Season thirty-three of Dancing with the Stars premiered on ABC and Disney+ on September 17, 2024, and concluded on November 26, 2024. This season was the second to air live on both networks simultaneously. Season nineteen champion Alfonso Ribeiro hosted the installment, while former professional dancer and judge Julianne Hough returned as co-host.
The Bachelor star Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson were crowned the champions, while Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten finished in second place, actress and singer Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong finished in third place, Olympic artistic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold finished in fourth place, and NFL wide receiver Danny Amendola and Witney Carson finished in fifth place.
Contents
Cast
Couples
On August 22, 2024, Stephen Nedoroscik was the first celebrity participant announced for the season. Anna Delvey joined the cast on August 30, as initially reported by Page Six; Deadline Hollywood, The Independent, and Vanity Fair confirmed the report the following day. Although Delvey was under house arrest in East Village, Manhattan and facing deportation at the time, she was granted permission from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to travel to Los Angeles as her confinement terms were relaxed. Jenn Tran joined the cast immediately following the season 21 finale of The Bachelorette. The full roster of celebrity participants and their partnerships was announced on September 4, via Good Morning America. Nedoroscik and Ilona Maher were the first athletes from their respective disciplines, men's artistic gymnastics and rugby sevens, to compete in the series. Delvey was the first to wear an ankle monitor while competing.
Three days after Lindsay Arnold confirmed that she would not be returning as a professional dancer, Witney Carson announced on Good Morning America that she would return to the lineup after taking the previous season off. Television advertisements for the season featured Emma Slater, Sasha Farber, Daniella Karagach, Pasha Pashkov, Britt Stewart, Alan Bersten, Rylee Arnold, and Brandon Armstrong. Former troupe member Ezra Sosa was promoted to pro, as initially reported by entertainment journalist Kristyn Burtt and later confirmed by GLAAD. He is the first Latino professional dancer to be featured on the series in over a decade.
After originally being scheduled to be in the troupe, Farber was announced as a professional dancer on the Good Morning America cast reveal. He and Tran learned that they would be partnered together approximately 45 minutes before they boarded a flight to New York City. Burtt also shared with Cheryl Burke that Jenna Johnson and the reigning champion Valentin Chmerkovskiy were slated to return; while Koko Iwasaki did not. Peta Murgatroyd chose to take the season off following the birth of her third child. Artem Chigvintsev was not set to be a part of the cast when news broke of his arrest in Napa County, California, for felony domestic violence against his wife, Nikki Garcia.
Hosts and judges
Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough returned for this season. Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough returned as judges. The two-night special hosted two guest judges; Rosie Perez appeared on Soul Train Night and Gene Simmons appeared on Hair Metal Night. Mark Ballas served as the guest judge for Dedication Night.
Dance troupe
After being eliminated in the previous season, the dance troupe returned with Marcquet Hill, Roman Nevinchanyi, Kailyn Rogers and Stephani Sosa, older sister of Ezra Sosa, joining the show as first-time troupe members.
Scoring chart
The highest score each week is indicated in bold green with a dagger (†), while the lowest score each week is indicated in italicized red with a double-dagger (‡).
Color key:
Notes
Weekly scores
Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli.
Week 1: Premiere
Each couple performed one unlearned dance to a "personal anthem" of the celebrity. There was no elimination this week; all scores carried over to the following week. The opening number, choreographed by Jamal Sims, was set to "Set My Heart On Fire (I’m Alive x And The Beat Goes On)" by Majestic, the Jammin Kid, and Celine Dion.
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Week 2: Oscars Night
Each couple performed one unlearned dance to a song from an Academy Award-nominated film. A double elimination took place this week. This episode received over 14 million fan votes, the second-highest single-episode total in the show's history. The opening number, choreographed by Alan Bersten and Britt Stewart, was set to "Hooray for Hollywood" by Richard A. Whiting, the Boston Pops Orchestra, and John Williams.
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Week 3: Two-Night Special
As ABC tweaked its programming schedule to avoid conflicts with the U.S. vice presidential debate, held on October 1, 2024, Dancing with the Stars preempted an original episode that was set to air on the same date. It returned for a special two-night event the following week—with a pre-recorded broadcast on October 7 and a live airing on October 8. ABC's decision forced the season premieres of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, Press Your Luck, and What Would You Do? to be pushed back by one week.
Night 1 (Soul Train Night)
Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Rosie Perez, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli.
Each couple performed one unlearned dance to a song that was performed on the musical variety program Soul Train (1971–2006). There was no elimination this night; all scores carried over to the following night. Actress and former Soul Train dancer Rosie Perez appeared as a guest judge. The opening number, choreographed by Luam, was set to "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" by MFSB and the Three Degrees, and featured guest dancer and Soul Train alum Popin' Pete of the Electric Boogaloos. Derek Hough held a master class on Latin dance styles centered on the song "Get Down on It" by Kool & the Gang.
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Night 2 (Hair Metal Night)
Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Gene Simmons, Bruno Tonioli.
Each couple performed one unlearned dance to a rock anthem. Another double elimination took place this night. This episode received 15 million fan votes, the highest single-episode total in the show's history. Gene Simmons, founding member of Kiss, appeared as a guest judge. He was criticized by viewers for making inappropriate and misogynistic remarks towards the female dancers. The opening number, choreographed by Pasha Pashkov, was set to "Rock and Roll All Nite" by Kiss and featured guitarist Joel Hoekstra from Whitesnake. Hoeksta also performed "Here I Go Again" for Stephen Nedoroscik's foxtrot and "The Final Countdown" for Jenn Tran's paso doble. Derek Hough held a second master class centered around lifts and tricks.
Week 4: Dedication Night
Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Mark Ballas, Bruno Tonioli.
Each couple performed one unlearned dance to honor the most influential figures and institutions in the celebrities' lives. Three-time mirrorball champion Mark Ballas returned as a guest judge. As the competition neared the halfway point, judges visited the couples during rehearsals this week to assess their progress and offer feedback. Derek Hough and his wife Hayley Erbert performed a contemporary piece to "Beautiful Things (Acoustic)" by Benson Boone to commemorate Erbert's return to the ballroom after she was hospitalized for a cranial hematoma and underwent an emergency craniectomy last year.
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Notes
Week 5: Disney Night
Each couple performed one unlearned dance and participated in a team dance to a song from a Disney film. The teams were chosen by the celebrities with the lowest combined scores, Ilona and Dwight. The opening number, choreographed by Mandy Moore, was set to "Friend Like Me" from Aladdin (1992) and featured an appearance from Michael James Scott, who stars as the Genie in its accompanying stage musical. This episode also marked the broadcast premiere of the song "We're Back" from Moana 2 (2024) with a routine by the troupe and eliminated pros, choreographed by Britt Stewart.
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Week 6: Halloween Nightmares Night
Each couple performed one unlearned dance inspired by the celebrities' biggest fears and darkest nightmares. Six couples also participated in a dance-off, featuring the cha-cha-cha, jive, and salsa, for three extra points. For receiving the highest cumulative points in the season so far, Chandler & Brandon earned immunity from the dance-offs and automatically received three bonus points.
There was three numbers in this episode. The opener, choreographed by Emma Slater and Gleb Savchenko, was set to "Murder on the Dancefloor" by Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Daniella Karagach and Pasha Pashkov choreographed the second number to "Aserejé" by Jean Massey. A third routine, choreographed by Britt Stewart and Ezra Sosa, was performed by the pros and troupe to "The Ballad of Witches' Road (Sacred Chant Version)" from the miniseries Agatha All Along. Derek Hough also held a master class focused on wardrobe tips.
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Week 7: 500th Episode
ABC preempted a second original episode of Dancing with the Stars to avoid conflicts with the U.S. presidential election and related elections, all held on November 5, 2024. It returned the following week.
To celebrate the 500th episode of Dancing with the Stars, in the first round, each couple reinterpreted a memorable dance from a previous season. The second round was the Instant Dance Challenge, in which they had approximately five minutes to choreograph and learn a new dance before performing it live. Although the assigned dance styles and songs were not known beforehand by the couples, they were told that it would be one of four dance styles they had performed earlier in the season.
The opening number was choreographed by Pasha Pashkov and Daniella Karagach to "Crazy in Love" by Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z, the same song that opened the first season of Dancing with the Stars. It featured special appearances from Derek Hough, Julianne Hough, and Sharna Burgess.
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Week 8: Semifinals
Each couple performed two unlearned dances: one ballroom and one Latin. No eliminations took place this week; all scores were carried over to the finale. The opening number was choreographed by Sasha Farber and Ezra Sosa to "Dance the Night" by Dua Lipa. The second routine, choreographed by Mandy Moore to "Greedy (Acoustic)" by Tate McRae, featured some of the professional dancers joining the Dancing With The Stars: Live! tour in 2025. There was also a surprise third number to "Looking for a Man in Finance" by Megan Boni, starring Julianne Hough.
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Week 9: Finale
For the three-hour finale, each couple performed two dances: a redemption dance selected by one of the judges and their freestyle routine. The opening number, choreographed by Ray Leeper, was set to "Holiday" by Madonna. In addition, the professional dancers joining the Dancing with the Stars: Live! tour in 2025 performed a routine to "Rush" by Troye Sivan, choreographed by Mandy Moore. Mark Ballas and Derek Hough performed an Argentine tango to "Libertango" by Tango Bardo. Season 32 champions Xochitl Gomez and Val Chmerkovskiy returned for a performance to "Pink Pony Club" by Chappell Roan.
Other numbers also included Tori Spelling & Pasha Pashkov and Anna Delvey & Ezra Sosa dancing to "I Have Nothing" by Whitney Houston, Reginald VelJohnson & Emma Slater dancing to "As Days Go By" by Jesse Frederick from Family Matters, and Brooks Nader & Gleb Savchenko and Jenn Tran & Sasha Farber dancing to "Reunited" by Peaches & Herb.
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Dance chart
The couples performed the following each week:
Weeks 1–2: One unlearned dance
Week 3: Two unlearned dances (one each on two consecutive nights)
Week 4: One unlearned dance
Week 5: One unlearned dance & team dance
Week 6: One unlearned dance & dance-off
Week 7 (Quarterfinals): One unlearned dance & Instant Dance Challenge
Week 8 (Semifinals): One unlearned ballroom dance & one unlearned Latin dance
Week 9 (Finale): Redemption dance & freestyle