‘DWTS’ Recap: Multiple Perfect Scores in 20th Anniversary Episode
Disney/Eric McCandless Reading Time: 4 minutes
Dancing with the Stars returned on Tuesday night for the 20th anniversary episode, as former host Tom Bergeron joined the panel as a guest judge. Four couples received perfect scores during the episode, in which the stars paid tribute to freestyles from past seasons.
Pop, six, squish, uh-uh, Cicero, Lipschitz! Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas brought a magnetic energy to that Argentine Tango! 💋 🎩 #DWTS20 #DWTS pic.twitter.com/t0kXwdcTHL
— Dancing with the Stars #DWTS (@officialdwts) November 12, 2025
Perfect Scores in DWTS 20th Anniversary Episode
During Tuesday’s episode, Robert Irwin and his partner Witney Carson earned the first perfect score of the season with their empotional foxtrot to “Footprints in the Sand” by Leona Lewis, inspired by Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough’s Season 21 freestyle, remembering Robert’s father Steve Irwin.
Later in the show, Dylan Efron and Danielle Karagach earned another perfect 40 with their passionate Argentine tango to “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers, inspired by Milo Manheim and Witney Carson’s Season 27 freestyle. DWTS judge Derek Hough called it a “breakthrough moment” for Dylan.
Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy earned yet another perfect score for their elegant foxtrot to “Singin’ in the Rain” by Matthew Morrison, inspired by Nev Schulman and Jenna Johnson’s Season 29 freestyle. Carrie Ann Inaba said it seems like Alix is “letting go” more.
And finally, Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas earned another 40 out of 40 for their sultry Argentine tango to “Cell Block Tango” from Chicago, inspired by Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy’s Season 31 freestyle. Bruno Tonioli declared it the best dance of the night.
SEE ALSO: VAL CHMERKOVSKIY RESPONDS TO RUMORS HE DOESN’T GET ALONG WITH ‘DWTS’ PARTNER ALIX EARLE
We just want to dance with these pairs all night! What a fun Jive Relay from Robert Irwin & Xochitl Gomez and Alix Earle & Joey Graziadei! 🕺✨ #DWTS20 #DWTS pic.twitter.com/dQsJc2rKWC
— Dancing with the Stars #DWTS (@officialdwts) November 12, 2025
Stars Dance with Past Winners in Relay Dances
Tuesday’s show also featured a relay dance round, in which the stars were paired up with past DWTS Mirrorball champions to compete against each other. The winners of each match-up earned two bonus points. Whitney and Mark had immunity from this round due to their scores in last week’s show, so they automatically received two bonus points.
First up were Jordan Chiles and Season 4 winner Apolo Anton Ohno versus Elaine Hendrix and Season 24 winner Rashad Jennings. They danced the quickstep to “I Get a Kick Out of You” by Michael Bublé. Hough said it was “very hard” to choose a relay winner, but the panel ultimately went with Jordan and Apolo.
Next up were Dylan Efron and Season 20 winner Rumer Willis versus Andy Richter and Season 29 winner Kaitlyn Bristowe. They danced the Viennese waltz to “Earned It” by The Weeknd. Even though Inaba called Andy a “sexy beast,” Dylan and Rumer were named the relay winners.
The final relay dance of the night featured Robert Irwin and Season 32 winner Xochitl Gomez versus Alix Earle and Season 33 winner Joey Graziadei. They danced the jive to “Dance With Me Tonight” by Olly Murs. They left the panel with a difficult choice, but Robert and Xochitl were ultimately declared the relay winners.
Andy Richter and Emma Slater spent every dime on having a wonderful time! What a cheerful Quickstep for #DWTS20 on #DWTS! 🛎️ 😍 pic.twitter.com/TONVONRcoy
— Dancing with the Stars #DWTS (@officialdwts) November 12, 2025
Andy Richter, Emma Slater Eliminated
At the end of the night, one couple had to be eliminated. The three remaining couples in the DWTS ballroom after everyone else was declared safe were Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa, Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten, and Andy Richter and Emma Slater.
These also happened to be the bottom three couples on the leaderboard during the episode. Ultimately, Andy and Emma were eliminated. Many fans were probably expecting Andy’s elimination several episodes back, but the viewers at home kept him in the competition up to now.
Upon learning of his elimination, Andy said the show “changed my life,” adding that he’s “a better person” because of his experience dancing with Emma this season. During the episode, the couple danced a quickstep to “Puttin’ on the Ritz” by Robbie Williams, inspired by Jordan Fisher & Lindsay Arnold’s freestyle in Season 25, earning a score of 29 out of 40.
What did you think of the 20th anniversary episode of DWTS? Let us know in the comments below.
