Dedication night on “Dancing With the Stars” boosted the ABC competition series to its biggest non-finale audience in six years, TheWrap can reveal exclusively.
Tuesday’s episode, which saw the remaining 10 couples pay tribute to loved ones, brought in 7.36 million total viewers, according to Nielsen live-plus-same day figures.
Rising 12% over its previous week, which scored 6.59 million viewers, dedication night marked the biggest audience Season 35 has seen so far, as well as the biggest non-finale audience since the Season 29 premiere in 2020.
Impressively, the “Dancing With the Stars” audience outpaced that off the special NBA matchup between the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers, which brought in 5.98 million viewers on NBC. It also soared 17% past CBS’ “NCIS,” which brought a viewership of 6.30 million as it aired on Tuesday.
Dedication night builds on the weekly growth “Dancing With the Stars” has seen throughout its Season 35 run. Last week’s Super Bowl night scored 6.59 million viewers, rising 2% over the previous week and marking week-over-week growth for the fourth telecast in a row as well as a season high.
The season kicked off with its most-watched premiere in six years on its Tuesday debut and sustained the audience through Night 2 of its premiere with 6.44 million viewers.
Dedication night brought a handful of emotional performances, including Tyler Cameron’s tribute to his late mother that revealed his fiancée’s pregnancy and even the gender reveal.
Ezra Frech also devoted his performance to his mother, earning him the first 10 of the season from former pro Kym Johnson, who joined as a guest judge for the night.
There was no elimination during the tear-filled night, though the judges teased a double elimination next week as guest judge Shirley Ballas enters the ballroom.
“Dancing with the Stars,” which is produced by BBC Studios, continues next Tuesday, Oct. 27 with a spooky edition for “Horror Movie Night.” The show airs 8 p.m. on ABC and Disney+ and streams the next day on Hulu.
