The stars showed up and out for the “Dancing With the Stars” 20th birthday celebration Tuesday night.
Mirrorball winners and competitors from past seasons filled the ballroom to honor the dance competition series that has since become a family. The episode opened with a routine to the series’ iconic theme song. The six original professional dancers from Season 1 kicked off the night’s festivities before joining the season’s current professional dancers in a dance, choreographed by Derek Hough.
Longtime host Tom Bergeron returned to the series to guest judge after his tense 2019 exit. Six mirrorball champions joined the Season 34 stars for a relay round of competition in addition to the night’s dances down memory lane. The episode came to a bittersweet end as the competition bid farewell to fan favorite Andy Richter and his partner, Emma Slater.
Elaine Hendrix opened the birthday party show with a high-energy salsa to “It Takes Two” by Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock. Her routine was inspired by Mario Lopez and his partner Karina’s mirrorball-winning freestyle routine and their fiery chemistry. Bergeron acknowledged his bias when scoring Hendrix’s routine before jumping out of his seat and hugging the “Parent Trap” actress. Bruno Tonioli said the routine went down like fine champagne. And, while Hough thought the routine delivered, he warned fans at home that the competition was leveling up for the quarter finals.
Robert Irwin performed an emotional tribute to his late father, Steve Irwin, inspired by his sister Bindi’s past foxtrot to “Footprints in the Sand.” The wildlife conservationist had to cancel on Prince William to keep competing on the series. In return Irwin received a special phone call from the prince, where he wished Irwin and his “twinkle toes” well while he missed him in Rio. The touching foxtrot exemplified elegance and ended as his sister joined him on the ballroom floor. Carson surprised her partner with a projection of him and his father to end the routine. Carrie Ann Inaba put her lift police protocol to the side before awarding the couple the first perfect score of the season.
The “people’s princess” Andy Richter impressed the judges with his quickstep to “Puttin’ on the Ritz.” Though the comedian was initially intimidated by the dance style, he embraced it with open arms in the ninth week of the competition. Ready to be a salesman, Richter impressed Inaba with his “courage” to take on this competition in his late 50s. Bergeron said that when he competed a quickstep on Season 2, Len Goodman said it would be better suited for “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” He added “Len would’ve loved yours.”
Dylan Efron became the king of the Argentine tango with his routine to “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers. The spicy routine with his partner Daniella Karagach paid homage to Milo Manheim and Witney Carson’s performance. “That was your breakthrough moment by a long shot,” Hough told the reality star, calling his improvement astonishing. Inaba echoed the sentiment and said Efron’s Argentine tango was the best she’s seen from a male competitor in the show’s 20-year history. After receiving his first perfect score, Efron said that was the first dance he really felt proud of.
Olympian Jordan Chiles was not messing around for the 20th birthday celebration. The lifelong fan of the show was eager to perform her first cha cha on the series to “Get Up” by Ciara, which was inspired by Wayne Brady’s performance. Her fierce routine caused Bergeron to ask production to turn the air conditioning up. “You definitely brought sexy back into the cha cha cha,” Tonioli told the gymnast. Hough was impressed by the texture of her movement, but Inaba wanted the Olympian to watch her shoulders.
Alix Earle brought sophistication and class to the ballroom with her foxtrot to “Singin’ in the Rain.” After receiving a near perfect score last week, the social media star said she finally felt confident in her abilities. “I think I’ve entered ballroom heaven,” Tonioli said of her routine that captivated the glamour of the Golden Age of Hollywood. The judges table was full of praise for the TikTok personality calling her routine “flawless” before giving her a perfect score. Inaba commended Earle for letting herself fully surrender to the process.
Whitney Leavitt owned the dancefloor with her commanding Argentine tango to “Cell Block Tango” from “Chicago.” Though the “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star found the style more challenging, the reality star nailed her theatrical tango. Inaba hinted that the reality star could make a career as a dancer professionally. Hough said her routine was “dripping in elegance and control” while Tonioli called Leavitt the “best dancer tonight” before giving the couple the night’s fourth perfect score.
After the night’s main round of competition completed, six of the seven competitors prepared for the relay round, dancing for two additional points to add to their final score. Leavitt and Mark Ballas received immunity last week, so they did not have to participate in the relay dances. They automatically received two bonus points as part of their immunity. Each Season 34 competitor was paired with a former mirrorball champion, dancing without a professional partner for the first time in the series’ history.
Chiles and Hendrix competed against one another with a quickstep to “I Get a Kick Out of You.” The Olympic gymnast was paired up with fellow Team USA member Apolo Anton Ohno. The “Parent Trap” star danced with NFL star Rashad Jennings. The judges commended each duo for their unique take on the style but ultimately gave the bonus points to team Chiles.
Efron and Richter went head to head competing a spicy Viennese Waltz to The Weeknd’s “Earned It.” The reality star was paired with Season 20 champion Rumer Willis, and the comedian danced with “Bachelorette” star Kaitlyn Bristowe. Richter wowed with his washboard abs graphic tee, but the judges gave the extra points to Efron for his chemistry and strength with Willis.
We just want to dance with these pairs all night! What a fun Jive Relay from Robert Irwin & Xochitl Gomez and Alix Earle & Joey Graziadei! 🕺✨ #DWTS20 #DWTS pic.twitter.com/dQsJc2rKWC
— Dancing with the Stars #DWTS (@officialdwts) November 12, 2025
Finally, Irwin and Earle rounded out the night of competition with the toughest relay round of the night. Irwin danced with Season 32 winner Xochitl Gomez, while Earle danced with last season’s winner Joey Grazadei. The duos danced a jive to “Dance With Me Tonight” by Olly Murs. Tonioli said the winner would truly be a question of taste, but the judges panel chose Irwin as the winner of the relay round.
See the week’s full leaderboard below.
LEADERBOARD: Week 9
- Whitney Leavitt & Mark Ballas: 42
- Dylan Efron & Daniella Karagach: 42
- Robert Irwin & Witney Carson: 42
- Alix Earle & Val Chmerkovskiy: 40
- Jordan Chiles & Ezra Sosa: 39
- Elaine Hendrix & Alan Bersten: 36
- Andy Richter & Emma Slater: 29
“Dancing With the Stars” airs live on Tuesdays on ABC and streams on Disney+ in local time zones and the next day on Hulu.
