The current season of Dancing with the Stars has brought intense competition, shocking eliminations, and deeply invested fans.
Firstly, one of the most surprising outcomes this season has been the elimination of Whitney Leavitt and her partner, Mark Ballas. Even though they consistently received positive feedback from the judges and were viewed as one of the technically strongest teams, they were eliminated at the end of Week 10, after the semi-finals. Their exit highlights one of the most important aspects of the show, which is that votes of the viewers are just as important as the criticism of the judges. Even incredibly strong performers can find themselves going home if the audience support doesn’t pull through for them. Earlier in the season, other surprising eliminations included Andy Richter and Emma Slater, as well as Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov. Both groups did improve significantly throughout the season, but just did not have enough votes in the end.
Robert Irwin, with professional Witney Carson, emerged as one of this season’s most improved and impressive performers. His Week 10 routines earned some of the highest scores of the night, showing his increased control, confidence and skill. Social media star Alix Earle and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy had also shown unbelievable improvement, having some of their strongest performances as the season progressed. Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa, along with Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten, had become viewer favorites as their skills and stage presence strengthened, as well as their relationships, making the viewers more invested.
This season also introduced a new twist that raised the stakes for the finalists. These were the “Instant Dances.” This is when each contestant learns their dance style and music only just right before performing. Without the benefit of lots of rehearsal time, dancers were judged on instinct, learning quickly, and their ability to instantly apply everything they have learned and gotten feedback on throughout the season. This addition increased the unpredictability of the finale while also providing a test of each contestant’s individual growth.
From the first week to the last, watchers have stayed loyal to who they supported. The most popular favorites, Robert Irwin and Alix Earle, had made it to the finals.
Alix and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy took on the Cha Cha Instant Dance Challenge in the finale. Earning straight 10s and support from the viewers, they were off to a great start. Along with them, Robert and Witney Carson performed their Instant Dance. Earning straight 10s as well, critics online claimed Robert had missed moves, and Alix had out-performed him. Judge Carrie Anne is known to point out the very little things, but with Robert’s performance in the finale she did not speak on any of his mistakes. All over social media, people were hyping up Alix, saying how her freestyle was one of her best performances, with a dance to “Maneater” by Fergie and “Sports Car” by Tate McRae. Lastly it was up to the public to vote. The finale of Dancing with the Stars 34 ended in the win for Robert and Witney.
Although many argue the win should have gone the other way, fans are happy for Robert, and touched that their favorite influencer, Alix Earle, developed such an amazing passion during this experience. Happy with the outcome, fans shared how awesome it felt to watch Robert and Alix improve over the past few months.