Press release - Primetime – Unscripted

October 10, 2024

‘Dancing With the Stars’ Shines Bright on ‘Dedication Night,’ Oct. 15

Three-Time Mirrorball Champion Mark Ballas
Returns to the Ballroom as Guest Judge

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“Dedication Night” – The nine remaining couples take to the ballroom floor to honor influential figures/institutions in their lives through heartfelt performances. Special guest judge Mark Ballas lends his expertise, then Derek and Hayley Hough celebrate her triumphant return to the ballroom with a moving routine to “Beautiful Things (Acoustic)” by Benson Boone. “Dedication Night” premieres TUESDAY, OCT. 15 (8:00-10:01 p.m. EDT/PDT, 7:00-9:01 p.m. CDT), simulcasting LIVE across both ABC and Disney+ in local time zones and next day on Hulu.

This week, judges will visit the couples during rehearsals to assess their progress as we near the halfway point in the competition and offer feedback on how they can improve to enhance their chances of winning the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. Partner dances will include the Contemporary, Viennese Waltz, Rumba, Salsa, Argentine Tango and Foxtrot.

Fans will be able to vote during the live simulcast of the show in the ET/CT time zones. During this time, online voting will be available to fans in any time zone in the U.S., its territories and Canada via dwtsvote.abc.com, and fans on participating U.S. wireless carriers can also vote via SMS/text (fans in Canada cannot vote via SMS/text). Live viewer votes from the night will be combined with the judges’ scores to determine who may be in jeopardy of elimination.

The couples (along with their dance styles and songs) are the following:

  • Super Bowl Champion Danny Amendola and pro Witney Carson will perform a Contemporary to “Unsteady (Erich Lee Gravity Remix)” by X Ambassadors and dedicating the routine to former NCAA head football coach Mike Leach.
  • “The Bachelor” Joey Graziadei and pro Jenna Johnson will perform a Viennese Waltz to “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims and dedicating the routine to Joey’s fiancée, Kelsey Anderson.
  • NBA Champion Dwight Howard and pro Daniella Karagach will perform a Rumba to “Shoot For The Stars” by Dwight Howard and dedicating the routine to Dwight’s children.
  • TV star Chandler Kinney and pro Brandon Armstrong will perform a Contemporary to “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack and dedicating the routine to Chandler’s mother.
  • Olympian rugby player Ilona Maher and pro Alan Bersten will perform a Rumba to “My Way” by Yseult and dedicating the routine to Ilona’s U.S. women’s national rugby sevens team.
  • Model and cover girl Brooks Nader and pro Gleb Savchenko will perform a Salsa to “Mi Gente” by J Balvin & Willy William and dedicating the routine to Brooks’ sisters.
  • Olympian gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik and pro Rylee Arnold will perform an Argentine Tango to “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes and dedicating the routine to men’s gymnastics.
  • Reality royalty Phaedra Parks and pro Val Chmerkovskiy will perform a Rumba to “Because You Loved Me” by Céline Dion and dedicating the routine to Phaedra’s mother.
  • “The Bachelorette” Jenn Tran and pro Sasha Farber will perform a Foxtrot to “The Archer” by Taylor Swift and dedicating the routine to Taylor Swift.

“Dancing with the Stars” is the hit series cohosted by Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough in which celebrities are paired with trained ballroom dancers to compete in themed choreographed dance routines that are judged by a panel of renowned ballroom experts, including Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough.

The show is produced in front of a live audience by BBC Studios Los Angeles Productions.

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Media Contacts:
ABC
Lauren Milovich
lauren.milovich@abc.com

Disney+
Shelby Cotten
shelby.b.cotten@disney.com 

BBC Studios
Holly Taylor
Holly.Taylor@bbc.com