scores (a record broken in season 25 by Jordan Fisher) and became the second youngest winner of the show at 17 years old (after season 8 winner Shawn Johnson, who was 3 days younger at the time of her win, and later slipped to third behind season 23 winner Laurie Hernandez, who was 16 years old at the time of her win). This also marked Hough's sixth competitive win, extending his own record for the most wins for a professional dancer on the series.
Cast
Couples
On August 19, 2015, nine professional dancers were revealed during Good Morning America. Karina Smirnoff, who did not appear in season 20 returned for season 21. Anna Trebunskaya and Louis van Amstel would be returning after a five-season hiatus. Additionally, Lindsay Arnold would also be returning after spending the last four seasons in the troupe. While Peta Murgatroyd (who was to be paired with Andy Grammer) was originally announced as a professional, was sidelined for the season by an ankle injury, Allison Holker replaced her spot in the cast;[1] Artem Chigvintsev and Kym Johnson also did not return. Bindi Irwin was the first celebrity revealed on August 24,[2] on GMA; other celebrities were revealed at different dates through different media. The full cast of celebrities and professional dancers was revealed on September 2, 2015, on GMA.[3]
During the show, two celebrities (Kim Zolciak-Biermann and Tamar Braxton) withdrew during the competition due to health issues, marking the first time two contestants withdrew in midseason (Nancy O'Dell and Jewel both withdrew from Season 8 before the first episode).
| Celebrity | Notability (known for) | Professional partner[lower-alpha 1] | Status | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chaka Khan | Funk & R&B singer | Keo Motsepe | Eliminated 1st on September 21, 2015 |
[4] |
| Victor Espinoza | Jockey | Karina Smirnoff | Eliminated 2nd on September 22, 2015 |
[5] |
| Kim Zolciak-Biermann | Reality television star | Tony Dovolani | Withdrew on September 28, 2015 |
[6] |
| Gary Busey | Film actor | Anna Trebunskaya | Eliminated 3rd on October 5, 2015 |
[7] |
| Paula Deen | Celebrity chef & businesswoman | Louis van Amstel Mark Ballas (week 5)[8] |
Eliminated 4th on October 19, 2015 |
[9] |
| Hayes Grier | Vine & social media personality | Emma Slater Allison Holker (week 5)[8] |
Eliminated 5th on October 26, 2015 |
[10] |
| Andy Grammer | Singer-songwriter | Allison Holker Sharna Burgess (week 5)[8] |
Eliminated 6th on November 2, 2015 |
[11] |
| Alexa PenaVega | Film & television actress | Mark Ballas Derek Hough (week 5)[8] |
Eliminated 7th on November 9, 2015 |
[12] |
| Tamar Braxton | R&B singer & reality television star | Valentin Chmerkovskiy Louis van Amstel (week 5)[8] |
Withdrew on November 11, 2015 |
[13] |
| Carlos PenaVega | Big Time Rush singer & actor | Witney Carson Lindsay Arnold (week 5)[8] |
Eliminated 8th on November 23, 2015 |
[14] |
| Alek Skarlatos | Legion of Honour recipient & soldier | Lindsay Arnold Emma Slater (week 5)[8] |
Third place on November 24, 2015 |
[15] |
| Nick Carter | Backstreet Boys singer | Sharna Burgess Witney Carson (week 5)[8] |
Runner-up on November 24, 2015 | |
| Bindi Irwin | Wildlife conservationist & actress | Derek Hough Valentin Chmerkovskiy (week 5)[8] |
Winner on November 24, 2015 |
Hosts and judges
Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews returned as hosts,[16] while judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough, and Bruno Tonioli all returned this season.[17] After twenty seasons, Len Goodman did not return this season as a judge;[18] in a video message during the finale, Goodman announced he would return for season 22. Season 19 champion Alfonso Ribeiro filled in for Tom Bergeron on October 5, 2015, when Bergeron went to be with his ailing father Raymond Bergeron,[19] who subsequently died on October 12, 2015. Leah Remini filled in as co-host on October 19 and October 26, 2015,[20] while Erin Andrews covered the 2015 World Series with Fox.[21]
Scoring charts
| Couple | Place | 1 | 2 | 3[lower-alpha 2] | 4 | 5[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] | 4+5 | 6[lower-alpha 2] | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Top 4 | Top 3 | |||||||||||||
| Bindi & Derek | 1 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 32 | 28 | 37 | 65 | 40 | 30+28=58 | 28 | 30+30=60 | 27+3+30=60 | 30+30=60 | +30=90 | |
| Nick & Sharna | 2 | 24 | 21 | 24 | 36 | 27 | 35 | 62 | 39 | 24+30=54 | 30+3=33 | 28+27=55 | 24+0+30=54 | 30+30=60 | +30=90 | |
| Alek & Lindsay | 3 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 33 | 24 | 29 | 53 | 30 | 25+28=53 | 25 | 24+24=48 | 30+0+27=57 | 27+30=57 | +27=84 | |
| Carlos & Witney | 4 | 23 | 24 | 21 | 31 | 25 | 39 | 64 | 38 | 28+28=56 | 27+2=29 | 27+24=51 | 28+3+29=60 | 30+30=60 | ||
| Tamar & Val | 5 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 33 | 27 | 29 | 56 | 40 | 24+30=54 | 28 | 22+27=49 | — | |||
| Alexa & Mark | 6 | 22 | 24 | 22 | 36 | 21 | 40 | 61 | 30 | 27+28=55 | 25+2=27 | 30+30=60 | ||||
| Andy & Allison | 7 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 29 | 23 | 36 | 59 | 40 | 26+30=56 | 22+2=24 | |||||
| Hayes & Emma | 8 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 30 | 27 | 30 | 57 | 32 | 26+30=56 | ||||||
| Paula & Louis | 9 | 15 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 26 | 44 | 24 | |||||||
| Gary & Anna | 10 | 15 | 18 | 15 | 25 | 16 | ||||||||||
| Kim & Tony | 11 | 12 | 19 | 18 | — | |||||||||||
| Victor & Karina | 12 | 15 | 17 | 20 | ||||||||||||
| Chaka & Keo | 13 | 13 | 15 | |||||||||||||
- Red numbers indicate the lowest score for each week
- Green numbers indicate the highest score for each week
- the couple eliminated that week
- the returning couple that was the last to be called safe
- this couple withdrew from the competition
- the couple earned immunity, and could not be eliminated
- the winning couple
- the runner-up couple
- the third-place couple
Average score chart
This table only counts dances scored on a 30-point scale; scores by guest judges are excluded. Extra points from the dance-offs are not included.
| Rank by average |
Place | Couple[lower-alpha 1] | Total points |
Number of dances |
Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Bindi & Derek | 474 | 17 | 27.9 |
| 2 | 2 | Nick & Sharna | 462 | 27.2 | |
| 3 | 4 | Carlos & Witney | 426 | 16 | 26.6 |
| 4 | 6 | Alexa & Mark | 309 | 12 | 25.8 |
| 5 | 5 | Tamar & Val | 305 | 25.4 | |
| 6 | 3 | Alek & Lindsay | 428 | 17 | 25.2 |
| 7 | 7 | Andy & Allison | 245 | 10 | 24.5 |
| 8 | 8 | Hayes & Emma | 218 | 9 | 24.2 |
| 9 | 9 | Paula & Louis | 123 | 7 | 17.6 |
| 10 | 12 | Victor & Karina | 52 | 3 | 17.3 |
| 11 | 10 | Gary & Anna | 82 | 5 | 16.4 |
| 12 | 11 | Kim & Tony | 49 | 3 | 16.3 |
| 13 | 13 | Chaka & Keo | 28 | 2 | 14.0 |
Highest and lowest scoring performances
The best and worst performances in each dance according to the judges' 30-point scale (scores by guest judges are excluded) are as follows:
| Dance | Highest scored dancer(s) | Highest score | Lowest scored dancer(s) | Lowest score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salsa | Nick Carter | 30 | Kim Zolciak-Biermann | 12 |
| Quickstep | Carlos PenaVega Bindi Irwin | 30 | Paula Deen | 15 |
| Cha-cha-cha | Bindi Irwin | 27 | Chaka Khan | 13 |
| Foxtrot | Carlos PenaVega | 30 | Chaka Khan | 15 |
| Jive | Nick Carter | 30 | Victor Espinoza | 17 |
| Rumba | Bindi Irwin | 30 | Paula Deen | 19 |
| Jazz | Andy Grammer Tamar Braxton Bindi Irwin | 30 | Gary Busey | 16 |
| Tango | Alexa PenaVega | 30 | Paula Deen Gary Busey | 18 |
| Paso doble | Carlos PenaVega Tamar Braxton | 28 | Gary Busey | 15 |
| Contemporary | Nick Carter Alexa PenaVega | 30 | Tamar Braxton | 22 |
| Waltz | Alek Skarlatos | 30 | Bindi Irwin | 23 |
| Charleston | Bindi Irwin Alexa PenaVega | 30 | Tamar Braxton | 25 |
| Samba | Nick Carter | 29 | Paula Deen | 15 |
| Viennese Waltz | Bindi Irwin | 30 | Andy Grammer | 22 |
| Argentine tango | Bindi Irwin | 30 | Nick Carter | 24 |
| Team dance | Nick Carter Tamar Braxton Hayes Grier Andy Grammer | 30 | Bindi Irwin Alexa PenaVega Carlos PenaVega Alek Skarlatos | 28 |
| Team-up dances | Bindi Irwin Alexa PenaVega | 30 | Alek Skarlatos Carlos PenaVega | 24 |
| Freestyle | Carlos PenaVega Alek Skarlatos Bindi Irwin Nick Carter | 30 | — | — |
| Fusion dance | Nick Carter Bindi Irwin | 30 | Alek Skarlatos | 27 |
Couples' highest and lowest scoring dances
Scores are based upon a potential 30-point maximum (scores by guest judges are excluded).
| Couples[lower-alpha 1] | Highest scoring dance(s) | Lowest scoring dance(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Bindi & Derek | Rumba, Argentine tango, Viennese Waltz, Charleston, Jazz, Quickstep, Freestyle & Argentine tango/Cha-cha-cha Fusion (30) | Waltz (23) |
| Nick & Sharna | Contemporary, Salsa, Jive, Freestyle & Salsa/Tango Fusion (30) | Jive (21) |
| Alek & Lindsay | Waltz & Freestyle (30) | Foxtrot, Quickstep & Rumba (22) |
| Carlos & Witney | Quickstep, Foxtrot & Freestyle (30) | Cha-cha-cha (21) |
| Tamar & Val | Jazz (30) | Samba (21) |
| Alexa & Mark | Tango, Contemporary & Charleston (30) | Foxtrot (21) |
| Andy & Allison | Jazz (30) | Foxtrot & Jive (21) |
| Hayes & Emma | Contemporary (27) | Cha-cha-cha (21) |
| Paula & Louis | Jive (20) | Quickstep & Samba (15) |
| Gary & Anna | Foxtrot & Tango (18) | Cha-cha-cha & Paso doble (15) |
| Kim & Tony | Quickstep (19) | Salsa (12) |
| Victor & Karina | Rumba (20) | Salsa (15) |
| Chaka & Keo | Foxtrot (15) | Cha-cha-cha (13) |
Weekly scores
Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli.
Week 1: First Dances
Dance styles for this week: cha-cha-cha, foxtrot, jive, quickstep or salsa.
- Running order
| Couple | Scores[22] | Style | Song / original artist[23] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victor & Karina | 15 (5, 5, 5) | Salsa | "G.D.F.R."—Flo Rida feat. Sage the Gemini & Lookas |
| Tamar & Val | 23 (8, 7, 8) | Quickstep | "Do Your Thing"—Basement Jaxx |
| Chaka & Keo | 13 (5, 4, 4) | Cha-cha-cha | "I Feel for You"—Chaka Khan |
| Hayes & Emma | 21 (7, 7, 7) | Cha-cha-cha | "Cheerleader"—OMI |
| Andy & Allison | 21 (7, 7, 7) | Foxtrot | "Marvin Gaye"—Charlie Puth feat. Meghan Trainor |
| Paula & Louis | 15 (5, 5, 5) | Quickstep | "Hey, Good Lookin'"—Carol Welsman |
| Carlos & Witney | 23 (8, 8, 7) | Jive | "I Got You (I Feel Good)"—James Brown |
| Alexa & Mark | 22 (7, 7, 8) | Jive | "Whistle (While You Work It)"—Katy Tiz |
| Kim & Tony | 12 (4, 4, 4) | Salsa | "Hey Mama"—David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha & Afrojack |
| Bindi & Derek | 24 (8, 8, 8) | Jive | "Crocodile Rock"—Elton John |
| Gary & Anna | 15 (5, 5, 5) | Cha-cha-cha | "Dancing in the Street"—David Bowie & Mick Jagger |
| Alek & Lindsay | 22 (8, 7, 7) | Foxtrot | "Ten Feet Tall"—Afrojack feat. Wrabel |
| Nick & Sharna | 24 (8, 8, 8) | Cha-cha-cha | "I Don't Like It, I Love It"—Flo Rida feat. Robin Thicke & Verdine White |
Week 2: Hometown Glory
Couples had to prepare two new dances to be performed on two consecutive nights. On Monday, the couples performed routines that celebrated the hometowns of the celebrities, with one couple being eliminated at the end of the show. On Tuesday, the remaining couples performed routines that celebrated the hometowns of the remaining pro partners, with another couple being eliminated. Charleston, contemporary, jazz, paso doble, rumba, tango, and waltz are introduced.
- Running order (Night 1)
| Couple | Scores[4] | Style | Song / original artist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick & Sharna | 21 (7, 7, 7) | Jive | "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"—The Andrews Sisters | Safe |
| Paula & Louis | 19 (7, 6, 6) | Rumba | "Midnight Train to Georgia"—Gladys Knight & the Pips | Safe |
| Hayes & Emma | 22 (8, 7, 7) | Foxtrot | "This Is How We Roll"—Florida Georgia Line feat. Luke Bryan | Safe |
| Chaka & Keo | 15 (5, 5, 5) | Foxtrot | "Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)"—Frank Sinatra | Eliminated |
| Andy & Allison | 21 (7, 7, 7) | Jive | "Only the Good Die Young"—Billy Joel | Safe |
| Kim & Tony | 19 (7, 6, 6) | Quickstep | "Queen Bee"—Rochelle Diamante | Safe |
| Alek & Lindsay | 23 (8, 7, 8) | Jazz | "Don't Stop Believin'"—Journey | Safe |
| Alexa & Mark | 24 (8, 8, 8) | Salsa | "Que Es Lo Que Quiere Esa Nena"—El General | Safe |
| Victor & Karina | 17 (6, 5, 6) | Jive | "La Bamba"—Ritchie Valens | Safe |
| Tamar & Val | 24 (8, 8, 8) | Cha-cha-cha | "We Are Family"—Sister Sledge | Safe |
| Gary & Anna | 18 (6, 6, 6) | Foxtrot | "Wouldn't It Be Nice"—The Beach Boys | Last to be called safe |
| Carlos & Witney | 24 (8, 8, 8) | Foxtrot | "Home"—Blake Shelton | Safe |
| Bindi & Derek | 25 (9, 8, 8) | Tango | "You Shook Me All Night Long"—AC/DC | Safe |
- Running order (Night 2)
| Couple | Scores[5] | Style | Song / original artist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hayes & Emma | 23 (8, 7, 8) | Quickstep | "Are You Gonna Be My Girl"—Jet | Safe |
| Carlos & Witney | 21 (7, 7, 7) | Cha-cha-cha | "Hound Dog"—Big Mama Thornton | Safe |
| Gary & Anna | 15 (5, 5, 5) | Paso doble | "1812 Overture"—Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | Last to be called safe |
| Andy & Allison | 23 (8, 8, 7) | Contemporary | "Heaven Is a Place on Earth"—Belinda Carlisle | Safe |
| Alexa & Mark | 22 (7, 7, 8) | Rumba | "Somewhere in Time" theme—John Barry | Safe |
| Paula & Louis | 18 (6, 6, 6) | Tango | "Get Ready"—The Temptations | Safe |
| Bindi & Derek | 23 (7, 8, 8) | Waltz | "Only a Man"—Jonny Lang | Safe |
| Kim & Tony | 18 (6, 6, 6) | Foxtrot | "Come Home"—OneRepublic feat. Sara Bareilles | Safe |
| Alek & Lindsay | 22 (7, 7, 8) | Quickstep | "American Girl"—Elle King | Safe |
| Victor & Karina | 20 (7, 6, 7) | Rumba | "Girl on Fire"—Alicia Keys | Eliminated |
| Nick & Sharna | 24 (8, 8, 8) | Foxtrot | "Coming Home, Pt. II"—Skylar Grey | Safe |
| Tamar & Val | 25 (8, 8, 9) | Charleston | "Living in New York City"—Robin Thicke | Safe |
Week 3: TV Night
Individual judges scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Alfonso Ribeiro, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli.
Couples performed one unlearned dance to famous TV theme songs; samba and Viennese Waltz are introduced.
After suffering a mini-stroke, Kim Zolciak-Biermann was able to rehearse, but her doctors refused to clear her for air travel. As a result, she was unable to attend the dress rehearsal and the live show, which, according to the show's rules, meant she would have to withdraw from the competition. Had she not withdrawn from the competition, either Andy & Allison or Paula & Louis would have been eliminated that night.[24] Her dance partner, Tony Dovolani, performed their routine during the live show with stand-in Jenna Johnson.[25] There was no additional elimination.
- Running order
| Couple | Scores[6] | Style | Song / original artist | TV show | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos & Witney | 31 (7, 8, 8, 8) | Jazz | "Thank You for Being a Friend"—Cynthia Fee | The Golden Girls | Safe |
| Paula & Louis | 20 (5, 5, 5, 5) | Samba | "The Ballad of Gilligan's Isle"—The Eligibles | Gilligan's Island | Last to be called safe |
| Tamar & Val | 33 (8, 9, 8, 8) | Tango | "A Beautiful Mine"—RJD2 | Mad Men | Safe |
| Alexa & Mark | 36 (9, 9, 9, 9) | Jazz | "Breaking Bad Theme"—Dave Porter | Breaking Bad | Safe |
| Andy & Allison | 29 (7, 7, 8, 7) | Quickstep | "Bandstand Boogie"—Larry Elgart | American Bandstand | Last to be called safe |
| Gary & Anna | 25 (6, 7, 6, 6) | Tango | "The Addams Family Theme"—Vic Mizzy | The Addams Family | Safe |
| Alek & Lindsay | 33 (8, 8, 9, 8) | Tango | "Bad Things"—Jace Everett | True Blood | Safe |
| Kim & Tony | N/A | Samba | "Jeannie"—Hugo Montenegro | I Dream of Jeannie | Withdrew |
| Bindi & Derek | 32 (8, 8, 8, 8) | Quickstep | "Movin' on Up"—Ja'net Dubois | The Jeffersons | Safe |
| Nick & Sharna | 36 (9, 9, 9, 9) | Viennese Waltz | "Did I Make the Most of Loving You?"—Mary-Jess Leaverland | Downton Abbey | Safe |
| Hayes & Emma | 30 (7, 8, 7, 8) | Jive | "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Theme"—Chuck Lorre & Dennis C. Brown | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Safe |
Week 4: Most Memorable Year
Couples performed one unlearned dance to celebrate the most memorable year of their lives.
For the first time in the history of the program, Tom Bergeron did not appear as a host; he was absent to be with his ailing father. Alfonso Ribeiro filled in for Bergeron.[26]
Pro dancer Allison Holker announced that she was pregnant with her second child. She continued to dance with Andy Grammer until their elimination several episodes later.[27]
- Running order
| Couple | Scores[7] | Style | Song / original artist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexa & Mark | 21 (7, 7, 7) | Foxtrot | "Mama Said"—The Shirelles | Safe |
| Gary & Anna | 16 (5, 6, 5) | Jazz | "That'll Be the Day"—Buddy Holly | Eliminated |
| Tamar & Val | 27 (9, 9, 9) | Rumba | "King"—Tamar Braxton | Safe |
| Hayes & Emma | 27 (9, 9, 9) | Contemporary | "Stitches"—Shawn Mendes | Safe |
| Alek & Lindsay | 24 (8, 8, 8) | Paso doble | "Wake Me Up"—Avicii | Safe |
| Nick & Sharna | 27 (9, 9, 9) | Jazz | "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)"—Backstreet Boys | Safe |
| Carlos & Witney | 25 (9, 8, 8) | Waltz | "Amazing Grace"—Ray Chew | Last to be called safe |
| Paula & Louis | 18 (6, 6, 6) | Cha-cha-cha | "Respect"—Aretha Franklin | Safe |
| Andy & Allison | 23 (7, 8, 8) | Cha-cha-cha | "Good to Be Alive (Hallelujah)"—Andy Grammer | Safe |
| Bindi & Derek | 28 (9, 9, 10) | Contemporary | "Every Breath You Take"—Aaron Krause feat. Liza Anne | Safe |
Week 5: Switch-Up Night
Individual judges scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Bruno Tonioli.
Couples performed one unlearned dance with a different partner selected by the general public; due to the nature of the week, no elimination took place. Argentine tango is introduced.
Tom Bergeron also returned to his hosting duties this week; the episode was dedicated to the memory of his father, Raymond, who died earlier in the day.
- Running order
| Couple | Scores[28] | Style | Song / original artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tamar & Louis | 29 (7, 7, 8, 7) | Samba | "End of Time"—Beyoncé |
| Hayes & Allison | 30 (8, 8, 7, 7) | Viennese Waltz | "Like I'm Gonna Lose You"—Meghan Trainor feat. John Legend |
| Paula & Mark | 26 (7, 7, 6, 6) | Jive | "Shake"—Otis Redding |
| Alek & Emma | 29 (8, 7, 7, 7) | Rumba | "Let It Go"—James Bay |
| Bindi & Val | 37 (9, 9, 10, 9) | Cha-cha-cha | "Hold My Hand"—Jess Glynne |
| Carlos & Lindsay | 39 (10, 10, 9, 10) | Quickstep | "Bossa Nova Baby"—Elvis Presley |
| Alexa & Derek | 40 (10, 10, 10, 10) | Tango | "Pompeii"—Bastille |
| Andy & Sharna | 36 (9, 9, 9, 9) | Argentine tango | "Can't Feel My Face"—The Weeknd |
| Nick & Witney | 35 (9, 9, 8, 9) | Paso doble | "Don't Look Down"—Martin Garrix feat. Usher |
Week 6: Famous Dances Night
Individual judges scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough, Olivia Newton-John, Bruno Tonioli.
Couples performed one unlearned dance that paid tribute to iconic dance performances from films and music videos; Leah Remini filled in for Erin Andrews.[21]
- Running order
| Couple | Scores[9] | Style | Song / original artist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hayes & Emma | 32 (8, 8, 8, 8) | Jazz | "You're the One That I Want"—John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John | Safe |
| Andy & Allison | 40 (10, 10, 10, 10) | Jazz | "Good Morning"—Debbie Reynolds, Gene Kelly & Donald O'Connor | Safe |
| Alexa & Mark | 30 (8, 7, 7, 8) | Cha-cha-cha | "I'm a Slave 4 U"—Britney Spears | Last to be called safe |
| Bindi & Derek | 40 (10, 10, 10, 10) | Rumba | "(I've Had) The Time of My Life"—Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes | Safe |
| Paula & Louis | 24 (6, 6, 6, 6) | Jazz | "Vogue"—Madonna | Eliminated |
| Carlos & Witney | 38 (10, 9, 9, 10) | Rumba | "Pony"—Ginuwine | Safe |
| Nick & Sharna | 39 (9, 10, 10, 10) | Samba | "You Should Be Dancing"—Bee Gees | Safe |
| Alek & Lindsay | 30 (8, 8, 7, 7) | Jive | "Jailhouse Rock"—Elvis Presley | Safe |
| Tamar & Val | 40 (10, 10, 10, 10) | Jazz | "Rhythm Nation"—Janet Jackson | Safe |
Week 7: Halloween Night
Couples performed one unlearned dance and a team dance to Halloween themes and songs; Leah Remini once again filled in for Erin Andrews.[20]
- Running order
| Couple | Scores[10] | Style | Song / original artist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick & Sharna | 24 (8, 8, 8) | Argentine tango | "Bring Me to Life"—Evanescence feat. Paul McCoy | Safe |
| Hayes & Emma | 26 (8, 9, 9) | Waltz | "Once Upon a Dream"—Lana Del Rey | Eliminated |
| Alexa & Mark | 27 (9, 9, 9) | Paso doble | "Hora Zero"—Rodrigo y Gabriela | Last to be called safe |
| Tamar & Val | 24 (8, 8, 8) | Foxtrot | "People Are Strange"—The Doors | |
| Andy & Allison | 26 (9, 9, 8) | Paso doble | "The Beautiful People"—Marilyn Manson | Safe |
| Bindi & Derek | 30 (10, 10, 10) | Argentine tango | "Cry Little Sister"—Gerard McMann | Safe |
| Alek & Lindsay | 25 (9, 8, 8) | Viennese Waltz | "Haunted"—Beyoncé | Safe |
| Carlos & Witney | 28 (9, 10, 9) | Paso doble | "O Fortuna"—Carl Orff | Safe |
| Nick & Sharna Hayes & Emma Andy & Allison Tamar & Val |
30 (10, 10, 10) | Freestyle (Team "Nightmare") |
"This Is Halloween"—Danny Elfman | |
| Bindi & Derek Carlos & Witney Alexa & Mark Alek & Lindsay |
28 (9, 10, 9) | Freestyle (Team "Who You Gonna Call?") |
"Ghostbusters"—Ray Parker, Jr. | |
Week 8: Icons Night
Couples performed one unlearned dance that paid tribute to a personal icon of the celebrity's; the couple with the highest score earned an immunity from elimination, while the rest of the couples participated in dance-offs for extra points. After a two-week absence covering the World Series for Fox, Erin Andrews returned as co-host.
- Running order
| Couple | Scores[11] | Style | Song / original artist | Icon | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos & Witney | 27 (9, 9, 9) | Salsa | "Valió la Pena"—Marc Anthony | Marc Anthony | Last to be called safe |
| Alek & Lindsay | 25 (9, 8, 8) | Contemporary | "Holding Out for a Hero"—Ella Mae Bowen | Chris Kyle | Safe |
| Andy & Allison | 22 (8, 7, 7) | Viennese Waltz | "Isn't She Lovely"—Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder/Kathryn Grammer | Eliminated |
| Alexa & Mark | 25 (9, 8, 8) | Argentine tango | "Viva la Vida"—Coldplay | David | Safe |
| Nick & Sharna | 30 (10, 10, 10) | Contemporary | "Can't Help Falling in Love"—Haley Reinhart | Lauren Kitt | Safe (Immunity) |
| Bindi & Derek | 28 (10, 9, 9) | Foxtrot | "Grace Kelly"—MIKA | Grace Kelly | Safe |
| Tamar & Val | 28 (9, 9, 10) | Paso doble | "Born This Way"—Lady Gaga | Toni Braxton | Safe |
For each dance-off, the couple with the highest remaining score picked the opponent against whom they wanted to dance; the chosen opponent was allowed to pick the dance style (cha-cha-cha, jive or samba). The winner of each dance-off earned two points. The couple who won immunity, Nick and Sharna, received a three-point bonus. For the first time, the general public helped to determine the winner of each dance-off via the show's official website.
| Couple | Judges' votes | Public vote | Style | Song / original artist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos & Witney | Carlos, Carlos, Carlos | Bindi (64%) | Jive | "Travelin' Band"—Creedence Clearwater Revival | Winner (2 pts) |
| Bindi & Derek | Loser | ||||
| Alexa & Mark | Alexa, Tamar, Tamar | Alexa (76%) | Cha-cha-cha | "Fun"—Pitbull feat. Chris Brown | Winner (2 pts) |
| Tamar & Val | Loser | ||||
| Andy & Allison | Andy, Andy, Andy | Andy (54%) | Samba | "Lean On"—Major Lazer & DJ Snake feat. MØ | Winner (2 pts) |
| Alek & Lindsay | Loser |
Week 9: Showstoppers Night
Couples performed one unlearned dance and a musical theater-inspired team-up dance with another couple, which involved the celebrities dancing side-by-side to the same song and receiving the same set of scores from the judges for the routine.
During dress rehearsals, Tamar Braxton fell ill and was taken to the emergency room. She was unable to return for her contemporary dance; the judges' scores were based on dress rehearsal footage. Braxton did return just in time for her team-up dance with Nick & Sharna. However, she subsequently withdrew from the competition after her doctors discovered pulmonary embolisms in her lungs.[29]
- Running order
| Couple | Scores[12] | Style | Song / original artist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alek & Lindsay | 24 (8, 8, 8) | Salsa | "Back It Up"—Prince Royce feat. Jennifer Lopez & Pitbull | Safe |
| Alexa & Mark | 30 (10, 10, 10) | Contemporary | "Make It Rain"—Ed Sheeran | Eliminated |
| Carlos & Witney | 27 (9, 9, 9) | Argentine tango | "What Do You Mean?"—Justin Bieber | Last to be called safe |
| Bindi & Derek | 30 (10, 10, 10) | Viennese Waltz | "Roses and Violets"—Alexander Jean | Safe |
| Tamar & Val | 22 (8, 7, 7) | Contemporary | "Wicked Game"—Chris Isaak | Safe (later withdrew) |
| Nick & Sharna | 28 (9, 9, 10) | Quickstep | "A Cool Cat in Town"—Tape Five | Safe |
| Alek & Lindsay Carlos & Witney |
24 (8, 8, 8) | Paso doble | "We Will Rock You"—Queen (from We Will Rock You) | |
| Alexa & Mark Bindi & Derek |
30 (10, 10, 10) | Charleston | "All That Jazz" & "Hot Honey Rag"—Kander and Ebb (from Chicago) | |
| Nick & Sharna Tamar & Val |
27 (9, 9, 9) | Rumba | "Hey Jude"—The Beatles (from LOVE by Cirque du Soleil) | |
Week 10: Semifinals
Couples performed one unlearned dance and a trio dance involving an eliminated pro or a pro from past seasons of the show. Midway through the show, the four couples participated in dance-offs, with the winners receiving three points to be added to their total scores.
Due to the unexpected withdrawal of Tamar Braxton earlier in the week, all four couples advanced directly to the finals.[30]
- Running order
| Couple (Trio Dance Partner) |
Scores[30] | Style | Song / original artist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bindi & Derek (Mark Ballas) |
27 (9, 9, 9) | Salsa | "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile"—Sia | Last to be called safe |
| 30 (10, 10, 10) | Jazz | "Resolve"—Nathan Lanier | ||
| Alek & Lindsay (Emma Slater) |
30 (10, 10, 10) | Waltz | "America the Beautiful"—Ray Chew | Safe |
| 27 (9, 9, 9) | Argentine tango | "Ex's & Oh's"—Elle King | ||
| Carlos & Witney (Karina Smirnoff) |
28 (9, 9, 10) | Contemporary | "Drag Me Down"—One Direction | Safe |
| 29 (9, 10, 10) | Charleston | "Booty Swing"—Parov Stelar | ||
| Nick & Sharna (Peta Murgatroyd) |
24 (8, 8, 8) | Tango | "Scars"—Alesso feat. Ryan Tedder | Last to be called safe |
| 30 (10, 10, 10) | Salsa | "No Doubt About It"—Empire cast feat. Jussie Smollett & Pitbull |
| Couple | Judges' votes | Style | Song / original artist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos & Witney | Alek, Carlos, Carlos | Cha-cha-cha | "Fun"—Pitbull feat. Chris Brown | Winner (3 pts) |
| Alek & Lindsay | Loser | |||
| Bindi & Derek | Bindi, Bindi, Bindi | Samba | "Lean On"—Major Lazer & DJ Snake feat. MØ | Winner (3 pts) |
| Nick & Sharna | Loser |
Week 11: Finals
On the first night, couples danced a previously-learned style to a new song that was coached by one of the three judges, as well as a freestyle routine.
On the second night, the three remaining finalists performed a fusion challenge that was learned in only 24 hours.
- Running order (Night 1)
| Couple | Scores[14] | Style[lower-alpha 3] | Song / original artist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos & Witney | 30 (10, 10, 10) | Foxtrot | "The Hills"—The Weeknd | Eliminated |
| 30 (10, 10, 10) | Freestyle | "WTF (Where They From)"—Missy Elliott feat. Pharrell Williams | ||
| Alek & Lindsay | 27 (9, 9, 9) | Rumba | "The Pieces Don't Fit Anymore"—James Morrison | Safe |
| 30 (10, 10, 10) | Freestyle | "Marchin On"—OneRepublic | ||
| Nick & Sharna | 30 (10, 10, 10) | Jive | "Runaway Baby"—Bruno Mars | Last to be called safe |
| 30 (10, 10, 10) | Freestyle | "Larger Than Life"—Backstreet Boys | ||
| Bindi & Derek | 30 (10, 10, 10) | Quickstep | "Dr. Bones"—Cherry Poppin' Daddies | Safe |
| 30 (10, 10, 10) | Freestyle | "Footprints in the Sand"—Leona Lewis |
- Running order (Night 2)
| Couple | Scores[15] | Style | Song / original artist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick & Sharna | 30 (10, 10, 10) | Salsa Tango |
"Turn Up the Music"—Chris Brown | Runner-up |
| Alek & Lindsay | 27 (9, 9, 9) | Rumba Tango |
"A Sky Full of Stars"—Coldplay | Third place |
| Bindi & Derek | 30 (10, 10, 10) | Argentine tango Cha-cha-cha |
"All the Way"—Timeflies | Winner |
Dance chart
The celebrities and professional partners danced one of these routines for each corresponding week:
- Week 1: Cha-cha-cha, foxtrot, jive, quickstep or salsa
- Week 2: Two unlearned dances (Hometown Glory Week)
- Week 3: One unlearned dance (TV Night)
- Week 4: One unlearned dance (Most Memorable Year)
- Week 5: One unlearned dance (Partner Switch-Up)
- Week 6: One unlearned dance (Famous Dances Night)
- Week 7: One unlearned dance and team dances (Halloween Night)
- Week 8: One unlearned dance and dance-offs (Icons Night)
- Week 9: One unlearned dance and team-up dances (Showstoppers Night)
- Week 10: One unlearned dance, dance-offs and trio dance (Semifinals)
- Week 11 (Night 1): Judges' choice & freestyle (Top 4)
- Week 11 (Night 2): Fusion dance (Top 3)
| Couple | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5[lower-alpha 1] | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bindi & Derek | Jive | Tango | Waltz | Quickstep | Contemporary | Cha-cha-cha | Rumba | Argentine tango | Freestyle (Team "Who You Gonna Call?") |
Foxtrot | Jive | Viennese waltz | Charleston | Salsa | Samba | Jazz | Quickstep | Freestyle | Viennese waltz | Argentine tango Cha-cha-cha |
| Nick & Sharna | Cha-cha-cha | Jive | Foxtrot | Viennese waltz | Jazz | Paso doble | Samba | Argentine tango | Freestyle (Team "Nightmare") |
Contemporary | Immunity | Quickstep | Rumba | Tango | Samba | Salsa | Jive | Freestyle | Viennese waltz | Salsa Tango |
| Alek & Lindsay | Foxtrot | Jazz | Quickstep | Tango | Paso doble | Rumba | Jive | Viennese waltz | Freestyle (Team "Who You Gonna Call?") |
Contemporary | Samba | Salsa | Paso doble | Waltz | Cha-cha-cha | Argentine tango | Rumba | Freestyle | Jazz | Rumba Tango |
| Carlos & Witney | Jive | Foxtrot | Cha-cha-cha | Jazz | Waltz | Quickstep | Rumba | Paso doble | Freestyle (Team "Who You Gonna Call?") |
Salsa | Jive | Argentine tango | Paso doble | Contemporary | Cha-cha-cha | Charleston | Foxtrot | Freestyle | Rumba | |
| Tamar & Val | Quickstep | Cha-cha-cha | Charleston | Tango | Rumba | Samba | Jazz | Foxtrot | Freestyle (Team "Nightmare") |
Paso doble | Cha-cha-cha | Contemporary | Rumba | |||||||
| Alexa & Mark | Jive | Salsa | Rumba | Jazz | Foxtrot | Tango | Cha-cha-cha | Paso doble | Freestyle (Team "Who You Gonna Call?") |
Argentine tango | Cha-cha-cha | Contemporary | Charleston | Jazz | ||||||
| Andy & Allison | Foxtrot | Jive | Contemporary | Quickstep | Cha-cha-cha | Argentine tango | Jazz | Paso doble | Freestyle (Team "Nightmare") |
Viennese waltz | Samba | |||||||||
| Hayes & Emma | Cha-cha-cha | Foxtrot | Quickstep | Jive | Contemporary | Viennese waltz | Jazz | Waltz | Freestyle (Team "Nightmare") |
Contemporary | ||||||||||
| Paula & Louis | Quickstep | Rumba | Tango | Samba | Cha-cha-cha | Jive | Jazz | Samba | ||||||||||||
| Gary & Anna | Cha-cha-cha | Foxtrot | Paso doble | Tango | Jazz | Cha-cha-cha | ||||||||||||||
| Kim & Tony | Salsa | Quickstep | Foxtrot | Samba | Samba | |||||||||||||||
| Victor & Karina | Salsa | Jive | Rumba | Jive | ||||||||||||||||
| Chaka & Keo | Cha-cha-cha | Foxtrot | ||||||||||||||||||
- Highest scoring dance
- Lowest scoring dance
- Not scored or danced by the celebrity
- Gained bonus points for winning this dance-off
- Gained no bonus points for losing this dance-off
- Danced, but not scored
Guest judges
There were three guest judges during the course of the season. The first, season 19 champion Alfonso Ribeiro, was a judge for Week 3.[31] Former pro dancer and season 18 champion, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, joined the judging panel for Week 5.[32] The following week, Olivia Newton-John appeared as a guest judge for Famous Dances Night.[33]
Guest performances
| Date | Guest | Song(s) |
|---|---|---|
| November 23, 2015 | Meghan Trainor | "Better When I'm Dancin'"/"Like I'm Gonna Lose You |
| Who Is Fancy, Ariana Grande, & Meghan Trainor | "Boys like You" | |
| November 24, 2015 | Chaka Khan | "I'm Every Woman" |
| Elle King | "Ex's & Oh's | |
| Andy Grammer | "Good to Be Alive (Hallelujah)" | |
| Chaka Khan & Andy Grammer | "Baby, It's Cold Outside" | |
| Alexander Jean | "Roses and Violets" | |
| Nick Carter | "I Will Wait" | |
Ratings
U.S. Nielsen Ratings
| Episode | Air date | Rating/Share (18–49) |
Viewers (millions) |
18–49 rank (Weekly) |
Viewership rank (Weekly) |
Ref(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Week 1: Premiere" | September 14, 2015 | 2.1 | 7 | 13.13 | 8 | 4 | [34][35] |
| 2 | "First Dances" (Clip Show) | September 15, 2015 | 1.1 | 4 | 5.70 | 21 | 19 | [35][36] |
| 3 | "Week 2: Hometown Glory, Part 1" | September 21, 2015 | 1.8 | 6 | 11.46 | —[lower-alpha 4] | 12 | [37][38] |
| 4 | "Week 2: Hometown Glory, Part 2" | September 22, 2015 | 1.5 | 5 | 9.58 | 20 | [38][39] | |
| 5 | "Week 3: TV Night" | September 28, 2015 | 1.6 | 6 | 11.04 | 14 | [40][41] | |
| 6 | "Week 4: Most Memorable Year" | October 5, 2015 | 1.7 | 5 | 11.82 | 24 | 9 | [42][43] |
| 7 | "Week 5: Switch-Up Night" | October 12, 2015 | 1.7 | 5 | 11.64 | 21 | 10 | [44][45] |
| 8 | "Week 6: Famous Dances Night" | October 19, 2015 | 1.9 | 6 | 12.50 | 22 | 7 | [46][47] |
| 9 | "Week 7: Halloween Night" | October 26, 2015 | 1.8 | 5 | 11.86 | 24 | 15 | [48][49] |
| 10 | "Week 8: Icons Night" | November 2, 2015 | 1.9 | 6 | 12.09 | 18 | 9 | [50][51] |
| 11 | "Week 9: Showstoppers Night" | November 9, 2015 | 2.0 | 6 | 12.63 | 17 | 6 | [52][53] |
| 12 | "Week 10: Semi-Finals" | November 16, 2015 | 1.8 | 6 | 12.35 | 22 | 6 | [54][55] |
| 13 | "Week 11: The Finals, Part 1" | November 23, 2015 | 2.1 | 7 | 13.29 | 12 | 6 | [56][57] |
| 14 | "Week 11: The Finals, Part 2" | November 24, 2015 | 2.4 | 8 | 13.49 | 9 | 5 | [57][58] |
Notes
- During Week 5, the celebrities performed with a different professional partner as part of the "Partner Switch-Up" for that week only. All celebrities returned to their original partners on Week 6.
- The couples were scored on a 40-point scale due to the presence of a guest judge.
- Nick and Sharna went third on the first round of dances while Bindi and Derek danced third during the freestyle round. Carlos danced first on both rounds and Alek danced second on both rounds.
- The weekly rank of these episodes is not known because they were not among the 25 highest-ranked shows of the week.
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