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Dancing With The Stars celebrated its own, 20th Birthday Party on Tuesday night (Oct. 11), and Robert Irwin was handing out the gifts.
Party night featured two unique rounds of dance. The first saw couples complete routines set to the songs of freestyle routines from earlier DWTS seasons. Then, each celebrity performed with a former Mirrorball champion in the relay dance round, which pitted two couples, toe-to-toe.
Irwin, the Australian conservationist, and his dance partner Witney Carson completed the first perfect individual score of the season, nabbing 40 out of a possible 40. They did so to the tune of his elder sister, season 20 champ Bindi Irwin’s freestyle song as a tribute to their father, the late Steve “Crocodile Hunter” Irwin.
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In an embarrassment of riches, Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach; Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy; and Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas also scored perfect rounds.
For his Relay Jive, Irwin teamed up with Xochitl Gomez (season 33 champion), facing off against Alix Earle and Joey Graziadei, swinging their hips to Olly Murs’ “Dance with Me Tonight.” Dressed in baby blue, Irwin looked at home as he does in a lion’s den, as he completed floor slides, leaps and showed off his fancy footwork. Earle and Graziadei, wearing red, had the second use on the ballroom floor. Irwin and Gomez were deemed winners, collecting the two bonus points.
The party ended on a bum note for Andy Richter and Emma Slater, who notched the lowest number of points and were eliminated from the competition.
Next week is Prince Night, which also serve as the semi-finals, while the winner will be crowned Nov. 25 following ABC’s three-hour finale. Watch Irwin’s Relay Jive below.
20th Birthday Party Leaderboard Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas: 42Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach: 42Robert Irwin and Witney Carson: 42Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy: 40Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa: 39Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten: 36Andy Richter and Emma Slater: 29 (ELIMINATED)
Michael Tullberg / Flavor Flav / Dancing With The Stars
Legendary hypeman Flavor Flav admits he made a mistake while being a guest judge on Dancing With the Stars.
Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE, Flavor Flav (we bet you sang his name) admitted he didn’t mean to ruin Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy‘s perfect score during Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night.
Flav told the website that he meant to give a couple a 10, not a 9, but was not allowed to change his score.
“I gave them a nine which was an accident. I really wanted to give them a 10, but they wouldn’t let me change it,” the 66-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee told PEOPLE.
He continued, “I went, ‘No. No, that was an accident. I don’t want to give them a nine. I want to give them a 10.’ But they was like, ‘Flavor, it’s already locked in. You can’t change it.’ I’m like, ‘Oh man.’”
“That’s how the game goes. You know what I’m saying?”
Flav shared his criteria for what he believes deserves a 10, telling PEOPLE that he looks “for precision” and “preciseness.”
He also tried to explain himself once again on his X, formerly Twitter account, writing:
As a judge on #DWTS,,, you hit your score on a computer first,,, then hold up the sign. I accidentally hit 9 for someone and told the crew I meant to hit 10,,, and they said they can’t change it and there’s nothing I can do. That girl deserved perfect 10s.
Damn Flav.
Flav’s time on the popular dancing competition show didn’t go over too well with some viewers, and they let their frustration be known on social media.
You can see those reactions below.
Michael Tullberg / Flavor Flav / Dancing With The Stars
Legendary hypeman Flavor Flav admits he made a mistake while being a guest judge on Dancing With the Stars.
Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE, Flavor Flav (we bet you sang his name) admitted he didn’t mean to ruin Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy‘s perfect score during Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night.
Flav told the website that he meant to give a couple a 10, not a 9, but was not allowed to change his score.
“I gave them a nine which was an accident. I really wanted to give them a 10, but they wouldn’t let me change it,” the 66-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee told PEOPLE.
He continued, “I went, ‘No. No, that was an accident. I don’t want to give them a nine. I want to give them a 10.’ But they was like, ‘Flavor, it’s already locked in. You can’t change it.’ I’m like, ‘Oh man.’”
“That’s how the game goes. You know what I’m saying?”
Flav shared his criteria for what he believes deserves a 10, telling PEOPLE that he looks “for precision” and “preciseness.”
He also tried to explain himself once again on his X, formerly Twitter account, writing:
As a judge on #DWTS,,, you hit your score on a computer first,,, then hold up the sign. I accidentally hit 9 for someone and told the crew I meant to hit 10,,, and they said they can’t change it and there’s nothing I can do. That girl deserved perfect 10s.
Damn Flav.
Flav’s time on the popular dancing competition show didn’t go over too well with some viewers, and they let their frustration be known on social media.
You can see those reactions below.
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Alix Earle’s performance on the latest episode of Dancing With the Stars may have been a nine on Flavor Flav‘s scorecard, but in his heart, it was a 10.
In a couple of Wednesday (Nov. 5) posts on X, the Public Enemy rapper — who served as a guest judge on the program’s broadcast the night prior — explained that he had intended to give the influencer and pro dance partner Val Chmerkovskiy a perfect score for their routine set to Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.” Instead, Flav says he plugged in the number nine by mistake.
“As a judge on #DWTS,,, you hit your score on a computer first,,, then hold up the sign,” he wrote. “I accidentally hit 9 for someone and told the crew I meant to hit 10,,, and they said they can’t change it and there’s nothing I can do. That girl deserved perfect 10s.”
In a second post, Flav went on to point out that the snafu was why he’d been captured on camera “looking down at the computer confused” after punching in his score.
“Couldn’t get the words out because I was watching the computer and then couldn’t find the other paddle cuz I was ready to go with my 10,” he added. “I found [Earle] afterwards and apologized and let her know what happen , she was cool.”
If the rapper had given Earle the score he’d intended, she and Chmerkovskiy would have received perfect numbers across the board for the first time this season. They’d also come close to the feat on last week’s episode, earning 39/40 for a performance set to Billie Eilish’s “Bury a Friend.”
Flav also spoke about the situation while still on the DWTS set, telling People, “I gave them a nine which was an accident. I really wanted to give them a 10, but they wouldn’t let me change it.”
Billboard has reached out to the TV show for comment.
Despite not getting the best possible score, Earle can still celebrate knowing that she’s advancing to the next round. This week’s episode — which had a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame theme — resulted in Danielle Fishel getting sent home, while Jen Affleck and former Taylor Swift backup dancer Jan Ravnik were eliminated the week before that.
Also still in the game are Dylan Efron, Andy Richter, Whitney Leavitt, Elaine Hendrix, Jordan Chiles and Robert Irwin. The next episode will air on Nov. 11 and celebrates the 20th anniversary of DWTS.
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Robert Irwin, Alix Earle and Whitney Leavitt rocked, so too did Chicago, while one unfortunate couple rolled out of the competition as Dancing With The Stars celebrated Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night.
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On Tuesday night (Oct. 4), all eyes were on Irwin, once again, as the Australian conversationist and his dancing pro partner Witney Carson hit the main floor.
Drenched in red light, Irwin, son of the late “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin and younger brother of Bindi, who won the 21st season of DWTS, in 2015, transformed into a matador for a paso doble to The White Stripes’ “Icky Thump.”
The judges loved the routine, as Irwin and Carson were awarded 38 out of 40, matching their season-high from last week’s Halloween Night. Only the teams of Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy, and Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas (both with 39/40), fared better.
No pairing has yet landed a perfect score in this 34th season of DWTS.
However, Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov failed to hit the right note with their contemporary dance to “Dream On” by Aerosmith, which came in at the bottom of the pack with 34/40. The lowest score of the night means elimination, so the actress and her pro partner are out. Live votes are cast during the East Coast airing and ends shortly after the final performance is completed.
Also on Rock Hall night, the group dances returned with a bang as the cast was evenly split in two, and teamed up alongside one of the co-hosts, Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro.
The winner was Ribeiro’s “Team Chicago” performance, with Danielle (team captain) and Pasha; Whitney and Mark; Jordan and Ezra; and Dylan and Daniella, earning a perfect 40/40.
Chicago, which was inducted into the Rock Hall in the class of 2016, provided the score with a rendition of “25 or 6 to 4.”
Dancing with the Stars airs live Tuesdays on ABC and Disney+, and streams the next day on Hulu. The finale will be on Nov. 25.
Rock And Roll Hall of Fame Night Scores
Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach: 36/40Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy: 39/40Andy Richter and Emma Slater: 30/40Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas: 39/40Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov: 34/40 (ELIMINATED)Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten: 37/40Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa: 38/40Robert Irwin and Witney Carson: 38/40
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Former Dancing With the Stars pros Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd didn’t dance around their feelings on the subject of Taylor Swift backup dancer Jan Ravnik being cast as a professional dancer on the show.
On a recent episode of Murgatroyd’s The Penthouse With Peta podcast, she and Chmerkovskiy — who both previously served as resident pros in past seasons of the competition series and have been married since 2017 — questioned Ravnik’s place on the program. After accompanying the pop superstar on her global Eras Tour for nearly two years, the Slovenian-born dancer joined the cast of DWTS as a coach in August.
“Jan has absolutely no business being a pro on Dancing With the Stars,” Chmerkovskiy said frankly. “There’s zero foundation, technique, quality, understanding of the partnership.”
“Bro, I’m getting emotional,” he continued, rejecting Murgatroyd’s claim that Ravnik should be given “grace” as it’s only his first season on the show. “It is absurd. It’s unreal how blind we have to be, and God forbid say what’s obviously there. He had no idea what the foxtrot is supposed to look like. How are you going to expect him to teach it and deliver that message in a format that is completely different?”
Billboard has reached out to DWTS producers for comment.
The podcast comes shortly after Ravnik advanced to the next round of DWTS with his celebrity partner, Jen Affleck of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, following their performance on a Wicked-themed episode of the show featuring guest judge Jon M. Chu. The duo scored 8’s across the board — but Murgatroyd said she thinks Affleck is at a disadvantage with the Eras Tour alum as her partner.
“I feel bad, because she’s not getting taught the basics that she needs to,” said the podcaster. “He’s a Taylor Swift dancer, it’s the obvious reason why he was hired — apart from that, he’s a lovely guy, he looks great, he’s a great dancer.”
Despite Ravnik’s positive qualities, Murgatroyd added: “Hiring a non-ballroom dancer to teach ballroom dancing to a celebrity as a job is outrageous.”
The 34th season of DWTS kicked off in mid-September. In addition to Affleck, Whitney Leavitt — also of Mormon Wives fame — as well as Alix Earle, Robert Irwin, Scott Hoying of Pentatonix, Lauren Jauregui of Fifth Harmony, Jordan Chiles, Hilaria Baldwin and Danielle Fishel were cast as the show’s latest flock of celebrity amateur dancers.
And despite still coming down from the high of Swift’s groundbreaking Eras trek, Ravnik expressed how excited he was to be joining DWTS as a pro following his casting announcement in August. “I traveled all around the world with Eras Tour, and now I’m coming to the ballroom stage for Dancing With the Stars,” he said at the time in video statement on Good Morning America. “Mirrorball never goes out of style, and we are ready to win it.”
See Chmerkovskiy and Murgatroyd’s full discussion about Ravnik on DWTS below.
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Robert Irwin tangles with snakes during the day, nails dolphin dives at night. And based on his latest performance on Dancing With The Stars, the Australian wildlife conservationist should go far in the competition.
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On Tuesday night (Oct. 21), the DWTS celebrities celebrated the forthcoming sequel to Jon M. Chu’s Wicked with routines set to songs from the popular musical-turned-film. Chu even stopped by to join regular judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli.
Irwin gave it his best shot with a jazz performance of “Dancing Through Life”. The 21-year-old and his professional partner Witney Carson completed an energetic, free-flowing performance with smiles glued to their faces. Irwin gave viewers a little more than they bargained with a perfect dolphin dive early in their routine, and pulled off a floor slide that’d make Bruce Springsteen proud.
When the votes were counted, 39 out of a possible 40 points went to the pairings of Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa, and Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas, while Irwin and Carson nabbed nines from all four of the judges, for 36/40.
Irwin, the son of the late “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin, will be hoping to emulate the success of his older sister Bindi, who won the 21st season of DWTS, in 2015.
The remaining contestants in this 34th season of Dancing With the Star includes TV personality Dylan Efron and influencer Jen Affleck. However, Pentatonix’s Scott Hoying and Rylee Arnold are no longer competing for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, following their elimination on Tuesday evening.
Dancing with the Stars airs live Tuesdays on ABC and Disney+, and streams the next day on Hulu. The finale will be on Nov. 25.
See the full list of scores from “Wicked Night” (week six) of DWTS season 34 below.
Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy: 35/40
Robert Irwin and Witney Carson: 36/40
Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas: 39/40
Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach: 32/40
Andy Richter and Emma Slater: 27/40
Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten: 36/40
Jen Affleck and Jan Ravnik: 32/40
Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov: 36/40
Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa: 39/40
Scott Hoying and Rylee Arnold: 28/40 (ELIMINATED)
Derek Hough is giving an update on his wife’s health condition. The Dancing With the Stars judge took to social media on Friday (Dec. 8) to share that his spouse, Hayley Erbert, 28, is “on the long road of recovery” following an emergency brain surgery. “Hayley has always inspired me with her will, her strength, […]
Dancing With the Stars crowned its season 32 champion on Tuesday (Dec. 6). After a crowded three-hour finale episode featuring a redemption dance and a freestyle, the five remaining couples — Alyson Hannigan and Sasha Farber, Daniella Karagach and Jason Mraz, Ariana Madix and Pasha Pashkov, Charity Lawson and Artem Chigvintsev, and Xochitl Gomez and […]
Too much Taylor Swift clearly isn’t enough as Dancing With The Stars paid tribute to the pop superstar with an all-TayTay special.
After remembering the late Whitney Houston on last week’s show, celebrity competitors this time strutted their stuff on the DWTS hardwood for “A Celebration of Taylor Swift.”
Leading the way once again was Jason Mraz who, along with his partner Daniella Karagach, enjoyed a bounce-back routine, an Argentine Tango to “Don’t Blame Me.”
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Mraz has impressed throughout the competition, now in its 10th season, though his performance last week didn’t hit his usual high marks. For a moment there, Mraz confesses he was concerned about an early exit. On Tuesday night (Nov. 21), the pair nailed it, earning a perfect score of 40 from the judging panel.
“Reputation restored,” remarked judge Bruno Tonioli, staying firmly in TayTay theme.
More points were up for grabs, as the teams entered the “Relay Dances.” Mraz and Karagach would face off against Bachelorette star Charity Lawson and Artem Chigvintsev, with a cha cha to Swift’s “Lavender Haze,” remixed by Felix Jaehn.
There could only be one winner, and that was two-time Grammy Award winner Mraz and Karagach, as the pair bagged the additional three points for a perfect night out — and a spot at the top of the leaderboard.
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Earlier, the DWTS professional dance squad got matters moving with a performance to “Love Story” choreographed by guest judge Mandy Moore (not to be confused with the singer and actor), lead choreographer on Swift’s The Eras Tour.
“I wish I could be there but I’m on tour in Brazil,” Swift said in a clip that aired at the top of episode. “I’m sending you guys all my love and best of luck to all the contestants.”
DWTS is simulcast live across both ABC and Disney+ in local time zones and the next day on Hulu.
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There wasn’t much luck for Too Hot to Handle’s Harry Jowsey and Rylee Arnold, who were eliminated from DWTS with the semifinals in sight.
DWTS is simulcast live across both ABC and Disney+ in local time zones and the next day on Hulu.
