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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Brittany Miller

Dancing with the Stars viewers rage over elimination of ‘best dancer’ on the series

*Warning — Major spoilers for the ‘DWTS’ season 34 semifinals ahead*

The Dancing with the Stars semifinals elimination had fans threatening to boycott the season 34 finale next week.

Tuesday’s episode of the ABC dance competition show saw the celebrity and professional dancer couples perform to Prince songs using one dance style they had already competed in and one new style. The episode concluded with The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Whitney Leavitt being eliminated along with her partner, Mark Ballas.

After scoring a 29 out of a possible 30 points for both of their dances, the pair was tied for second place in the judges’ leaderboard and received comments from the judges claiming their dances were “literal perfection” and “incredible.”

Despite these comments and scores, the pair did not receive enough fan votes to advance to the finale, causing many fans to express their disdain on X.

“Whitney is the best dancer on that show BY A MILE with one of the best choreographers as a partner and we don’t even get to see a freestyle from her,” one person wrote.

Leavitt was previously criticized for having too much dance experience to compete on the show (Disney/Eric McCandless)

Another agreed: “I now have no reason to watch #DWTS because it’s clearly not about the dancing. Voting Whitney off was a popularity contest and had nothing to do with her talent. Ruins the whole point of the show.”

“The hate Whitney has received is actually disgusting, she was the best dancer in the competition #DWTS,” wrote a third person on X.

However, others suggested it was the reality star’s attitude that ultimately got her eliminated.

“Whitney can dance, sure — but that was a moot point after the ‘I only did SLOMW to get on DWTS’ comment. Fans don’t forget, and the votes showed it. Time to focus on the finals,” one person wrote, while another added, “Whitney went home because in the end she wasn't very likeable and the remaining contestants are working much harder.”

Throughout her time on the show, Leavitt and Ballas were consistently near the top — if not claiming the top spot — on the judges’ leaderboard, though many criticized Leavitt’s dance experience. She received a degree in dance from Brigham Young University and previously competed against Witney Carson, a DWTS pro who attended a rival dance studio at the time.

Other fans alleged favoritism from the judges because of how much they like Ballas and want to see him win again.

The five couples performing in next week’s finale are: Elaine and Alan, Alix and Val, Robert and Witney, Dylan and Daniella, and Jordan and Ezra.

New episodes of DWTS air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+. They are available to stream the next day on Hulu.

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