Halfway into September means a new season of the hit TV show Dancing With the Stars. Dancing With the Stars is celebrating its 34th season and 20th anniversary this year! The popular series premiered on Tuesday, September 16, 2025. DWTS takes place every Tuesday at 8 pm Eastern Standard Time. It is hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough. The judges include Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli. This series is all about celebrities being chosen to dance in themed routines with trained ballroom dancers, who are called the pros.
This season new celebrities hit the dance floor. The pros are in charge of preparing the new routines for their celebrities, whom they are partnered with. Season 34 is off to a fabulous start! The celebrities are growing their relationships with their pros, which will help them during the season. The pro partners and the superstars keep fans updated on their training by posting fun content together during their rehearsals.
The opener of the night was two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Jordan Chiles and her pro, Ezra Sosa. They performed a salsa to the song “Break My Soul” by Beyoncé. The stars for this week were asked to choose a song that represented their “anthem”, and then the pros choreographed it. Jordan and Ezra scored a 10 out of 20 for the night. Overall, I think Jordan still has room for improvement. However, I do think she will be an underdog in this competition and will go pretty far.
The second dance of the night was the star Dylan Efron and his partner Daniella Karagach. Dylan is a reality TV star and content creator. He and Daniella danced a cha-cha to the song Dylan called his anthem, which was “Milkshake” by Kelis. They scored the same as Jordan and Ezra. I think Dylan had great energy for night one; however, the judges thought he was a little stiff and needed to loosen up his hips. He needs to fix his shoulders as well, however, for his first night I thought he did pretty well.
Next up was film and TV actress Elaine Hendrix. Her pro partner is Alan Bersten, who performed a cha-cha to the song “Woman” by Kesha ft. The Dap-Kings Horns. Their score of the night was 12/20. She honestly shocked me with how well she had danced.
The next star is Whitney Leavitt and her pro, Mark Ballas. She did a tango for the evening to her anthem “Golden” by HUNTR/X. She was tied at the top of the leaderboard with a 15/20 for the night. She is definitely one of my favorites of the season, and I think she has the potential to win the popular hit series.
Two-Time NBA All-Star Baron Davis performed a cha-cha with his partner Britt Stewart to the song “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer. They scored a 10/20. Overall, I loved his energy, and he is a great contestant, but I do not think he will make it very far into the show.
The next contestant of the night was Alix Earle and her pro Val Chmerkovskiy. Alix Earle is a social media personality. She danced a cha-cha to “Circus” by Britney Spears, and scored a 13/20. She came out fierce, and I think she and Val have great chemistry already.
The pro Rylee Arnold performed a tango with her partner Scott Hoying, who is known for being in Pentatonix. His anthem was “Abracadabra” by Lady Gaga. Scott scored a 10/20. The judges stated he needed to focus on his fundamental ballroom techniques and incorporate more traditional Tango elements into his performances, which I agree with. However, Rylee and Scott are one of my favorite pairs this season.
Next up for the night was Boy Meets World star, Danielle Fishel and her pro Pasha Pashkov, who danced to the hit song “What Doesn’t Kill You” by Kelly Clarkson. They received a 12/20 from the judges. Overall, I think she has potential to go far in the show. The judges main comment was that she needs to improve her shoulder line.
Following Danielle was “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star, Jen Affleck. Her pro this season is Jan Ravnik, who is actually a new pro this season and is known for performing with Taylor Swift. They swirled away in a salsa to the song “NUEVAYOL” by Bad Bunny, and scored a 12/20. I agree with the judges that Jen Affleck needed to do more salsa dancing rather than so many lifts in her performance.
After Jen Affleck was pro Jenna Johnson and her star actor and musician, Corey Feldman.The song he chose for his anthem was “It’s Still Rock & Roll To Me” by Billy Joel. The pair had performed a tango. Corey got a 9/20. I love his positive spirit, but I do not think he will make it very far on the show. The judges said he has a lot of framework to improve on, and I would have to agree.
Singer-songwriter from Fifth Harmony Lauren Jauregui twirled away to a tango with her pro Brandon Armstrong. She chose the song “Yes, And?” by Ariana Grande. The two received a 13/20. According to the judges, she was very elegant and had great framework for night 1. I think she could definitely be in the finale.
Following Lauren was the comedian star Andy Richter and his partner Emma Slater. They scored a 9/20, and performed a cha-cha to the song “Hold on, I’m Comin” by Sam & Dave. I think Andy is fun to watch; however, I do not believe he has the skills to take home the mirrorball.
Next up was author & wellness influencer Hilaria Baldwin and her pro Gleb Savchenko. Her anthem for the evening was “Let’s Get Loud” by Jennifer Lopez, and the two danced a cha-cha. She scored a 14/20. I think she is going to shock everyone and make her way to the top.
To end premiere night, it was Whitney Carson and her partner Robert Irwin. Robert is a wildlife conservationist. This pair was by far my favorite of the evening. Whitney and Robert danced a jive to the hit song “Born to Be Wild.” This couple scored a 15/20, which tied them at the top. Robert is already dancing like a pro, which is why I believe he is going to bring home that mirrorball.
Overall, the competition in season 34 is going to be tough. Episode 2 will be released September 23 at 8:00pm Eastern time. The theme for the next episode is one-hit wonder night. Along with the exciting theme, a double elimination will take place. You can stream Dancing With the Stars on Disney+, ABC, Hulu, YouTube TV, and Sling TV. If you want to watch something entertaining, I highly recommend watching Dancing with the Stars. Who do you think will get eliminated next week? Who is going to bring home the mirrorball trophy?
