Dancing with the Stars 34 Recap: 2025 Premiere Live Blog
Hey All! Welcome to the season thirty-four premiere of Dancing with the Stars. The glitter, spray tans, and cheeky routines are ready to go as this season celebrates the shows twentieth anniversary!
For those who don’t know me, my name is Frank. It’s been five years since I’ve had the pleasure of covering this show. My last season with you guys was twenty-nine! I think this is going to be a really fun and competitive season. I thank MJ for allowing me back and I look forward to engaging with you guys.
Tonight, 14 new celebrities take to the dance floor for the first time with their professional partners. They are tasked with performing either a cha-cha-cha, jive, salsa, or tango.
As always, the judges will score the dances and those totals will be combined with viewer votes to determine who stays and who gets eliminated. The stars don’t have to worry tonight about an elimination though, as everyone will return to dance next week.
Carrie Ann Inaba will NOT be at the judges table this evening as she is feeling under the weather. She will return next week.
We begin with a very fun and energetic opening routine featuring all of our professional dancers. Derek and Bruno arrive as do our hosts, Alfonso and Julianne. Dancing for everyone! Bruno already camping it up. That routine was choreographed by Ray Leeper.
Time to bring out the stars and get the competition going.
Jordan & Ezra – Salsa
WOW. Talk about starting off with a bang. Clearly, Ezra leaned into Jordan’s gymnast abilities here. Lifts and spins you definitely never see during the first week. But she nailed them. It would have been nice to see a bit more salsa in there though. She’s definitely got natural ability (of course she does) so I am looking for dance quality now within the styles.
Derek loved the flips and tricks. He wants Jordan to recognize the dance more in the coming weeks. Bruno notes some of the dismounts were a little wobbly. He says it was a very good first performance.
Derek- 5, Bruno- 5 = 10/20
VOTE for Jordan & Ezra at dwtsvote.abc.com and/or via texting JORDAN to 21523. Note- only US residents can vote using text method.
Derek mentioned the scores are going to be a bit lower tonight than expected to leave room for growth. Keep that in mind because there’s no way that dance was a five under normal circumstances. A six to seven would have been appropriate. But let’s see how they score the others.
Dylan & Daniella – Cha-Cha-Cha
Nice! Dylan also starts out quite strong in the rhythm department. He could be a tad stiff at times but that will ease up as he dances more. I really enjoyed the amount of cha-cha-cha that Danielle put in here and she mixed it up enough with some contemporary material that showed off Dylan’s personality.
Bruno loved the butt shaking. He thought some moments were very good but he got on and off time throughout. Derek was pleasantly surprised. He saw fluidity but agrees about the timing. He thinks he needs to step into the leading role more.
Derek- 5, Bruno- 5 = 10/20
VOTE for Dylan & Daniella at dwtsvote.abc.com and/or via texting DYLAN to 21523. Note- only US residents can vote using text method.
Elaine & Alan – Cha-Cha-Cha
Yes, Elaine has dance experience. That’s a given and it shows. But still, she has to be complimented for this routine. Alan did not go easy on her with those steps and she kept up. Loved her personality shining throughout and you could tell she is having a really good time. We have a few stars this season with previous dance training so it will be interesting to see how she measures up against others.
Derek calls Elaine amazing. He saw a Broadway quality. He wants her to finish her arms and straighten the back of her knee. Bruno loves how she played it. He agrees that she needs to finish the movements and watch her shoulders.
Derek- 6, Bruno- 6 = 12/20
VOTE for Elaine & Alan at dwtsvote.abc.com and/or via texting ELAINE to 21523. Note- only US residents can vote using text method.
Whitney & Mark – Tango
It is so good to have Mark back on the show. He always brings the best out in his partners with amazing routines. Whitney is a very solid dancer already. She had a really good frame throughout that and kept up with the music and the rhythm of a classic tango. I was impressed by how easily that routine flowed. Quite good.
Bruno loved the dancing and the acting. He appreciated the content from Mark. Derek calls it beautiful. He wants her to definitely keep up the frame and says Carrie Ann would have loved that.
Derek- 7, Bruno- 8 = 15/20
VOTE for Whitney & Mark at dwtsvote.abc.com and/or via texting WHITNEY to 21523. Note- only US residents can vote using text method.
Baron & Britt – Cha-Cha-Cha
I was nervous after watching the rehearsal package but Baron was decent. A bit messy in parts but he totally kept up with the steps and grooved to MC Hammer. That smile of his is infectious and you just want to root for him to succeed. For a first dance from someone with no dance experience, he did a fine job.
Derek says he crushed it and it was so much fun. He tells him it was a great first dance with a lot of potential. Bruno loved the MC Hammer references but wanted more cha-cha-cha steps with no heel leads.
Derek- 5, Bruno- 5 = 10/20
VOTE for Baron & Britt at dwtsvote.abc.com and/or via texting BARON to 21523. Note- only US residents can vote using text method.
Alix & Val – Cha-Cha-Cha
That was really good but I would caution Alix to up the performance aspect of the routine. Otherwise, it just looks like memorized steps without emotion. Val is a good partner who loves to do flashy routines so it will be up to her to match his energy and to make it look as dynamic as it should.
Bruno says she is stunning. He tells her to watch the fluidity and continuity. He wants her to play off her partner. Derek says it was sharp and clean. He tells to watch that precision doesn’t turn to stiffness.
Derek- 7, Bruno- 6 = 13/20
VOTE for Alix & Val at dwtsvote.abc.com and/or via texting ALIX to 21523. Note- only US residents can vote using text method.
Scott & Rylee – Tango
That was fun. Scott needs to watch that frame and learn to tuck his butt under more. Sometimes, he sticks it out too far and it results in the frame looking a little wonky. He definitely has potential and Rylee will be a good partner for him. This was a solid first outing.
Derek was impressed. He cautions him that the arms were an issue- we need to get the fundamentals in. Bruno wanted more tango and wanted it refined. He feels it was a little bit messy.
Derek- 5, Bruno- 5 = 10/20
VOTE for Scott & Rylee at dwtsvote.abc.com and/or via texting SCOTT to 21523. Note- only US residents can vote using text method.
Danielle & Pasha – Tango
Topanga can dance. Who knew? That was a very appropriate tango. As in, Pasha made sure it looked like a legit tango with all the steps you expect. Danielle held her frame pretty well for the most part. I saw a few moments where she looked a bit scared of what was happening but it could just be opening night nerves.
Bruno says well done. He loves her sense of movement. He cautions her to check her shoulder line. Derek says it was beautiful to watch. He agrees with Bruno about the shoulders.
Derek- 6, Bruno- 6 = 12/20
VOTE for Danielle & Pasha at dwtsvote.abc.com and/or via texting Danielle to 21523. Note- only US residents can vote using text method.
I don’t know what is going on at the judges table tonight but Derek and Bruno are a hot mess during scoring. Alfonso jokes that they desperately need Carrie Ann back next week!
Jen & Jan – Salsa
Damn! That was sexy. Like Jordan at the top of the show, there were a lot of lifts and tricks in there. But the difference here was that I saw more salsa steps, especially side by side. And Jen plays up the performance factor really well. This was really strong for a first week dance.
Derek cannot believe Jen just had a baby. He welcomes Jan to the show and just noted that the lifts slowed the dance down a bit. Bruno wanted more steps. He too felt the lifts stop the fluidity of the dance.
Derek- 6, Bruno- 6 = 12/20
VOTE for Jen & Jan at dwtsvote.abc.com and/or via texting JEN to 21523. Note- only US residents can vote using text method.
Corey & Jenna – Tango
Well, it could have been a lot worse. It wasn’t good but it wasn’t a disaster. Corey needs to work on everything but especially refining those steps and working on his posture. Jenna gave him a nice little solo section but you can tell it was basically to give him a break from the technical side of the dance. He needs work. I think it is safe to say Jenna will not be repeating as champion this season.
Bruno says Corey put his own personal spin on it. He tells him to work on the technique. Derek calls him a Hollywood icon and wants him to work on everything when it comes to the dancing.
Derek- 4, Bruno- 5 = 9/20
VOTE for Corey & Jenna at dwtsvote.abc.com and/or via texting COREY to 21523. Note- only US residents can vote using text method.
Lauren & Brandon – Tango
What a nicely done tango there. A lot of great steps in hold with good frame and then some very cool side by side action with Brandon. You could tell that attention to detail was taken in Brandon’s choreography. He definitely gave Lauren a proper tango to show her off for the first time.
Derek says it was elegant and sophisticated. He felt it was wonderful and wants her to just stick the landings better. Bruno loves the fluidity. He wants her to continue that and always finish moves cleanly.
Derek- 7, Bruno- 6 = 13/20
VOTE for Lauren & Brandon at dwtsvote.abc.com and/or via texting LAUREN to 21523. Note- only US residents can vote using text method.
Andy & Emma – Cha-Cha-Cha
Oh boy. Well, the good news is that Andy really didn’t miss any steps. I didn’t see him go wrong or make any glaring errors. The problem is that all of it was pretty darn basic, slow, and sloppy. It was a cha-cha-cha made for someone who really can’t do a cha-cha-cha. Emma is trying with the humor but it’s definitely a tough one.
Bruno loved the spirit of the dance but the body of the dance wasn’t there. He says to work on the timing. Derek says everyone is rooting for him. He agrees that the dancing needs work.
Derek- 5, Bruno- 4 = 9/20
VOTE for Andy & Emma at dwtsvote.abc.com and/or via texting ANDY to 21523. Note- only US residents can vote using text method.
Hilaria & Gleb – Cha-Cha-Cha
Yeah, that previous dance experience is an understatement. You could tell just by seeing how she tackles her arms and hands that she has had a big past in dance. Of course, it was a solid routine with good content and done very well. Now it is time to work on that partnership and bring up the performance quality so it feels more like an organic pairing and not teacher and well rehearsed student.
Derek says it was sharp and precise. He mentions her experience but says it is great to see her here. Bruno says Hilaria went for it. He calls it delicious and cannot wait to see what more she does.
Derek- 7, Bruno- 7 = 14/20
VOTE for Hilaria & Gleb at dwtsvote.abc.com and/or via texting HILARIA to 21523. Note- only US residents can vote using text method.
Robert & Witney – Jive
Okay Bindi. You won this show and your brother is coming now to do the same. That was pretty spectacular. The jive is not easy for a first dance and those kicks and flicks were on point. Kudos to Witney who just knows how to put together dynamite routines for her partners. Dare I say that was the best overall routine of the night.
Bruno says it wasn’t good- it was great. He loved the kicks and flicks. Derek is so relieved because Robert has big shoes to fill and feels it was one of the best first dances he has ever seen on the show.
Derek- 8, Bruno- 7 = 15/20
VOTE for Robert & Witney at dwtsvote.abc.com and/or via texting ROBERT to 21523. Note- only US residents can vote using text method.
Uh-oh. A DOUBLE ELIMIANTION next week. We are starting off the season with a bang. One hit wonders is the theme with songs that you can’t get out of your head. Thanks to everyone who followed along with me tonight and those who read the blog. See y’all next Tuesday night.
Judges Scores For Week 1 (Out of 20)
Robert & Witney – 15
Whitney & Mark – 15
Hilaria & Gleb – 14
Alix & Val – 13
Lauren & Brandon – 13
Danielle & Pasha – 12
Elaine & Alan – 12
Jen & Jan – 12
Baron & Britt – 10
Dylan & Daniella – 10
Jordan & Ezra – 10
Scott & Rylee – 10
Andy & Emma – 9
Corey & Jenna – 9