Season thirty of Dancing with the Stars premiered on September 20, 2021, on the ABC network and streamed on Hulu and concluded on November 22, 2021. This was the final season to air solely on ABC before the series moved to Disney+ in 2022.
NBA shooting guard Iman Shumpert and Daniella Karagach were crowned the champions, while YouTube personality JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson finished in second place, Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby and Cheryl Burke finished in third place, and The Talk co-host Amanda Kloots and Alan Bersten finished in fourth.
Cast
Couples This season featured fifteen celebrity contestants. On August 26, 2021, during the virtual Television Critics Association summer press tour, it was revealed that Suni Lee and JoJo Siwa would be celebrity participants. On September 1, it was reported that Olivia Jade, Amanda Kloots, and Matt James would join them. Before the cast was officially revealed, TMZ reported that The Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore, NBA player Iman Shumpert, and actor Brian Austin Green would also compete. Mike "The Miz" Mizanin, Jimmie Allen, and Christine Chiu were also reported to be competing. The full roster of celebrity participants were officially revealed on Good Morning America on September 8.
The season's fifteen professional dancers, announced on September 2, had all performed on the show before, with Lindsay Arnold and Witney Carson returning after pregnancies. The lineup dropped Peta Murgatroyd and Keo Motsepe, who had competed in the previous season. For the first time in the series' history, one of the couples was same-sex: celebrity participant JoJo Siwa and professional dancer Jenna Johnson.
On September 10, 2021, it was announced that Sofia Ghavami and Ezra Sosa would be joining the show as professional dancers. Both dancers were showcased as part of the competing couples' dances throughout the season as well as opening numbers, and were also prepared to step in if a pro were unable to compete.
On September 26, professional dancer Cheryl Burke announced that she had tested positive for COVID-19 before the season's second episode and had to stay home and quarantine for 10 days. In the episode, Burke and her celebrity partner Cody Rigsby were judged on rehearsal footage. Rigsby tested positive for COVID-19 a few days later, though the two continued to compete, dancing together via live feed in their respective homes during week three. As of October 6, Burke was cleared to return to the ballroom, and Rigsby returned in-person during the first "Disney Week" episode.
Celebrity Notability Professional partner Status Film & television actor Eliminated 1st Bling Empire cast member Eliminated 2nd Television actor Eliminated 3rd The Bachelor star Eliminated 4th Spice Girls singer Eliminated 5th The Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member Eliminated 6th WWE wrestler Eliminated 7th Social media personality Eliminated 8th Country singer Eliminated 9th Film & television actress Eliminated 10th Olympic artistic gymnast Eliminated 11th The Talk co-host Fourth place Peloton instructor & fitness personality Third place YouTube personality, dancer & singer Runners-up NBA shooting guard Winners
Hosts and judges Alongside the season renewal announcement on March 30, 2021, it was revealed that Tyra Banks would return as host, with Len Goodman, Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli returning as judges. For this season, each of the four judges was allowed a single vote on which dancer they would like to save. In the event of a tie vote amongst the four judges, Len's vote was considered the tie-breaker. This rule change has caused some controversy in the way it's been explained on the show, as many saw this as Len having an unfair advantage in determining which dancer is eliminated. On November 16, a day after the semi-finals, Derek Hough announced that he tested positive with a breakthrough case of COVID-19. On November 22, 2021, it was announced Julianne Hough would fill in for her brother Derek as a guest judge for the finale.
Episodes
Scoring chart The highest score each week is indicated in . The lowest score each week is indicated in .
Color key:
+Dancing with the Stars (season 30) - Weekly scores Couple Week 1 2 1+23 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Iman & Daniella 1st 21 25 46 19 30 33 63 32+2=34 35 37+38=75 40+40= JoJo & Jenna 2nd 31 35 35 70 39 39+2=41 40+40= 40+40= Cody & Cheryl 3rd 24 24 48 27 31 58 32 36 34+2=36 38 35+36= 36+40= Amanda & Alan 4th 28 32 36 68 39 38 33+1=34 40+2= 39+40=79 38+40=78 Suni & Sasha 5th 28 28 56 21 33 35 68 36 36 33+1=34 40+2= 37+38=75 Melora & Artem 6th 26 27 53 23 36 34 36+2=38 40+2= 36+36=72 Jimmie & Emma 7th 22 27 49 20 30+2=32 35 67 34 38 38 Olivia & Val 8th 25 27 52 35 35 70 36 36 38+4=36 The Miz & Witney 9th 24 26 50 22 31 34 65 32 34 Kenya & Brandon 10th 26 24 50 21 29 30 59 36 Melanie & Gleb 11th 27 30 57 22 31 35 6636 Matt & Lindsay 12th 24 22 46 20 26 31 57 Brian & Sharna 13th 24 23 47 19 Christine & Pasha 14th 25 24 49 21 Martin & Britt 15th Notes
Weekly scores Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli.
Week 1: Premiere The official partnerships were revealed to the public during the live broadcast. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
CoupleScoresDanceMusic Melanie & Gleb 27 (7, 7, 6, 7) Cha-cha-cha "Wannabe" — Spice Girls The Miz & Witney 24 (6, 6, 6, 6) Cha-cha-cha "Butter" — BTS Iman & Daniella 21 (7, 4, 5, 5) Jive "Hey Ya!" — Outkast Olivia & Val 25 (7, 6, 6, 6) Salsa "Juice" — Lizzo Jimmie & Emma 22 (6, 5, 6, 5) Tango "The Way I Are" — Timbaland, feat. Keri Hilson Melora & Artem 26 (7, 6, 7, 6) Tango "Simply Irresistible" — Robert Palmer Suni & Sasha 28 (7, 7, 7, 7) Jive "Stay" — The Kid Laroi & Justin Bieber Cody & Cheryl 24 (6, 6, 6, 6) Tango "Physical" — Dua Lipa Amanda & Alan 28 (7, 7, 7, 7) Tango "Dance Again" — Jennifer Lopez & Pitbull Martin & Britt 13 (4, 3, 3, 3) Paso doble "You're the Best" — Joe Esposito Kenya & Brandon 26 (7, 6, 6, 7) Foxtrot "Kiss Me More" — Doja Cat, feat. SZA Christine & Pasha 25 (6, 7, 6, 6) Tango "Glamorous" — Fergie & Ludacris Matt & Lindsay 24 (6, 6, 6, 6) Cha-cha-cha "Give It to Me Baby" — Rick James Brian & Sharna 24 (6, 6, 6, 6) Foxtrot "Skate" — Silk Sonic JoJo & Jenna 29 (8, 7, 7, 7) Quickstep "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" — Jet
Week 2: First Elimination The couples performed one unlearned dance, and are listed in the order they performed.
Cheryl Burke tested positive for COVID-19 the day before the live show. As a result, Cody & Cheryl did not dance live and were instead judged on their studio rehearsal footage.
CoupleScoresDanceMusicResult Matt & Lindsay Samba "Levitating" — Dua Lipa Safe Olivia & Val 27 (7, 6, 7, 7) Viennese waltz "Better Days" — Ant Clemons & Justin Timberlake Safe Kenya & Brandon 24 (6, 6, 6, 6) Cha-cha-cha "Hot Stuff" — Donna Summer Safe The Miz & Witney 26 (7, 5, 7, 7) Tango "Nothin' but a Good Time" — Poison Safe Brian & Sharna 23 (6, 5, 6, 6) Rumba "Say You Won't Let Go" — James Arthur Safe Christine & Pasha 24 (6, 6, 6, 6) Salsa "Despacito" — Daddy Yankee & Luis Fonsi Bottom two Jimmie & Emma 27 (7, 6, 7, 7) Rumba "Make Me Want To" — Jimmie Allen Safe Amanda & Alan 32 (8, 8, 8, 8) Foxtrot "It Had to Be You" — Ray Chew Safe JoJo & Jenna 31 (8, 8, 7, 8) Cha-cha-cha "Rain on Me" — Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande Safe Iman & Daniella 25 (7, 6, 6, 6) Rumba "U Know What's Up" — Donell Jones Safe Martin & Britt 15 (4, 3, 4, 4) Cha-cha-cha "Twist and Shout" — The Isley Brothers Eliminated Melora & Artem 27 (7, 6, 7, 7) Rumba "All by Myself" — Celine Dion Safe Cody & Cheryl 24 (6, 6, 6, 6) Salsa "Don't Go Yet" — Camila Cabello Safe Melanie & Gleb 30 (7, 7, 8, 8) Foxtrot "Here Comes the Sun" — The Beatles Safe Suni & Sasha 28 (7, 7, 7, 7) Cha-cha-cha "I Like It" — Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin Safe Judges' votes to save Derek: Christine & Pasha Bruno: Christine & Pasha Carrie Ann: Christine & Pasha Len: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Christine & Pasha
Week 3: Britney Night Individual judges' scores in the chart below are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli.
The couples performed one unlearned dance to songs by pop artist Britney Spears. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Due to both Cody Rigsby and Cheryl Burke testing positive for COVID-19 and being in quarantine, their dance was performed via live feed from their respective homes. Derek Hough also missed the live show "out of an abundance of caution" because he had a "possible COVID-19 exposure," although his test came back negative.
CoupleScoresDanceBritney Spears musicResult Amanda & Alan 24 (8, 8, 8) Cha-cha-cha "Circus" Safe Iman & Daniella 19 (7, 6, 6) Tango "Piece of Me" Safe Christine & Pasha 21 (7, 7, 7) Paso doble "Stronger" Eliminated JoJo & Jenna 24 (8, 8, 8) Argentine tango "...Baby One More Time" Safe Kenya & Brandon 21 (7, 7, 7) Tango "Womanizer" Bottom two Brian & Sharna 19 (7, 6, 6) Tango "Till the World Ends" Safe Melora & Artem 23 (8, 7, 8) Cha-cha-cha "(You Drive Me) Crazy (The Stop! Remix)" Safe Melanie & Gleb 22 (7, 7, 8) Tango "Toxic" Safe Jimmie & Emma 20 (6, 6, 8) Salsa "Outrageous" Safe Olivia & Val 24 (8, 8, 8) Tango "Hold It Against Me" Safe Cody & Cheryl 18 (6, 6, 6) Jazz "Gimme More" Safe Suni & Sasha 21 (7, 7, 7) Foxtrot "I'm a Slave 4 U" Safe Matt & Lindsay 20 (7, 6, 7) Tango "Scream & Shout" (with will.i.am) Safe The Miz & Witney 22 (7, 7, 8) Salsa "Oops!... I Did It Again" Safe Judges' votes to save Bruno: Kenya & Brandon Carrie Ann: Kenya & Brandon Len: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Christine & Pasha
Week 4: Disney Week The couples had to prepare two new dances to be performed on two consecutive nights. On Monday, they performed routines inspired by heroes of Disney films, and on Tuesday, they performed routines inspired by villains. Each couple was also given the Mickey Dance Challenge, where they had to incorporate dance moves that were given to them from Mickey Mouse. The judges decided at the end of the night who they thought incorporated the moves the best in their dance. The winners, Jimmie and Emma, were awarded two extra points. No elimination took place on the first night, but a double elimination occurred on the second night. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Heroes Night CoupleScoresDanceMusicDisney film JoJo & Jenna 35 (9, 8, 9, 9) Viennese waltz "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" — Ilene Woods Cinderella Melanie & Gleb 31 (7, 8, 8, 8) Jazz "Step in Time" — Dick Van Dyke Mary Poppins Matt & Lindsay 26 (6, 6, 7, 7) Quickstep "The Incredits" — Michael Giacchino The Incredibles Jimmie & Emma Paso doble "I'll Make a Man Out of You" — Donny Osmond Mulan Amanda & Alan 32 (8, 8, 8, 8) Rumba "You'll Be in My Heart" — Phil Collins Tarzan Olivia & Val 35 (8, 9, 9, 9) Samba "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" — Jason Weaver, Rowan Atkinson & Laura Williams The Lion King The Miz & Witney 31 (8, 7, 8, 8) Quickstep "Friend Like Me" — Will Smith Aladdin 29 (7, 7, 8, 7) Contemporary "How Far I'll Go" — Auliʻi Cravalho Moana Brian & Sharna 25 (6, 6, 7, 6) Waltz "Someday My Prince Will Come" — Ray Chew Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Suni & Sasha 33 (8, 8, 9, 8) Salsa "Colombia, Mi Encanto" — Carlos Vives Encanto Melora & Artem 36 (9, 9, 9, 9) Quickstep "I Wan'na Be Like You" — Christopher Walken The Jungle Book Cody & Cheryl 27 (7, 6, 7, 7) Jive "Stand Out" — Tevin Campbell A Goofy Movie Iman & Daniella 30 (8, 6, 8, 8) Foxtrot "Let It Go" — Idina Menzel Frozen
Villains Night