Dancing With The Stars is celebrating 20 years – and week nine will honor their two decades on TV screens with a birthday party-themed celebration. The opening dance has been choreographed by judge Derek Hough and set to a reimagined live version of the Dancing with the Stars theme song, while familiar faces will also return to the ballroom. Ezra Sosa and Rylee Arnold will also perform a moving tribute to past professionals and celebrities who have passed over the years, dancing to “Always Remember Us This Way” by Lady Gaga.
Week eight’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame evening saw Danielle Fisher and her pro partner, Pasha Pashkov eliminated from the competition after the judges shared that they wanted more emotion from Danielle’s performances. Following her elimination, Danielle said the experience has been “truly been life changing and every single moment, including this one, has been joyous.” Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy, Robert Irwin and Witney Carson, Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas, Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach, Andy Richter and Emma Slater, Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten, and Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa all continue on in their quest for the 2025 Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.
© DisneyAlfonso and Julianne host DWTS
What is the DWTS theme week 9?
Dancing with the Stars week nine is a birthday party! The ABC show celebrates 20 years on TV screens with an opening dance choreographed by judge Derek Hough and set to a reimagined live version of the Dancing with the Stars theme song, composed by Ray Chew. Familiar faces will also return to the ballroom for the number, including six original pros from season one: Alec Mazo, Ashly DelGrosso, Louis van Amstel, Jonathan Roberts, Charlotte Jorgensen and Edyta Sliwinska.
The show will also pay tribute to the Dancing With The Stars performers that have passed over the years, with a performance choreographed and performed by Ezra Sosa and Rylee Arnold to “Always Remember Us This Way” by Lady Gaga.
© DisneyEzra (R) will perform a tribute to past dancers
There will be two rounds for each couple in week nine, with the first round seeing each couple showcase a new style of dance to their repertoire before the return if the Relay Dance competition which sees one couple perform the first half of a song, followed by a second couple who completes the second half. The judges then decide the winner of each relay, with the victorious couples of each relay earning two bonus points apiece.
The relay competition has previously been done on past DWTS seasons, but there’s a new twist this year: Rather than dance with the pro partner they’ve been performing with all season, each celebrity contestant will partner up with a previous celebrity Mirrorball champion for their dance:
- Alix Earle will dance with former The Bachelor star and season 33 champion, Joey Graziadei
- Robert Irwin will dance with actress and season 32 champion, Xochitl Gomez
- Dylan Efron will dance with actress and season 20 champion, Rumer Willis
- Andy Richter will dance with former The Bachelorette star and season 29 champion, Kaitlyn Bristowe
- Elaine Hendrix will dance with former NFL player and season 24 champion, Rashad Jennings
- Jordan Chiles will dance with former Olympic speed skater and season 4 champion, Apolo Anton Ohno
What songs and dance styles is DWTS doing on 20th Birthday Party Night?
The 20th Birthday Party songs and dances all stem from DWTS freestyle performances from seasons past. These dances will be reimagined into new dance styles, per ABC. Here’s what each star will be performing:
- Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy: Foxtrot to “Singin’ in the Rain” by Matthew Morrison (originally performed by TV host Nev Schulman and pro Jenna Johnson in season 29)
- Robert Irwin and Witney Carson: Foxtrot to “Footprints in the Sand” by Leona Lewis (originally performed by wildlife conservationist and Robert’s sister Bindi Irwin and pro Derek Hough in season 21)
- Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas: Argentine Tango to “Cell Block Tango” from “Chicago The Musical” (originally performed by The Bachelorette star Gabby Windey and pro Val Chmerkovskiy in season 31)
- Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach: Argentine Tango to “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers (originally performed by actor Milo Manheim and pro Witney Carson in season 27)
- Andy Richter and Emma Slater: Quickstep to “Puttin’ on the Ritz” by Robbie Williams (originally performed by actor Jordan Fisher and pro Lindsay Arnold in season 25)
- Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten: Salsa to “It Takes Two” by Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock (originally performed by actor and TV host Mario Lopez and pro Karina Smirnoff in season 3)
- Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa: Cha Cha to “Get Up” by Ciara featuring Chamillionaire (originally performed by actor Wayne Brady and pro Witney Carson in season 31)
© DisneyRobert (C) has been performing well
Who is the guest judge on DWTS for week 9?
The show is welcoming back former host Tom Bergeron as a guest judge. Tom was its inaugural host when it launched in 2005 until 2020, when he abruptly exited after speaking out against the show’s decision to cast President Donald Trump’s former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer.
Tom recently told The Hollywood Reporter that he agreed to come back to the show because executive producer Conrad Green, who worked on the show from season 1 to season 17, had returned last year and reached out to Tom to “extend an olive branch.” Tom added that if “the previous regime was still in charge of the show, [he] wouldn’t go back” and stands by his decision to speak out against the show casting political figures.
“What I get a kick out of is when every so often on social media, I’ll see somebody, like, ‘Well, if Tom hadn’t brought politics into the show, he wouldn’t have got fired.” It’s like: Guys, I was the one who was trying not to bring politics into the show,” Tom told THR. “Even when I released my statement, I was very careful not to mention a political party or Sean, because that wasn’t the issue. I even said to Sean, ‘If they had cast Hillary Clinton — I voted for her, I don’t want her on the show. We’re on the cusp of an election year, in 2019.’ It was the wrong move, and after having been assured they wouldn’t do something like that, for them to turn around and do it, that was just the last straw.”
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