Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas have disappointed Dancing With the Stars fans after their highly anticipated giveaway came to an abrupt end. The duo announced on Oct. 23 that they would be gifting tickets to the live DWTS show — only to later share that the contest had been shut down by network executives.
“DWTS LIVE SHOW GIVEAWAY,””” Leavitt, 32, initially wrote in a TikTok post that quickly racked up views before being deleted. Fans were thrilled at the chance to attend the ballroom competition in person, but less than a day later, Ballas, 39, returned to social media with his partner with an unfortunate update.
“This has come directly from ABC and BBC and is completely out of our hands,” Ballas explained in the TikTok.
Reactions poured in from disappointed followers. “But I already packed my bag??” one fan joked.
Another wrote, “The way I thought I hallucinated that TikTok,” referencing the missing post. Others questioned why the giveaway wasn’t cleared first, with one commenter saying: “Why would you not run this past ABC first?”
Many fans speculated that giving away tickets could violate the competition rules.
“It would be like bribing the audience,” one TikTok user pointed out. “Of course they aren’t allowed to do that. It’s a competition.”
Leavitt concluded the update with a promise to fans. “It just really sucks because Mark and I wanted to do something really special for you guys that have shown us so much support,” she said, adding that they’ll “get creative” and come up with another way to thank the people who have been voting for them every week.
“Maybe do a giveaway to the SLOMW premiere or something!” one follower suggested — an idea Leavitt enthusiastically replied to: “Oooooo wait this is a great idea!!!!”
Despite the setback, many fans expressed appreciation for the couple’s transparency. “I know Mark and Whitney did this with the best of intentions,” one Redditor wrote. “I feel terrible that this had to unfold this way.”
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This story was originally reported by Parade on Oct 24, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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