Courtney Balcombe

News Editor

clb6264@psu.edu

Some fans of the ABC ballroom dance competition, “Dancing with the Stars,” believe the show is rigged following an elimination on October 25. They believe the judging is in favor of one specific couple this season.

Week 1 – September 20

While no one was eliminated during week one, it did leave Martin Kove & Britt Stewart at the bottom. Kove is known for his role in both the “Karate Kid” movie series and the Netflix Original “Cobra Kai.”

Week 2 – September 27

During week two, Kove and Stewart were eliminated for the lowest score, 28 out of 80. Now some could consider that “Cobra Kai” season four is set to come out December 31, meaning that the show could be currently finishing up production on that season and Kove was needed on set, thus his elimination.

Week 3 – October 4; Britany Night

During this week, Christine Chiu & Pasha Pashkov were eliminated with a score of 70 out of 110. Chui is a producer for Netflix’s Original “Bling Empire,”  and they had announced that season two could come out in the second half of 2021.

Week 4 – October 11; Disney Heroes and October 12; Disney Villains Night

During “Disney Heroes and Villains Nights”, Brian Austin Green & Sharna Burgess had a combined score from the two nights at 118 out of 190, which left them at the bottom of the list. 

Due to there being two shows for week four, it was a double elimination week. Matt James & Lindsay Arnold were also sent home with a score of 123 out of 190.

This left fans mad, due to the judges not unanimously picking one couple out of the three up for elimination. Due to the judges not choosing unanimously, head judge Len Goodman had the final say in choosing the couple that stayed. He ultimately chose The Real Housewife of Atlanta and her partner to stay for another week.

Week 5 – October 18 “Grease”

During “Grease Night” Melanie C & Gleb Savchenko were sent home with a score of 181 out of 230. Melanie C may best be known as the Sporty Spice from the Spice Girls. The duo ended up in the bottom two with social media star Olivia Jade and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy. 

Similar to Green and Burgess’ elimination, Goodman chose to keep Jade and Val, sending home Melanie C and Savchenko.

Week 6 – October 25 Horror Night

During “Horror Night”, Kenya Moore & Brandon Armstrong were eliminated after being in the bottom five for nearly three weeks with a score of 198 out of 270. However, on the same day they were eliminated, Moore was confirmed to return to “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” for season 14. This could mean that she was eliminated to give her the ability to have her sole focus on her show.

Week 7 – November 1 Queen Night

In week seven, The Miz & Witney Carson were eliminated with a score of 235 out of 310, leaving them at the bottom. While The Miz and Carson were up for elimination against Jojo Siwa and Jenna Chmerkovskiy, the judges unanimously chose to save Siwa and Chmerkovskiy. 

Week 8 – November 8th Janet Jackson Night

For “Janet Jackson Night” Jade and Val were sent home after scoring 36 out of 40, ending the season with 296 out of the total 350. They were sent home along with Jimmie Allen and his partner Emma Slater, whose score of the night was 32, which gave them a total score of 288.

Week 9 – November 8 The Semifinals

During the semifinals, Suni Lee and Sasha Farber were sent home after two weeks of receiving bonus points. The judges that night gave them a score of 75, which ended their season at 368 out of 430. Along with Lee and Farber, Melora Hardin & Artem Chigvintsev were also sent home after scoring 72 for the night and a total of 371.

Week 10 – November 15 The Finale

The finale was by far the most shocking episode of the season. While many thought Jojo and Jenna would win, they ultimately came in second place behind Iman Shumpert & Daniella Karagach. Shumpert and Karagach ended the season with a score of 420 out of 510, while Jojo and Jenna had 474 followed by Amanda Kloots & Alan Bersten with 460 and Cody Rigsby & Cheryl Burke at 413.

According to CNN entertainment, once viewer votes were counted, Kloots came in fourth place, followed by Rigsby in third. Siwa, who was seen as a frontrunner for most of the season, finished in second place. This ultimately gave the former basketball player a historic win as the first professional basketball player to make it to the finale or win the Mirrorball Trophy in the show’s history.