The familiar chill is in the air — dance fever, perhaps? Or is it just the return of ABC’s cultural staple, Dancing With The Stars?
For the past two weeks, 14 new celebrity contestants took to the famed ballroom in Los Angeles to perform a choreographed routine alongside their dance (pro) partner for judges and viewers alike. Dancing With The Stars Season 34 has been filled with a variety of celebrities of all different forms and backgrounds, from Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles to comedian Andy Richter (best known for his time on Conan O’Brien’s show).
The show even features not just one but two members of the reality show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Whitney Leavitt & Jen Afflack.
The first two episodes allowed viewers, including longtime fans like myself, to get familiar with the new duos that will take over our screens for the next few months. With fan voting reportedly having tripled for last year’s premiere, according to Nielsen data, it appears that more eyes are on the show in recent times.
The season premiere on September 16th, while filled with excitement and whimsy, had a notable absence. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba was out for the night due to illness.
Week one’s theme was personal anthems, sparking a plethora of musical choices and personalities to sift through. The most memorable moments came with the little things.
Actress Elaine Hendrix and her partner, Alan Bersten, incorporated the famous handshake from her movie, The Parent Trap, for their debut. Reality star Dylan Efron (yes, his brother is Zac Efron) started his Cha Cha to Milkshake by Kelis by hip thrusting on top of the judges’ table.
However, the favored dance of the night went to Robert Irwin (best known for his work in wildlife conservation & his father, Steve Irwin), whose electrifying performance was deemed by judge Derek Hough as “the best first dance this show has ever seen.”
Personally, my favorites from the premiere are Jen Affleck (with her Eras Tour dance partner and new pro, Jan Ranvik) and Lauren Jauregui (with her partner, Brandon Armstrong).
Dancing With The Stars Season 34 Episode 2, the first with eliminations, got straight to the point, with packages and dances quickly appearing on our screens and in our heads. Carrie Ann returned to the judges’ table, which returned the scoring to its proper candence.
However, except for a packed show, the third judge had to sum up their critiques with just one word.
Though often confusing, it did fit the theme of the night, one-hit wonders. With so many dances and stories, everything seemed to blur quickly, but that appears to be the case with every first few weeks of the show.
Three performances tied for the top score of the night, a 22. Jordan Chiles came back swinging with a jive that led her from the bottom to the top of the leaderboard, alongside both Mormon Wives, contestants Witney and Jen, who impressed the judges with their high-energy routines.
EZRA SOSA, JORDAN CHILES
So who went home this past week?
Well, to answer that, it’s best to look at the odds and scores of the last two episodes. Dancing With The Stars seems to have a habit of getting rid of its older stars rather quickly. It’s a sad reality in the never-ending battle of ageism, but that doesn’t mean they don’t leave a hole in our hearts when they are eliminated.
The show said goodbye this past week to actor Corey Feldman and NBA All-Star Baron Davis in its first double elimination of the season. Thus, losing out on both last year’s pro champion Jenna Johnson and the show’s only all Black couple this season, Baron, with pro Britt Stewart.
BRITT STEWART, BARON DAVIS, ALFONSO RIBEIRO, JULIANNE HOUGH, COREY FELDMAN, JENNA JOHNSON
Personally, Britt and Baron were the hardest goodbyes of the night. While they didn’t have the best night, they deserved the chance to redeem themselves.
Following a pattern I’ve observed in recent years, performers of color often have fewer opportunities than their white counterparts. Either way, I hope to see Britt’s contributions for the show within the remainder of this season.
There is no denying that the Season 34 cast is one of the most stacked that the show has seen in a long time. It’s also one that more audiences than ever before will see, making this season a showstopper for sure.
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Tatyana Marie
A screenwriter, social media professional and content creator, Tatyana Marie is a culture critic in the making. Challenging the status quo of the typical "fangirl", Tatyana strives to write and make content that showcases all of the facets of Black girlhood and media analysis, primarily through her content creator brand, Melanated Wise Girl. When she is not ranting about all things Percy Jackson and diverse media, she enjoys crocheting, long YouTube video essays, and playing cozy games on her Switch.