Season twenty-one of the American television competition series ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...

'' premiered on September 14, 2015. On November 24, conservationist Bindi Irwin and

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 ...

were crowned the champions, while

Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. The gr ...

singer Nick Carter 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 soldier (and hero of the

2015 Thalys train attack On 21 August 2015, a man opened fire on a Thalys train on its way from Amsterdam to Paris. Four people were injured, including the assailant. French, American and British passengers confronted the attacker and subdued him when his rifle jammed. ...

)

Alek Skarlatos Aleksander Reed Skarlatos (; born October 10, 1992) is an American former Army National Guard soldier who, along with Spencer Stone, Anthony Sadler and three others, stopped a gunman on a Paris-bound train travelling from Amsterdam via Brussels ...

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 in third.

Cast

Couples

On August 19, 2015, nine professional dancers were revealed during ''

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...

''. Returning pros included

Karina Smirnoff Karina Smirnoff (russian: Карина Смирнова, links=no; born January 2, 1978) is a Soviet-born American professional ballroom dancer of Ukrainian origins. She is known as a professional dancer on '' Dancing with the Stars,'' where s ...

Anna Trebunskaya Anna Trebunskaya (russian: Анна Требунская; born 28 December 1980) is a Russian born American professional ballroom and Latin dancer, known for her appearances on ''Dancing with the Stars''. She now lives in Los Angeles and dances in ...

, and Louis van Amstel. Additionally,

also returned after spending four seasons as part of the troupe. While

Peta Murgatroyd Peta Jane Murgatroyd (born 14 July 1986) is a New Zealand-born Australian and American professional Latin dancer. She performed in the international tour of the dance production ''Burn the Floor'', including its Broadway run. She is best known fo ...

was originally announced as a professional, she was sidelined for the season by an ankle injury;

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 Dan ...

replaced her spot in the cast. Bindi Irwin was the first celebrity revealed on August 24 on ''Good Morning America''; other celebrities were revealed at different dates through different media. The full cast of celebrities and professional dancers was revealed on September 2, 2015''.'' Two celebrities (

Kim Zolciak-Biermann Kimberleigh Marie Zolciak-Biermann ( Zolciak; born May 19, 1978) is an American television personality and singer. In 2008, she appeared as one of the original housewives on the reality television series '' The Real Housewives of Atlanta.'' Zolc ...

and

Tamar Braxton Tamar Estine Braxton (born March 17, 1977) is an American singer and television personality. Braxton began her career in 1990 as a founding member of The Braxtons, an R&B singing group formed with her sisters. The Braxtons released their debut a ...

) withdrew during the competition due to health issues, marking the first time that two contestants withdrew from the competition mid-season.

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 Sp ...

returned as hosts, while judges

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 ...

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 leaving ...

, 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 adaptation ...

all returned this season. After twenty seasons,

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 ...

did not return this season as a judge; in a video message during the finale, Goodman announced that he would return for

season 22 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...

. Season 19 champion

Alfonso Ribeiro Alfonso Lincoln Ribeiro (born September 21, 1971) is an American actor, comedian and television host. He is best known for his roles as Alfonso Spears on the sitcom ''Silver Spoons'', Carlton Banks on the NBC sitcom ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ...

filled in for

on October 5, 2015, while Bergeron attended to his ailing father, who subsequently died days later. Leah Remini also filled in as co-host on October 19 and October 26 while Erin Andrews covered the

2015 World Series The 2015 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2015 season. The 111th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion New York Mets and the American Leag ...

. There were three guest judges during the course of the season. The first, season 19 champion

, was a judge for Week 3. Former pro dancer and season 18 champion,

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 ...

, joined the judging panel for Week 5. The following week,

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...

appeared as a guest judge as well.

Dance troupe

Season 21 dance troupe consisted of returning members

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 ...

, Brittany Cherry,

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 Sas ...

and

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 ...

, with new troupe member

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 ...

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 40-point scale due to the presence of a guest judge. * : 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 withdrew from the competition * : This couple was eliminated.

Highest and lowest scoring performances

The best and worst performances in each dance according to the judges' 30-point scale are as follows. Scores by guest judges are excluded.

Couples' highest and lowest scoring dances

Scores are based upon a potential 30-point maximum. Scores by guest judges are excluded.

Weekly scores

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

.''

Week 1: Premiere Night

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 The foxtrot is a smooth, progressive dance characterized by long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor. It is danced to big band (usually vocal) music. The dance is similar in its look to waltz, although the rhythm is in a tim ...

, jive,

quickstep The quickstep is a light-hearted dance of the standard ballroom dances. The movement of the dance is fast and powerfully flowing and sprinkled with syncopations. The upbeat melodies that quickstep is danced to make it suitable for both formal a ...

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: A ...

. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 2: Hometown Glory Week

The couples had to prepare two new dances to be performed on two consecutive nights. On Monday, the couples performed routines that celebrated the hometowns of the celebrities, with one couple being eliminated at the end of the show. On Tuesday, the remaining couples performed routines that celebrated the hometowns of the pro partners, with another couple being eliminated. The Charleston,

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 ...

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 major ...

paso doble Pasodoble (Spanish language, 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

, and

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 wa ...

were introduced. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Night 1 ;Night 2

Week 3: TV 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 famous TV theme songs. The

samba Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...

and

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 ...

were introduced. Couples are listed in the order they performed. After suffering a mini-stroke,

was unable to attend the dress rehearsal and live show, and had to withdraw from the competition. Her partner,

Tony Dovolani Driton Dovolani (born July 17, 1973), commonly known as Tony Dovolani is an Albanian-American professional ballroom dancer, instructor and judge. He is known for his involvement in the American version of ''Dancing with the Stars'' on ABC. Dovolan ...

, performed their routine (a samba) during the live show with stand-in

. There was no additional elimination.

Week 4: Most Memorable Year Night

The couples performed one unlearned dance to celebrate the most memorable year of their lives. Couples are listed in the order they performed. For the first time in the history of the program,

did not appear as a host; he was absent to be with his ailing father.

filled in as co-host.

Week 5: Switch-Up 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 with a different partner selected by the general public. The

Argentine tango Argentine tango is a musical genre and accompanying social dance originating at the end of the 19th century in the suburbs of Buenos Aires. It typically has a or rhythmic time signature, and two or three parts repeating in patterns such as AB ...

was introduced. Couples are listed in the order they performed. Due to the nature of the week, no elimination took place at the end of the night.

Week 6: Famous Dances 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 that paid tribute to iconic dance performances from films and music videos. Leah Remini filled in for Erin Andrews.

Week 7: Halloween Night

Couples performed one unlearned dance and a team dance to Halloween-themed songs. Couples are listed in the order they performed. Leah Remini once again filled in for Erin Andrews.

Week 8: Icons Night

Couples performed one unlearned dance that paid tribute to a personal icon of the celebrity; the couple with the highest score earned immunity from elimination, while the rest of the couples participated in dance-offs for extra points. 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 samba). The winner of each dance-off earned three bonus points. Nick and Sharna received a three-point bonus for winning immunity. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 9: Showstoppers Night

Couples performed one unlearned dance and a musical theater-inspired 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. Couples are listed in the order they performed. During dress rehearsals,

fell ill and was taken to the emergency room. She was unable to return for her contemporary dance; the judges' scores were based on dress rehearsal footage. Braxton did return in time for her team-up dance with Nick & Sharna. However, she subsequently withdrew from the competition after her doctors discovered

pulmonary embolism Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage of an pulmonary artery, artery in the lungs by a substance that has moved from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream (embolism). Symptoms of a PE may include dyspnea, shortness of breath, chest pain p ...

s in her lungs.

Week 10: Semifinals

Couples performed one unlearned dance and a trio dance involving an eliminated pro or a pro from previous seasons. Midway through the show, the four couples participated in dance-offs, with the winners receiving three points to be added to their total scores. Couples are listed in the order they performed. Due to the unexpected withdrawal of

earlier in the week, all four couples advanced directly to the finals.

Week 11: Finals

On the first night, couples danced a previously-learned style to a new song that was coached by one of the three judges, as well as a freestyle routine. 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. ;Night 1 ;Night 2

Dance chart

The celebrities and professional partners danced one of these routines for each corresponding week: * Week 1 (Premiere Night): One unlearned dance * Week 2 (Hometown Glory Week): Two unlearned dances * Week 3 (TV Night): One unlearned dance * Week 4 (Most Memorable Year Night): One unlearned dance * Week 5 (Switch-Up Night): One unlearned dance * Week 6 (Famous Dances Night): One unlearned dance * Week 7 (Halloween Night): One unlearned dance & team dances * Week 8 (Icons Night): One unlearned dance & dance-offs * Week 9 (Showstoppers Night): One unlearned dance & team-up dances * Week 10 (Semifinals): One unlearned dance, dance-offs & trio dance * Week 11 (Finals, Night 1): Judge's choice & 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 21) Dancing with the Stars (American TV series) 2015 American television seasons