Season twenty-three of '' Dancing with the Stars'' premiered on September 12, 2016, on the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

network. On November 22, 2016, Olympic gymnast

Laurie Hernandez Lauren Zoe Hernandez (born June 9, 2000) is an American artistic gymnast. During her debut year as a senior gymnast, she competed as a member of the U.S. women's gymnastics team dubbed the " Final Five" at the 2016 Summer Olympics; Ultimately, ...

and

Valentin Chmerkovskiy Valentin Aleksandrovich "Val" Chmerkovskiy ( uk, Валентин Олександрович "Вал" Чмерковський; born March 24, 1986) is a Ukrainian-American professional dancer, best known for his appearances on the U.S. version ...

were announced the winners, while IndyCar driver

James Hinchcliffe James Douglas Meredith Hinchcliffe (born December 5, 1986) is a Canadian race car driver and commentator best known for competing in the IndyCar Series. Hinchcliffe won six races for Andretti Autosport and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. In 2015, ...

and

Sharna Burgess Sharna May Burgess (born 21 June 1985) is an Australian ballroom dancer who is best known for being a professional partner and troupe member on the ABC series '' Dancing with the Stars''. She is the winner of season 27 of American televisio ...

finished in second place, and Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson Jr. and

Lindsay Arnold Lindsay Arnold Cusick (born January 11, 1994) is an American professional Latin dance, Latin and ballroom dancer. She was a contestant on ''So You Think You Can Dance (American TV series), So You Think You Can Dance''. She is a professional danc ...

finished third.

Cast

Couples

The first eight professional dancers were revealed on '' Good Morning America'' on August 23, 2016:

Witney Carson Witney Capri Carson McAllister (née Carson; born October 17, 1993) is an American professional Latin ballroom dancer and choreographer. She first gained attention in 2012, when the 18-year-old finished ladies' second runner-up in season nine o ...

Artem Chigvintsev Artem Vladimirovich Chigvintsev (russian: Артём Влади́мирович Чи́гвинцев; born 12 June 1982) is a Russian-American professional dancer, specializing in Latin dancing. Chigvintsev was a cast member of '' Burn the F ...

Val Chmerkovskiy Valentin Aleksandrovich "Val" Chmerkovskiy ( uk, Валентин Олександрович "Вал" Чмерковський; born March 24, 1986) is a Ukrainian-American professional dancer, best known for his appearances on the U.S. version ...

Sasha Farber Sacha, Sasha, Sascha, or ''variant'' may refer to: People * Sasha (name), includes list of people with the name and the variants Sascha or Sacha Musicians * Sasha (DJ) (born 1969), born Alexander Coe * Sasha (German singer) (born 1972), born Sa ...

Allison Holker Allison Renae Holker (born February 6, 1988) is an American dancer, choreographer, and actress. Holker has worked in film, television, and concert tours. She is known for appearances on the television dance competition '' So You Think You Can Da ...

, and

Gleb Savchenko Gleb Savchenko (russian: Глеб Савченко; born 16 September 1983) is a Russian-American dancer, choreographer, and model, who is currently a professional dancer on the U.S. version of '' Dancing with the Stars''. He previously appear ...

. Later, other returning dancers were announced:

Emma Slater Emma Slater (born December 25, 1988) is an English-American professional dancer and choreographer. She is best known for her appearances on ''Dancing with the Stars''. Personal life Emma Slater was raised in Tamworth, Staffordshire, England, ...

Maksim Chmerkovskiy Maksim "Maks" Aleksandrovich Chmerkovskiy ( uk, Максим Олександрович Чмерковський ; born January 17, 1980) is a Ukrainian-American Latin–ballroom dance champion, choreographer, and instructor. He is widely known ...

Derek Hough Derek Bruce Hough (; born May 17, 1985) is an American professional Latin and ballroom dancer, choreographer, actor and singer. From 2007 to 2016, Hough was a professional dancer on the ABC dance competition series ''Dancing with the Stars'', w ...

, and

Cheryl Burke Cheryl Burke (born May 3, 1984) is an American dancer, model, and television host. She is best known for being a professional dancer on ABC's ''Dancing with the Stars''. She was the first female professional to win the show and the first prof ...

Jenna Johnson Jenna Leigh Johnson (born September 11, 1967) is an American former competition swimmer and Olympic gold medalist. As a 16-year-old, Johnson represented the United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. She won three m ...

was the only new pro this season, having previously been a member of the troupe.

Keo Motsepe Keoikantse Motsepe (born 24 November 1989) is a South African dancer. His dancing styles are Latin and Ballroom. He is known for being the first black professional dancer on the ABC show ''Dancing with the Stars''. Life and career Motsepe sta ...

returned, but as a member of the show's dance troupe. The full cast of celebrities and pros was revealed on August 30, 2016, on ''Good Morning America''.

Hosts and judges

Tom Bergeron Thomas Raymond Bergeron (born May 6, 1955) is an American television personality, game show host, comedian and actor, best known for hosting ''Hollywood Squares'' from 1998 to 2004, ''America's Funniest Home Videos'' from 2001 to 2015, and ''Danci ...

and

Erin Andrews Erin Jill Andrews (born May 4, 1978) is an American sportscaster, television personality, and actress. She rose to prominence as a correspondent on the American cable sports channel ESPN after joining the network in 2004. She later joined Fox S ...

returned as hosts, and

Carrie Ann Inaba Carrie Ann Inaba (born January 5, 1968) is an American television personality, dancer, choreographer, actress, and singer. She is best known for her work on ABC TV's ''Dancing with the Stars'' for which she has served as a judge since 2005. She c ...

Len Goodman Leonard Gordon Goodman (born 25 April 1944) is an English professional ballroom dancer, dance judge, and coach. He has appeared as head judge on the television dance programmes ''Strictly Come Dancing'', a programme where various celebrities c ...

, and

Bruno Tonioli Bruno Tonioli (; born 25 November 1955) is an Italian choreographer, ballroom and Latin dancer, and Television personality. He has appeared as a judge on the British television dance competition '' Strictly Come Dancing'' and American adaptatio ...

returned as judges. On August 26, 2016, it was reported that

Julianne Hough Julianne Alexandra Hough (; born July 20, 1988) is an American dancer, actress, and singer. In 2007, she joined the cast of ABC's ''Dancing with the Stars'' as a professional dancer, winning two seasons with her celebrity partners. After leavin ...

would return to the show as a judge following a hiatus. Due to a personal tragedy, Erin Andrews took a week off from her co-hosting duties and former pro

Kym Johnson-Herjavec Kym Herjavec (née Johnson; born 4 August 1976) is an Australian professional ballroom dancer and television performer who appeared in the first three seasons of the Australian version of ''Dancing with the Stars'' as a professional dancer, b ...

filled in during the results show in week 3. On October 17,

Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...

took over Len Goodman's position as a guest judge for week 6. On November 7,

Idina Menzel Idina Kim Menzel ( ; ; born May 30, 1971) is an American actress and singer. Particularly known for her work in musicals on the Broadway stage and having achieved mainstream success across stage, film and music, Menzel has garnered the honori ...

took over for Goodman as a guest judge for week 9.

Dance troupe

Season 23 troupe consisted of returning members Brittany Cherry,

Hayley Erbert ''Dancing with the Stars'' is an American dance competition television series that premiered on June 1, 2005, on ABC. It is the U.S. version of the UK series ''Strictly Come Dancing'', and one of several iterations of the ''Dancing with the S ...

Alan Bersten Alan Bersten (born 26 May 1994) is an American professional Latin and ballroom dancer. He was a contestant on the tenth season of ''So You Think You Can Dance'' and is currently a professional dancer and choreographer on ''Dancing with the Stars ...

and Dennis Jauch, joined by former pro

and added new member

Britt Stewart Britt Benae Stewart (born September 21, 1989) is an American professional dancer. She is currently a professional dancer and choreographer on ''Dancing with the Stars''. Early life Stewart was born and raised in Aurora, Colorado. She began dan ...

Scoring charts

The highest score each week is indicated in . The lowest score each week is indicated in . ;Notes * : The couples were scored on a 30-point scale due to the absence of Len Goodman. * : This was the lowest score of the week. * : This was the highest score of the week. * : This couple finished in first place. * : This couple finished in second place. * : This couple finished in third place. * : This couple was eliminated.

Highest and lowest scoring performances

The best and worst performances in each dance according to the judges' 40-point scale are as follows:

Couples' highest and lowest scoring dances

Scores are based upon a potential 40-point maximum.

Weekly scores

''Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right:

.''

Week 1: First Dances

The couples danced the

cha-cha-cha Cha cha cha may refer to: * ''Cha-cha-chá'' (music), a style of Cuban dance music * Cha-cha-cha (dance), a Latin American dance accompanying the music Film and television * ''Cha Cha Cha'' (film), a 2013 Italian crime film * ''Cha Cha Cha'' ...

, foxtrot, jive, or

Viennese waltz Viennese waltz (german: Wiener Walzer) is a genre of ballroom dance. At least four different meanings are recognized. In the historically first sense, the name may refer to several versions of the waltz, including the earliest waltzes done in b ...

. Couples are listed in the order they performed. After Ryan & Cheryl's performance, two protesters were arrested for rushing to the stage and shouting at Lochte.

Week 2: TV Night

The couples performed one unlearned dance to famous TV theme songs. The Argentine tango,

paso doble Pasodoble ( Spanish: ''double step'') is a fast-paced Spanish military march used by infantry troops. Its speed allowed troops to give 120 steps per minute (double the average of a regular unit, hence its name). This military march gave rise ...

, quickstep, and

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...

were introduced. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 3: Face-off Night

The couples were paired off into six sets, and each set of couples performed the same dance to different songs. The highest-scoring couple from each set won immunity and could not be eliminated. Any ties were broken by

. The

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: ...

was introduced. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 4: Cirque du Soleil Night

''Individual judges' scores in this chart (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli.'' The couples performed one unlearned dance inspired by a

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Ju ...

show, while Cirque du Soleil acrobats, aerialists, dancers, and fire-stick performers performed alongside them. The Charleston,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

, and samba were introduced. Two couples were eliminated at the end of the night. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 5: Most Memorable Year Night

''Individual judges' scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli.'' The couples performed one unlearned dance to celebrate the most memorable year of their lives.

Contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...

was introduced. No elimination took place this week. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 6: Latin Night

''Individual judges' scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba,

, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli.'' The couples danced a Latin-inspired routine. The

rumba The term rumba may refer to a variety of unrelated music styles. Originally, "rumba" was used as a synonym for "party" in northern Cuba, and by the late 19th century it was used to denote the complex of secular music styles known as Cuban rumba. ...

was introduced. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 7: Eras Night

The couples performed one unlearned dance and a team dance representing different historical eras. The

jitterbug Jitterbug is a generalized term used to describe swing dancing. It is often synonymous with the lindy hop dance but might include elements of the jive, east coast swing, collegiate shag, charleston, balboa and other swing dances. Swing danc ...

was introduced. Couples are listed in the order they performed. After a three-week absence,

temporarily returned to the judges' table.

Week 8: Halloween Night

''Individual judges' scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli.'' Couples performed one unlearned dance. The couple with the highest score earned immunity from elimination, while the rest of the couples participated in dance-offs for extra points. Because Calvin, Laurie, and James all earned perfect scores, the tiebreaker was cumulative points over the season, which resulted in James winning immunity and a five-point bonus. For each dance-off, the couple with the highest score picked the opponent against whom they wanted to dance; the chosen opponent was allowed to pick the dance style (cha-cha-cha, jive, or salsa). The winner of each dance-off earned three bonus points. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

performed with

after

sustained an injury the week before.

Week 9: Showstoppers Night

''Individual judges' scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba,

, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli.'' Couples performed one musical theatre-inspired dance and a team-up dance with another couple, which involved the celebrities dancing side-by-side to the same song and receiving the same set of scores from the judges for the routine. The

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the w ...

was introduced. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

performed again with

this week.

Week 10: Semifinals

''Individual judges' scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli.'' The couples performed an unlearned dance and a trio dance involving an eliminated pro or a member of the troupe.

Week 11: Finals

''Individual judges' scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli.'' On the first night, the couples performed a redemption dance and a freestyle. On the second night, the final three couples performed a fusion dance that combined two dance styles. Couples are listed in the order they performed. After a three-week absence,

returned to the judges' table for the finals. ;Night 1 ;Night 2

Dance chart

The celebrities and professional partners danced one of these routines for each corresponding week: * Week 1 (First Dances): One unlearned dance * Week 2 (TV Night): One unlearned dance * Week 3 (Face-off Night): One unlearned dance * Week 4 (Cirque du Soleil Night): One unlearned dance * Week 5 (Most Memorable Year Night): One unlearned dance * Week 6 (Latin Night): One unlearned Latin dance * Week 7 (Eras Night): One unlearned dance & team dances * Week 8 (Halloween Night): One unlearned dance & dance-offs * Week 9 (Showstoppers Night): One unlearned dance & team-up challenge * Week 10 (Semifinals): One unlearned dance & trio dance * Week 11 (Finals, Night 1): Redemption dance & freestyle * Week 11 (Finals, Night 2): Fusion dance ;Notes * : This was the highest scoring dance of the week. * : This was the lowest scoring dance of the week. * : This couple gained bonus points for winning this dance-off. * : This couple gained no bonus points for losing this dance-off. * : This couple earned immunity and did not have to compete in the dance-off. * : This couple danced, but received no scores.

Ratings

Notes

References

External links

* {{DISPLAYTITLE: ''Dancing with the Stars'' (American season 23) Dancing with the Stars (American TV series) 2016 American television seasons