Live from Mills High School, it’s your season 34 recap of Dancing With the Stars. This season has been quite the ride, as we saw love, sweat, and pain pour out on the dance floor. Featuring stars Robert Irwin, Alix Earle, Jordan Chiles, Dylan Efron, Elaine Hendrix and many more, it has not only been the most talked about season, but also the show’s 20th anniversary.
The season had wonderful dances throughout. My favorites were Jordan Chile’s dance to “Raspberry Beret,” Robert Irwin’s dance to “You’ll Be In My Heart,” Alix Earle’s dance to “Mambo Number 5,” Whitney Leavitt’s dance to “Shake Ya *ss,” Elaine Hendrix to “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” and Scott Hoying’s dance to “Bop To The Top.” If I could, I would list every dance from this season because they are all amazing.
Throughout the season, controversies spread about judge Carrie Ann Inaba. Inaba has been known to judge harshly during the show. She tends to say one thing but her score reflects differently. Especially on TikTok, people are wondering if she should even be a judge. People on social media also talk about the snobby comments that Derek Hough made towards her as he would usually disagree with her.
This season, Robert Irwin took the Mirrorball Trophy home. As many fans were rooting for him, many also wondered if he was the right choice. Irwin’s sister, Bindi Irwin was a previous contestant winning season 21 of the show. Though many may say Alix Earle or Dylan Efron should have deserved it, Robert was able to earn his way up to the Mirrorball Trophy. All contestants danced their hearts out on the dance floor but Robert stood out the most, with his Week 1 performance being amazing even with no experience.
As a vivid watcher of Dancing With the Stars, this has to be one of my favorite seasons. We saw winners from past seasons come back to partner with this season’s stars. Season 32 winner Xochitl Gomez and season 33 winner Joey Grazidei returned for the 20th anniversary special of the show. Though they haven’t danced in a while, they still proved to be amazing on the dance floor.
The finale premiered on December 2, 2025, and had a total of three rounds in order for them to get that Mirrorball trophy. They had to do three dances. The first was judges’ choice, where the judges will choose the dance style that the couple has never done before and excel at it. The second will be announced to them five minutes beforehand, having chosen the dance style blindfolded then hearing what song they will be dancing to. The couple must come up with the dance as soon as they know the song and perform it right after the commercial break.
I would highly recommend rewatching the season or even past seasons to see some of your favorite stars. By the end you’ll be cha cha–ing like Alix Earle or maybe a Mirrorball winner like Robert Irwin. That’s a wrap on this season 34 recap!
