‘DWTS’ Recap: Whitney Leavitt Earns First 9 of the Season on Disney Night
Disney/Christopher Willard Reading Time: 4 minutes
Dancing with the Stars Season 34 returned on Tuesday for Disney Night, celebrating Disneyland’s 70th anniversary. The 11 remaining couples performed dances set to songs from Disney movies and theme park attractions.
Honored that the #DWTS ballroom was the room where Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas’ incredible #DisneyNight Foxtrot happened! 😉 ✍️ pic.twitter.com/TkhKzrtsFN
— Dancing with the Stars #DWTS (@officialdwts) October 8, 2025
Whitney Leavitt Earns First 9 on DWTS Disney Night
The most notable moment from Tuesday’s DWTS episode came after Whitney Leavitt and her partner Mark Ballas danced a foxtrot to “The Room Where It Happens” from Hamilton. Carrie Ann Inaba was so impressed, she said her lip was quivering. Bruno Tonioli called it a “showstopping routine.”
When it came time to score the dance, Inaba gave the pair a 9, while Tonioli and Derek Hough both opted to give them an 8 — bringing their combined score for the night to 25 out of 30. This is the first time this season that a couple has earned a 9, and it put Whitney and Mark at the top of the leaderboard for the night.
Behind them, in a three-way tie with 24 out of 30, were Alix Earle & Val Chmerkovsiy, who danced a Viennese waltz to “Once Upon a Dream” from Maleficent; Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten, who danced a quickstep to “Space Mountain” from Space Mountain; and Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa, who danced a quickstep to “Special Spice” from Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
For Alix and Elaine, this was their best score of the season. Jordan and Ezra, meanwhile, tied their score from last week’s show. Tonioli called Jordan “dance royalty,” while Hough called Alix’s routine “mesmerizing.” He told Elaine that she “didn’t miss a beat.”
What a paw-sitively sensational Cha Cha from Robert Irwin and Witney Carson for #DisneyNight! 🦊 🎉 #DWTS pic.twitter.com/vc3oAzICsA
— Dancing with the Stars #DWTS (@officialdwts) October 8, 2025
Is Robert Irwin No Longer the Frontrunner?
After his incredible premiere week dance with his partner Witney Carson, some DWTS fans predicted that Robert Irwin was a sure bet to win the Mirrorball trophy. However, as the season has gone on, he’s slipped from the top of the leaderboard.
In fact, Robert and Witney have earned the same score three weeks in a row now, with a 22 out of 30. This week, it was for their cha-cha to “Try Everything” from Zootopia. Will they improve their score in next week’s show? We’ll have to wait and see.
Although Robert failed to boost his score this week, Jen Affleck and Jan Ravnik showed improvement with their jazz routine to “Friend Like Me” from Aladdin. Tonioli called it “spectacular, theatrical magic.” The pair earned a 23 out of 30, up from a 19 last week and marking their best score yet.
SEE ALSO: DID BRANDON ARMSTRONG REALLY GET A ‘PISSED’ TATTOO AFTER ‘DWTS’ ELIMINATION?
Hilaria Baldwin and Gleb Savchenko brought the #DisneyNight galactic grooves to that Quickstep with music from “Star Wars: A New Hope.” 🌟 #DWTS pic.twitter.com/qGC0N3fmWL
— Dancing with the Stars #DWTS (@officialdwts) October 8, 2025
Hilaria Baldwin, Gleb Savchenko Eliminated
At the end of the night, one couple had to be eliminated. Although not necessarily the bottom three, the final couples left after the others were declared safe were Hilaria Baldwin and Gleb Savchenko, Andy Richter and Emma Slater, and Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov.
During Tuesday’s show, Andy and Emma were once again at the bottom of the leaderboard. Their Viennese waltz to “Le Festin” from Ratatouille earned a score of 18 out of 30, the same as last week’s show. Danielle and Pasha earned a score of 21 for their quickstep to “I Wan’na Be Like You (The Monkey Song)” from The Jungle Book.
Ultimately, Hilaria and Gleb were eliminated following their quickstep to “Cantina Band” from Star Wars. They earned a score of 23 out of 30 from the judges, with Inaba calling Hilaria a “contender.” Hilaria’s elimination might come as a shock to some considering her place on the leaderboard.
However, there was some controversy among fans over her past experience as a ballroom dancer, which might have cost her votes. After being eliminated, Hilaria said she had an “incredible experience,” and Gleb shared how proud he was to dance with her during the season.
What do you think about the DWTS Disney Night results? Are you happy that Andy and Emma will be back to dance another week? Let us know in the comments below.
