'Dancing with the Stars' Season 34 heats up as two celebrities exit in double elimination
With the theme of One-Hit Wonders, 'Dancing with the Stars' Season 34 has officially entered its second week, and the competition is piping hot. The Tuesday night of the dance competition saw an array of stellar performances, with Jordan Chiles and Jen Affleck leading with 22/30 points. Not only that, but Robert Irwin and Whitney Leavitt also won hearts and secured 22/30. However, at the end of the night, two beloved celebrities bid farewell to the ballroom, making it clear that there is no room for the slightest mistake in the high-stakes competition.
During the double elimination, viewers learned that Danielle Fishel, Dylan Efron, Elaine Hendrix, Scott Hoying, Affleck, Irwin, Chiles, Lauren Jauregui, Alix Earle, Leavitt, and Andy Richter were safe, leaving Hilaria Baldwin, Corey Feldman, and Baron Davis as the bottom three. Ultimately, Feldman and Davis were sent home, as per People. In his farewell, Davis shared, "I had wanted to win for my dance partner, Britt Stewart. I haven't been coached in a while, so to get off my butt was awesome." Feldman also expressed regret, saying, "I feel really terrible because she deserved better. She deserves to be the champ every year in my book," as his partner Jenna Johnson shook her head no.
Notably, in the second week, couples performed dances like the cha-cha, foxtrot, jive, Quickstep, samba, and tango to iconic one-hit songs. The 'Dancing With the Stars' Season 34 premiere on Tuesday, September 16, was a major success, winning the night with 5.5 million viewers and a 1.1 rating among adults 18-49. Up 6% in total viewers and 49% in rating from last year’s premiere, making it the show's biggest premiere in five years, since Season 29 in 2020, following the exits of hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews, as per Variety.
The show dominated the 8 pm timeslot, beating NBC's 'America's Got Talent' by +23% in total viewers and +182% in adults 18-49 rating. ABC reported that the show also topped the combined averages of all other broadcast competition in the slot. Fan engagement soared, with 21 million votes cast for the new cast—a 163% increase from last season’s premiere (8 million votes). Social interactions also rose 58%, jumping from 1.7 million to 2.7 million this year.