Dancing with the Stars (American TV series) season 21

*Dancing with the Stars*
Dancing with the Stars
Season 21
	Promotional poster, featuring pro dancers Peta Murgatroyd and Artem Chigvintsev
Hosted by	Tom Bergeron ; Erin Andrews ;
Judges	Carrie Ann Inaba ; Bruno Tonioli ; Julianne Hough ;
Celebrity winner	Bindi Irwin
Professional winner	Derek Hough
No. of episodes	14
Release
Original network	ABC
Original release	September 14 –; November 24, 2015
Season chronology
	← Previous; Season 20 Next →; Season 22

Last updated April 04, 2024

Season twenty-one of the American television competition series Dancing with the Stars premiered on September 14, 2015.

Cast

Couples

This season featured thirteen celebrity contestants. On August 19, 2015, nine professional dancers were revealed during Good Morning America . Returning pros included Karina Smirnoff, Anna Trebunskaya, and Louis van Amstel. Additionally, Lindsay Arnold also returned after spending four seasons as part of the troupe. While Peta Murgatroyd was originally announced as a professional, she was sidelined for the season by an ankle injury; Allison Holker replaced her spot in the cast.^[1] Bindi Irwin was the first celebrity revealed on August 24 on Good Morning America; other celebrities were revealed at different dates through different media.^[2] The full cast of celebrities and professional dancers was revealed on September 2, 2015.^[3]

Celebrity	Notability	Professional partner	Status	Ref.
Chaka Khan	Funk & R&B singer	Keo Motsepe	Eliminated 1st on September 21, 2015	^[4]
Victor Espinoza	Jockey	Karina Smirnoff	Eliminated 2nd on September 22, 2015	^[5]
Kim Zolciak-Biermann	Reality television personality	Tony Dovolani	Withdrew on September 28, 2015	^[6]
Gary Busey	Film actor	Anna Trebunskaya	Eliminated 3rd on October 5, 2015	^[7]
Paula Deen	Celebrity chef & businesswoman	Louis van Amstel Mark Ballas (Week 5)	Eliminated 4th on October 19, 2015	^[8]
Hayes Grier	Vine & social media personality	Emma Slater Allison Holker (Week 5)	Eliminated 5th on October 26, 2015	^[9]
Andy Grammer	Singer-songwriter	Allison Holker Sharna Burgess (Week 5)	Eliminated 6th on November 2, 2015	^[10]
Alexa PenaVega	Film & television actress	Mark Ballas Derek Hough (Week 5)	Eliminated 7th on November 9, 2015	^[11]
Tamar Braxton	R&B singer & reality television personality	Valentin Chmerkovskiy Louis van Amstel (Week 5)	Withdrew on November 11, 2015	^[12]
Carlos PenaVega	Big Time Rush singer & actor	Witney Carson Lindsay Arnold (Week 5)	Eliminated 8th on November 23, 2015	^[13]
Alek Skarlatos	Legion of Honor recipient & soldier	Lindsay Arnold Emma Slater (Week 5)	Third place on November 24, 2015	^[14]
Nick Carter	Backstreet Boys singer	Sharna Burgess Witney Carson (Week 5)	Runners-up on November 24, 2015
Bindi Irwin	Wildlife conservationist & actress	Derek Hough Valentin Chmerkovskiy (Week 5)	Winners on November 24, 2015

Hosts and judges

Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews returned as hosts,^[15] while judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough, and Bruno Tonioli all returned this season.^[16] After twenty seasons, Len Goodman did not return this season as a judge;^[17] in a video message during the finale, Goodman announced that he would return for season 22. Season 19 champion Alfonso Ribeiro filled in for Tom Bergeron on October 5, 2015, while Bergeron attended to his ailing father.^[18] Leah Remini also filled in as co-host on October 19 and October 26 while Erin Andrews covered the 2015 World Series.^[19]^[20] There were three guest judges during the course of the season. Season 19 champion Alfonso Ribeiro was a guest judge for week 3.^[21] Former pro dancer and season 18 champion Maksim Chmerkovskiy joined the judging panel for week 5.^[22] The following week, Olivia Newton-John appeared as a guest judge as well.^[23]

Dance troupe

The dance troupe consisted of returning members Jenna Johnson, Brittany Cherry, Sasha Farber, and Alan Bersten, and new troupe member Hayley Erbert.

Scoring chart

The highest score each week is indicated in bold green with a dagger (†), while the lowest score each week is indicated in italicized red with a double-dagger (‡).

Color key:

Winners

Runners-up

Third place

Withdrew from competition

Eliminated

*Dancing with the Stars* (season 21) - Weekly scores
Couple	Pl.	Week
		1	2		3^{[lower-alpha 1]}	4	5^{[lower-alpha 1]}	6^{[lower-alpha 1]}	5+6	7	8	9	10	11
		1	Night 1	Night 2	3^{[lower-alpha 1]}	4	5^{[lower-alpha 1]}	6^{[lower-alpha 1]}	5+6	7	8	9	10	Night 1	Night 2
Bindi & Derek	1st	24†	25†	23	32	28†	37	40†	77†	30+28=58†	28	30+30=60†	27+3+30=60†	30+30=60†	+30=90†^{[lower-alpha 2]}
Nick & Sharna	2nd	24†	21	24	36†	27	35	39	74	24+30=54	30+3=33†	28+27=55	24+30=54‡	30+30=60†	+30=90†^{[lower-alpha 3]}
Alek & Lindsay	3rd	22	23	22	33	24	29	30	59	25+28=53‡	25	24+24=48‡	30+27=57	27+30=57‡	+27=84‡^{[lower-alpha 4]}
Carlos & Witney	4th	23	24	21	31	25	39	38	77†	28+28=56	27+2=29	27+24=51	28+3+29=60†	30+30=60†^{[lower-alpha 5]}
Tamar & Val	5th	23	24	25†	33	27	29	40†	69	24+30=54	28	22+27=49	^{[lower-alpha 6]}
Alexa & Mark	6th	22	24	22	36†	21	40†	30	70	27+28=55	25+2=27	30+30=60†^{[lower-alpha 5]}
Andy & Allison	7th	21	21	23	29	23	36	40†	76	26+30=56	22+2=24‡^{[lower-alpha 5]}
Hayes & Emma	8th	21	22	23	30	27	30	32	62	26+30=56^{[lower-alpha 5]}
Paula & Louis	9th	15	19	18	20‡	18	26‡	24‡	50‡^{[lower-alpha 5]}
Gary & Anna	10th	15	18	15‡	25	16‡^{[lower-alpha 5]}
Kim & Tony	11th	12‡	19	18	^{[lower-alpha 6]}
Victor & Karina	12th	15	17	20^{[lower-alpha 5]}
Chaka & Keo	13th	13	15‡^{[lower-alpha 5]}

Notes

1 2 3 The couples were scored on a 40-point scale due to the presence of a guest judge.
↑ This couple finished in first place.
↑ This couple finished in second place.
↑ This couple finished in third place.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 This couple was eliminated.
1 2 This couple withdrew from the competition.

Weekly scores

Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli.

Week 1: Premiere Night

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Couple	Scores^[24]	Dance	Music^[25]
Victor & Karina	15 (5, 5, 5)	Salsa	"G.D.F.R." — Flo Rida, feat. Sage the Gemini & Lookas
Tamar & Val	23 (8, 7, 8)	Quickstep	"Do Your Thing" — Basement Jaxx
Chaka & Keo	13 (5, 4, 4)	Cha-cha-cha	"I Feel for You" — Chaka Khan
Hayes & Emma	21 (7, 7, 7)	Cha-cha-cha	"Cheerleader" — OMI
Andy & Allison	21 (7, 7, 7)	Foxtrot	"Marvin Gaye" — Charlie Puth, feat. Meghan Trainor
Paula & Louis	15 (5, 5, 5)	Quickstep	"Hey, Good Lookin'" — Carol Welsman
Carlos & Witney	23 (8, 8, 7)	Jive	"I Got You (I Feel Good)" — James Brown
Alexa & Mark	22 (7, 7, 8)	Jive	"Whistle (While You Work It)" — Katy Tiz
Kim & Tony	12 (4, 4, 4)	Salsa	"Hey Mama" — David Guetta, feat. Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha & Afrojack
Bindi & Derek	24 (8, 8, 8)	Jive	"Crocodile Rock" — Elton John
Gary & Anna	15 (5, 5, 5)	Cha-cha-cha	"Dancing in the Street" — David Bowie & Mick Jagger
Alek & Lindsay	22 (8, 7, 7)	Foxtrot	"Ten Feet Tall" — Afrojack, feat. Wrabel
Nick & Sharna	24 (8, 8, 8)	Cha-cha-cha	"I Don't Like It, I Love It" — Flo Rida, feat. Robin Thicke & Verdine White

Week 2: Hometown Glory Week

The couples had to prepare two new dances to be performed on two consecutive nights. On Monday, the couples performed routines that celebrated the hometowns of the celebrities, with one couple being eliminated at the end of the show. On Tuesday, the remaining couples performed routines that celebrated the hometowns of the pro partners, with another couple being eliminated. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Night 1

Couple	Scores^[4]	Dance	Music	Result
Nick & Sharna	21 (7, 7, 7)	Jive	"Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" — The Andrews Sisters	Safe
Paula & Louis	19 (7, 6, 6)	Rumba	"Midnight Train to Georgia" — Gladys Knight & the Pips	Safe
Hayes & Emma	22 (8, 7, 7)	Foxtrot	"This Is How We Roll" — Florida Georgia Line, feat. Luke Bryan	Safe
Chaka & Keo	15 (5, 5, 5)	Foxtrot	"Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)" — Frank Sinatra	Eliminated
Andy & Allison	21 (7, 7, 7)	Jive	"Only the Good Die Young" — Billy Joel	Safe
Kim & Tony	19 (7, 6, 6)	Quickstep	"Queen Bee" — Rochelle Diamante	Safe
Alek & Lindsay	23 (8, 7, 8)	Jazz	"Don't Stop Believin'" — Journey	Safe
Alexa & Mark	24 (8, 8, 8)	Salsa	"Que Es Lo Que Quiere Esa Nena" — El General	Safe
Victor & Karina	17 (6, 5, 6)	Jive	"La Bamba" — Ritchie Valens	Safe
Tamar & Val	24 (8, 8, 8)	Cha-cha-cha	"We Are Family" — Sister Sledge	Safe
Gary & Anna	18 (6, 6, 6)	Foxtrot	"Wouldn't It Be Nice" — The Beach Boys	Safe
Carlos & Witney	24 (8, 8, 8)	Foxtrot	"Home" — Blake Shelton	Safe
Bindi & Derek	25 (9, 8, 8)	Tango	"You Shook Me All Night Long" — AC/DC	Safe

Night 2

Couple	Scores^[5]	Dance	Music	Result
Hayes & Emma	23 (8, 7, 8)	Quickstep	"Are You Gonna Be My Girl" — Jet	Safe
Carlos & Witney	21 (7, 7, 7)	Cha-cha-cha	"Hound Dog" — Big Mama Thornton	Safe
Gary & Anna	15 (5, 5, 5)	Paso doble	"1812 Overture" — Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky	Safe
Andy & Allison	23 (8, 8, 7)	Contemporary	"Heaven Is a Place on Earth" — Belinda Carlisle	Safe
Alexa & Mark	22 (7, 7, 8)	Rumba	"Somewhere in Time" — John Barry	Safe
Paula & Louis	18 (6, 6, 6)	Tango	"Get Ready" — The Temptations	Safe
Bindi & Derek	23 (7, 8, 8)	Waltz	"Only a Man" — Jonny Lang	Safe
Kim & Tony	18 (6, 6, 6)	Foxtrot	"Come Home" — OneRepublic, feat. Sara Bareilles	Safe
Alek & Lindsay	22 (7, 7, 8)	Quickstep	"American Girl" — Elle King	Safe
Victor & Karina	20 (7, 6, 7)	Rumba	"Girl on Fire" — Alicia Keys	Eliminated
Nick & Sharna	24 (8, 8, 8)	Foxtrot	"Coming Home, Pt. II" — Skylar Grey	Safe
Tamar & Val	25 (8, 8, 9)	Charleston	"Living in New York City" — Robin Thicke	Safe

Week 3: TV Night

Individual judges scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Alfonso Ribeiro, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli.

The couples performed one unlearned dance to famous television theme songs. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

After suffering a mini-stroke, Kim Zolciak-Biermann was unable to attend the dress rehearsal and live show, and had to withdraw from the competition. Her partner, Tony Dovolani, performed their samba routine during the live show with Jenna Johnson.^[26] There was no additional elimination.

Couple	Scores^[6]	Dance	Music	TV show
Carlos & Witney	31 (7, 8, 8, 8)	Jazz	"Thank You for Being a Friend" — Cynthia Fee	The Golden Girls
Paula & Louis	20 (5, 5, 5, 5)	Samba	"The Ballad of Gilligan's Isle" — The Eligibles	Gilligan's Island
Tamar & Val	33 (8, 9, 8, 8)	Tango	"A Beautiful Mine" — RJD2	Mad Men
Alexa & Mark	36 (9, 9, 9, 9)	Jazz	"Breaking Bad Theme" — Dave Porter	Breaking Bad
Andy & Allison	29 (7, 7, 8, 7)	Quickstep	"Bandstand Boogie" — Larry Elgart	American Bandstand
Gary & Anna	25 (6, 7, 6, 6)	Tango	"The Addams Family Theme" — Vic Mizzy	The Addams Family
Alek & Lindsay	33 (8, 8, 9, 8)	Tango	"Bad Things" — Jace Everett	True Blood
Bindi & Derek	32 (8, 8, 8, 8)	Quickstep	"Movin' on Up" — Ja'net Dubois	The Jeffersons
Nick & Sharna	36 (9, 9, 9, 9)	Viennese waltz	"Did I Make the Most of Loving You?" — Mary-Jess Leaverland	Downton Abbey
Hayes & Emma	30 (7, 8, 7, 8)	Jive	"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Theme" — Chuck Lorre & Dennis C. Brown	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Week 4: Most Memorable Year Night

The couples performed one unlearned dance to celebrate the most memorable year of their lives. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

For the first time in the history of the program, Tom Bergeron did not appear as a host; he was absent to be with his ailing father. Alfonso Ribeiro filled in as co-host.^[27]

Couple	Scores^[7]	Dance	Music	Result
Alexa & Mark	21 (7, 7, 7)	Foxtrot	"Mama Said" — The Shirelles	Safe
Gary & Anna	16 (5, 6, 5)	Jazz	"That'll Be the Day" — Buddy Holly	Eliminated
Tamar & Val	27 (9, 9, 9)	Rumba	"King" — Tamar Braxton	Safe
Hayes & Emma	27 (9, 9, 9)	Contemporary	"Stitches" — Shawn Mendes	Safe
Alek & Lindsay	24 (8, 8, 8)	Paso doble	"Wake Me Up" — Avicii	Safe
Nick & Sharna	27 (9, 9, 9)	Jazz	"Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" — Backstreet Boys	Safe
Carlos & Witney	25 (9, 8, 8)	Waltz	"Amazing Grace" — Ray Chew	Safe
Paula & Louis	18 (6, 6, 6)	Cha-cha-cha	"Respect" — Aretha Franklin	Safe
Andy & Allison	23 (7, 8, 8)	Cha-cha-cha	"Good to Be Alive (Hallelujah)" — Andy Grammer	Safe
Bindi & Derek	28 (9, 9, 10)	Contemporary	"Every Breath You Take" — Aaron Krause, feat. Liza Anne	Safe

Week 5: Switch-Up Night

Individual judges scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Bruno Tonioli.

The couples performed one unlearned dance with a different partner selected by the general public. Couples are listed in the order they performed. Due to the nature of the week, no elimination took place at the end of the night.

Couple	Scores^[28]	Dance	Music
Tamar & Louis	29 (7, 7, 8, 7)	Samba	"End of Time" — Beyoncé
Hayes & Allison	30 (8, 8, 7, 7)	Viennese waltz	"Like I'm Gonna Lose You" — Meghan Trainor, feat. John Legend
Paula & Mark	26 (7, 7, 6, 6)	Jive	"Shake" — Otis Redding
Alek & Emma	29 (8, 7, 7, 7)	Rumba	"Let It Go" — James Bay
Bindi & Val	37 (9, 9, 10, 9)	Cha-cha-cha	"Hold My Hand" — Jess Glynne
Carlos & Lindsay	39 (10, 10, 9, 10)	Quickstep	"Bossa Nova Baby" — Elvis Presley
Alexa & Derek	40 (10, 10, 10, 10)	Tango	"Pompeii" — Bastille
Andy & Sharna	36 (9, 9, 9, 9)	Argentine tango	"Can't Feel My Face" — The Weeknd
Nick & Witney	35 (9, 9, 8, 9)	Paso doble	"Don't Look Down" — Martin Garrix, feat. Usher

Week 6: Famous Dances Night

Individual judges scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough, Olivia Newton-John, Bruno Tonioli.

The couples performed one unlearned dance that paid tribute to iconic dance performances from films and music videos. Leah Remini filled in for Erin Andrews.^[19]

Couple	Scores^[8]	Dance	Music	Result
Hayes & Emma	32 (8, 8, 8, 8)	Jazz	"You're the One That I Want" — John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John	Safe
Andy & Allison	40 (10, 10, 10, 10)	Jazz	"Good Morning" — Debbie Reynolds, Gene Kelly & Donald O'Connor	Safe
Alexa & Mark	30 (8, 7, 7, 8)	Cha-cha-cha	"I'm a Slave 4 U" — Britney Spears	Safe
Bindi & Derek	40 (10, 10, 10, 10)	Rumba	"(I've Had) The Time of My Life" — Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes	Safe
Paula & Louis	24 (6, 6, 6, 6)	Jazz	"Vogue" — Madonna	Eliminated
Carlos & Witney	38 (10, 9, 9, 10)	Rumba	"Pony" — Ginuwine	Safe
Nick & Sharna	39 (9, 10, 10, 10)	Samba	"You Should Be Dancing" — Bee Gees	Safe
Alek & Lindsay	30 (8, 8, 7, 7)	Jive	"Jailhouse Rock" — Elvis Presley	Safe
Tamar & Val	40 (10, 10, 10, 10)	Jazz	"Rhythm Nation" — Janet Jackson	Safe

Week 7: Halloween Night

Couples performed one unlearned dance and a team dance to Halloween-themed songs. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Leah Remini again filled in for Erin Andrews.^[20]

Couple	Scores^[9]	Dance	Music	Result
Nick & Sharna	24 (8, 8, 8)	Argentine tango	"Bring Me to Life" — Evanescence, feat. Paul McCoy	Safe
Hayes & Emma	26 (8, 9, 9)	Waltz	"Once Upon a Dream" — Lana Del Rey	Eliminated
Alexa & Mark	27 (9, 9, 9)	Paso doble	"Hora Zero" — Rodrigo y Gabriela	Safe
Tamar & Val	24 (8, 8, 8)	Foxtrot	"People Are Strange" — The Doors	Safe
Andy & Allison	26 (9, 9, 8)	Paso doble	"The Beautiful People" — Marilyn Manson	Safe
Bindi & Derek	30 (10, 10, 10)	Argentine tango	"Cry Little Sister" — Gerard McMann	Safe
Alek & Lindsay	25 (9, 8, 8)	Viennese waltz	"Haunted" — Beyoncé	Safe
Carlos & Witney	28 (9, 10, 9)	Paso doble	"O Fortuna" — Carl Orff	Safe
Andy & Allison Hayes & Emma Nick & Sharna Tamar & Val	30 (10, 10, 10)	Freestyle (Team Nightmare)	"This Is Halloween" — Danny Elfman
Alek & Lindsay Alexa & Mark Bindi & Derek Carlos & Witney	28 (9, 10, 9)	Freestyle (Team Who You Gonna Call?)	"Ghostbusters" — Ray Parker Jr.

Week 8: Icons Night

Couples performed one unlearned dance that paid tribute to a personal icon of the celebrity; the couple with the highest score earned immunity from elimination, while the rest of the couples participated in dance-offs for extra points. For each dance-off, the couple with the highest score picked the opponent against whom they wanted to dance; the chosen opponent was allowed to pick the dance style (cha-cha-cha, jive, or samba). The winner of each dance-off earned three bonus points. Nick and Sharna received a three-point bonus for winning immunity. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Couple	Scores^[10]	Dance	Music	Icon	Result
Carlos & Witney	27 (9, 9, 9)	Salsa	"Valió la Pena" — Marc Anthony	Marc Anthony	Safe
Alek & Lindsay	25 (9, 8, 8)	Contemporary	"Holding Out for a Hero" — Ella Mae Bowen	Chris Kyle	Safe
Andy & Allison	22 (8, 7, 7)	Viennese waltz	"Isn't She Lovely" — Stevie Wonder	Stevie Wonder & Kathryn Grammer	Eliminated
Alexa & Mark	25 (9, 8, 8)	Argentine tango	"Viva la Vida" — Coldplay	David	Safe
Nick & Sharna	30 (10, 10, 10)	Contemporary	"Can't Help Falling in Love" — Haley Reinhart	Lauren Kitt	Immunity
Bindi & Derek	28 (10, 9, 9)	Foxtrot	"Grace Kelly" — MIKA	Grace Kelly	Safe
Tamar & Val	28 (9, 9, 10)	Paso doble	"Born This Way" — Lady Gaga	Toni Braxton	Safe

Dance-offs
Couple	Dance	Music	Result
Carlos & Witney^{[lower-alpha 1]}	Jive	"Travelin' Band" — Creedence Clearwater Revival	Winners
Bindi & Derek^{[lower-alpha 2]}	Jive	"Travelin' Band" — Creedence Clearwater Revival	Losers
Alexa & Mark^{[lower-alpha 3]}	Cha-cha-cha	"Fun" — Pitbull, feat. Chris Brown	Winners
Tamar & Val^{[lower-alpha 4]}	Cha-cha-cha	"Fun" — Pitbull, feat. Chris Brown	Losers
Andy & Allison^{[lower-alpha 5]}	Samba	"Lean On" — Major Lazer & DJ Snake, feat. MØ	Winners
Alek & Lindsay	Samba	"Lean On" — Major Lazer & DJ Snake, feat. MØ	Losers

↑ Carlos & Witney received votes from all three judges.
↑ Bindi & Derek received the public vote (64%).
↑ Alexa & Mark received one vote from Carrie Ann, plus the public vote (76%).
↑ Tamar & Val received votes from Julianne and Bruno.
↑ Andy & Allison received votes from all three judges, plus the public vote (54%).

Week 9: Showstoppers Night

Couples performed one unlearned dance and a musical theater-inspired team-up dance with another couple, which involved the celebrities dancing side-by-side to the same song and receiving the same set of scores from the judges for the routine. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

During dress rehearsals, Tamar Braxton fell ill and was taken to the emergency room. She was unable to return for her contemporary dance; the judges' scores were based on dress rehearsal footage. Braxton did return in time for her team-up dance with Nick & Sharna. However, she subsequently withdrew from the competition after her doctors discovered pulmonary embolisms in her lungs.^[29]

Couple	Scores^[11]	Dance	Music	Result
Alek & Lindsay	24 (8, 8, 8)	Salsa	"Back It Up" — Prince Royce, feat. Jennifer Lopez & Pitbull	Safe
Alexa & Mark	30 (10, 10, 10)	Contemporary	"Make It Rain" — Ed Sheeran	Eliminated
Carlos & Witney	27 (9, 9, 9)	Argentine tango	"What Do You Mean?" — Justin Bieber	Safe
Bindi & Derek	30 (10, 10, 10)	Viennese Waltz	"Roses and Violets" — Alexander Jean	Safe
Tamar & Val	22 (8, 7, 7)	Contemporary	"Wicked Game" — James Vincent McMorrow	Safe (later withdrew)
Nick & Sharna	28 (9, 9, 10)	Quickstep	"A Cool Cat in Town" — Tape Five	Safe
Alek & Lindsay Carlos & Witney	24 (8, 8, 8)	Paso doble	"We Will Rock You" — Queen (from We Will Rock You)
Alexa & Mark Bindi & Derek	30 (10, 10, 10)	Charleston	"All That Jazz" & "Hot Honey Rag" — Kander and Ebb (from Chicago)
Nick & Sharna Tamar & Val	27 (9, 9, 9)	Rumba	"Hey Jude" — The Beatles (from Love)

Week 10: Semifinals

Couples performed one unlearned dance and a trio dance involving an eliminated pro or a pro from previous seasons. Midway through the show, the four couples participated in dance-offs, with the winners receiving three points to be added to their total scores. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Due to the unexpected withdrawal of Tamar Braxton earlier in the week, all four couples advanced directly to the finals.^[30]

Couple	Trio partner	Scores^[30]	Dance	Music
Bindi & Derek	Mark Ballas	27 (9, 9, 9)	Salsa	"You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" — Sia
Bindi & Derek	Mark Ballas	30 (10, 10, 10)	Jazz	"Resolve" — Nathan Lanier
Alek & Lindsay	Emma Slater	30 (10, 10, 10)	Waltz	"America the Beautiful" — Ray Chew
Alek & Lindsay	Emma Slater	27 (9, 9, 9)	Argentine tango	"Ex's & Oh's" — Elle King
Carlos & Witney	Karina Smirnoff	28 (9, 9, 10)	Contemporary	"Drag Me Down" — One Direction
Carlos & Witney	Karina Smirnoff	29 (9, 10, 10)	Charleston	"Booty Swing" — Parov Stelar
Nick & Sharna	Peta Murgatroyd	24 (8, 8, 8)	Tango	"Scars" — Alesso, feat. Ryan Tedder
Nick & Sharna	Peta Murgatroyd	30 (10, 10, 10)	Salsa	"No Doubt About It" — Jussie Smollett & Pitbull

Dance-offs
Couple	Dance	Music	Result
Carlos & Witney	Cha-cha-cha	"Fun" — Pitbull, feat. Chris Brown	Winners
Alek & Lindsay	Cha-cha-cha	"Fun" — Pitbull, feat. Chris Brown	Losers
Bindi & Derek	Samba	"Lean On" — Major Lazer & DJ Snake, feat. MØ	Winners
Nick & Sharna	Samba	"Lean On" — Major Lazer & DJ Snake, feat. MØ	Losers

Week 11: Finals

On the first night, couples danced a previously-learned style to a new song that was coached by one of the three judges, as well as a freestyle routine. On the second night, the final three couples performed a fusion dance that combined two dance styles. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Night 1

Couple	Scores^[13]	Dance	Music	Result
Carlos & Witney	30 (10, 10, 10)	Foxtrot	"The Hills" — The Weeknd	Eliminated
Carlos & Witney	30 (10, 10, 10)	Freestyle	"WTF (Where They From)" — Missy Elliott, feat. Pharrell Williams	Eliminated
Alek & Lindsay	27 (9, 9, 9)	Rumba	"The Pieces Don't Fit Anymore" — James Morrison	Safe
Alek & Lindsay	30 (10, 10, 10)	Freestyle	"Marchin On" — OneRepublic	Safe
Nick & Sharna	30 (10, 10, 10)	Jive	"Runaway Baby" — Bruno Mars	Safe
Nick & Sharna	30 (10, 10, 10)	Freestyle	"Larger Than Life" — Backstreet Boys	Safe
Bindi & Derek	30 (10, 10, 10)	Quickstep	"Dr. Bones" — Cherry Poppin' Daddies	Safe
Bindi & Derek	30 (10, 10, 10)	Freestyle	"Footprints in the Sand" — Leona Lewis	Safe

Night 2

Couple	Scores^[14]	Dance	Music	Result
Nick & Sharna	30 (10, 10, 10)	Salsa & Tango	"Turn Up the Music" — Chris Brown	Runners-up
Alek & Lindsay	27 (9, 9, 9)	Rumba & Tango	"A Sky Full of Stars" — Coldplay	Third place
Bindi & Derek	30 (10, 10, 10)	Argentine tango & Cha-cha-cha	"All the Way" — Timeflies	Winners

Dance chart

The couples performed the following each week:

Weeks 1–6: One unlearned dance
Week 7: One unlearned dance & team dance
Week 8: One unlearned dance & dance-offs
Week 9: One unlearned dance & team-up dance
Week 10 (Semifinals): One unlearned dance, dance-offs & trio dance
Week 11 (Finals, Night 1): Judge's choice & freestyle
Week 11 (Finals, Night 2): Fusion dance