Warning! The following contains spoilers from the Dancing With The Stars Season 34 premiere. Stream it now with a Disney+ subscription, and read at your own risk!
Celebrities are back on the dancefloor, which means we've reached the point in the 2025 TV schedule where it's time to welcome back Dancing With The Stars. The two-hour Season 34 premiere was full of hit songs and celebrities cutting a rug, and outside of the absence of Carrie Ann Inaba, it was the perfect night. I'm excited for the rest of the season, especially for the three teams I think we'll be seeing on finale night.
I wouldn't have predicted it before premiere night, but after the episode, I think it's fair to say this is the most talented group of dancers we've seen in many seasons. With that said, there are a few who are a cut above the rest and left a strong impression with their first of many dances on DWTS.
Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten
Fresh off her Freakier Friday appearance, Elaine Hendrix paired up with Alan Bersten and took on one of the more ambitious dances for her first performance. I think starting with the Cha-Cha is a bold move, though it definitely paid off as Hendrix looked like a seasoned ballroom veteran alongside Bersten. Take a look:
I think the 12 score Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough gave was a bit low, especially given that her dance had more choreography in it than others throughout the night. That said, I think the foundation is there, and she'll have a stronger score in Week 2 and move out of the middling position she is now.
Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy
Alix Earle claimed in previous interviews that she's never done ballroom dancing before, but she could've fooled me. The social media influencer put in some serious work in a performance with Val Chmerkovskiy, and ended up tied for third place in Week 1 of Dancing With The Stars with her Cha-Cha:
She's come a long way from that attempt to do a whisk on TikTok! I think these dance moves (which netted her 13 points in Week 1), paired with her large social media following, are going to keep her in the race for a long time, even if she has an off week.
Robert Irwin and Witney Carson
Dancing excellence must run in the family, because Robert Irwin looked like his sister Bindi with the way he commanded the dance floor during his first routine with Witney Carson. His jive dance is currently the most-viewed contestant performance on YouTube, and it's not just because he was posting spicy underwear pics before appearing:
Derek Hough called the performance the best dance he's seen in Week 1 of Dancing With The Stars, and while he has a habit of being hyperbolic with his praise, I have to agree. To deliver a jive performance in Week 1 is impressive enough, but to land atop the leaderboard with a score of 15 out of 20 has me thinking they'll be sticking around at the top for most of the season.
Catch new episodes of Dancing With The Stars on ABC on Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Two teams will be leaving when Season 34 returns next week, but I'd be willing to bet a high dollar amount that it won't be any of the three teams above.
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