<\/p>\n
Whitney Leavitt\u2019s appearance on Call Her Daddy <\/em>has ignited heated debate online after the former Dancing With the Stars<\/a><\/em> contestant performed the freestyle routine she never got to showcase on the series.<\/p>\n Leavitt, 32, best known from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives<\/em> <\/a>and a founding member of \u201cMomTok,\u201d competed on Season 34 of DWTS<\/em> alongside professional dancer Mark Ballas, 39. The couple came under a lot of viral<\/a> scrutiny as the popular show earned a comeback thanks to the online explosion of the latest series.<\/p>\n Her background in modern dance\u2014which she studied at Brigham Young University\u2014had already divided viewers, with some arguing she had an unfair advantage over less-experienced contestants.<\/p>\n Despite the criticism, Leavitt delivered standout performances throughout the season. By Week 8, she and Ballas topped the leaderboard and earned immunity during the team dance relay. But their momentum wasn\u2019t enough to carry them to the finale: the pair were voted off during the semifinals on November 18, 2025, finishing in sixth place.<\/p>\n The final aired on November 25, with Robert Irwin and Witney Carson crowned winners.<\/p>\n Newsweek <\/em>reached out to representatives for Whitney Leavitt, Mark Ballas, Call Her Daddy<\/em> and Dancing<\/em> With The Stars.<\/em><\/p>\n On Wednesday’s episode of Call Her Daddy<\/em>, host Alex Cooper interviewed Leavitt live at Hollywood\u2019s Avalon Theater. In a surprise twist\u2014and a first for the podcast\u2014Leavitt returned to the stage after the sit-down for a full performance of the freestyle she and Ballas had prepared for the DWTS<\/em> finale, dancing to Frank Sinatra\u2019s \u201cMy Way.\u201d<\/p>\n On social media longtime DWTS<\/em> fans clashed over whether it was appropriate for Leavitt to unveil a freestyle after elimination.<\/p>\n \u201cIs anyone bothered by Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas doing their freestyle on Call Her Daddy<\/em>?\u201d wrote Kristen Hainkel. \u201cIn almost 20 years of watching the show, I\u2019ve never seen anyone perform a freestyle elsewhere if they didn\u2019t make the final. You didn\u2019t get to do it. That\u2019s how it works.\u201d<\/p>\n Others argued the move wasn\u2019t unprecedented, citing past finalists and fan favorites who have performed unreleased routines on other platforms.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been done before,\u201d one user noted, pointing to Olivia Jade and Val Chmerkovskiy. \u201cBut I wish they\u2019d waited a day or two\u2014it wasn\u2019t even 24 hours after Robert was announced winner. It took attention away from him.\u201d<\/p>\n Ballas joined the second half of the Call Her Daddy<\/em> interview, where he and Leavitt spoke candidly about their shock at being eliminated despite two near-perfect scores<\/p>\n Cooper asked the question many fans had been debating: Why did America send them home?<\/p>\n Leavitt offered a theory rooted in her polarizing presence on The Secret Lives of Mormon<\/a> Wives<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I was speculating, I\u2019d say maybe Secret Lives<\/em>,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was such a huge divide \u2014 you either really loved me for that or you really hated me. So maybe it swayed some people.\u201d<\/p>\n Ballas refrained from placing blame.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes, this s*** happens,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n However, both acknowledged a voting tactic circulating among some online communities: encouraging viewers to vote for every other couple in order to indirectly push Leavitt and Ballas out.<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t the first time an amazing performer has been eliminated early,\u201d Ballas added. \u201cBut this is the first time I feel like it\u2019s happened with the new TikTok and Instagram hype.\u201d<\/p>\n The pair also revisited the recent controversy surrounding a now-deleted TikTok in which they offered fans a chance to win two live show tickets in exchange for engagement on the post. ABC and the BBC requested the video be removed over concerns it could be interpreted as incentivized voting.<\/p>\n Ballas admitted he should have cleared the idea first.<\/p>\n \u201cIn hindsight, I probably should\u2019ve checked,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve given away tickets before. It was two seats\u2014just meant to be fun. There was no \u2018prove you voted for us.\u2019 It got blown up way bigger than we expected.\u201d<\/p>\n Amid criticism, others expressed sympathy for the pair and frustration over the intensity of online vitriol.<\/p>\n \u201cThe sheer hatred these two have endured this season is disgusting,\u201d wrote viewer Anam. \u201cWhether it\u2019s Whitney or Alix or Jordan or Robert\u2014this kind of hate is unforgivable.\u201d<\/p>\n Another fan, McKay Findlay, added:<\/p>\n \u201cI love Whitney even more. Her ambition is inspiring. So much of the hate she receives seeps misogyny.\u201d<\/p>\n Leavitt addressed the double-standard and misogyny on the show. She told Cooper: “If I was a man then, yeah, I think it would have been fine. I think they would have would have said, ‘F*** yeah, you go after that.”<\/p>\nA Freestyle Beyond the Ballroom<\/h2>\n
Fans Say the Freestyle Broke Unwritten DWTS<\/em> Etiquette<\/h2>\n
Leavitt and Ballas Break Down Their Elimination<\/h2>\n
Addressing the Ticket Giveaway Scandal<\/h2>\n
Supporters Push Back Against ‘Hate’<\/h2>\n
Leavitt Confronts Her ‘Villain’ Label<\/h2>\n