Season twenty-nine of the American reality 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, 2020 on ABC and streamed on

Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...

. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was filmed without a live studio audience. On November 23, '' The Bachelorette'' star Kaitlyn Bristowe and Artem Chigvintsev were crowned the champions, while '' Catfish'' host Nev Schulman and Jenna Johnson finished in second place, rapper and singer

Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, actor and entrepreneur. He embarked on his music career with the hip hop group St. Lunatics in 1993 and signed to Universal ...

and Daniella Karagach finished in third place, and actress Justina Machado and Sasha Farber finished in fourth.

Cast

Couples

This season featured fifteen celebrity contestants. Continuing from last season, the couples were not announced in advance and were instead revealed on the season premiere. During '' The Bachelor: Greatest Seasons - Ever!'', season 11's Bachelorette, Kaitlyn Bristowe, was announced as the first celebrity participant. On August 24, 2020, it was reported that

AJ McLean Alexander James McLean (born January 9, 1978) is an American singer, dancer, actor and a member of the pop vocal group Backstreet Boys. Early life McLean was born on January 9, 1978, in West Palm Beach, Florida, to Denise (née Fernandez, n ...

, member of Backstreet Boys, would be a celebrity participant as well; McLean was later officially revealed on August 27. On August 29, 2020, it was reported that

Anne Heche Anne Celeste Heche ( ; May 25, 1969August 11, 2022) was an American actress, known for her roles in a variety of genres in film, television, and theater, receiving numerous accolades, including a National Board of Review Award and multiple Emmy ...

, Jesse Metcalfe, and Vernon Davis would be celebrity participants in the season. The other celebrity participants were revealed on ''

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 ...

'' on September 2. Fourteen of the professional dancers was announced on ''Good Morning America'' on August 18, 2020, with the fifteenth professional announced on August 24. Ten professionals from the previous season returned, along with Sharna Burgess, Artem Chigvintsev, and Keo Motsepe, all of whom last competed in season 27. Two new pros were added: Daniella Karagach, previously a featured dancer, and Britt Stewart, a former troupe member, who is the first black female to become a pro.

Hosts and judges

On July 13, 2020, it was announced that Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews would not return as hosts. The next day, it was announced that Tyra Banks was hired as the new host and would also serve as an executive producer. Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli returned as judges for the season. On September 8, 2020, it was announced that Derek Hough, who appeared as a professional partner in 17 of the show's 29 seasons, would return to the show to fill in for Len Goodman, due to Goodman being unable to travel with COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions. Goodman still appeared in periodic pre-recorded video segments.

Scoring chart

The highest score each week is indicated in with a dagger (), while the lowest score each week is indicated in with a double-dagger (). Color key: ;Notes

Weekly scores

''Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli.''

Week 1: First Dances

For the second time in the show's history, the official partnerships were revealed to the public during the live broadcast. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 2: First Elimination

The couples performed one unlearned dance, and are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Carrie Ann: Carole & Pasha *Bruno: Charles & Emma *Derek: Carole & Pasha

Week 3: Disney Night

The couples performed one unlearned dance to songs from Disney films. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Derek: Anne & Keo *Bruno: Anne & Keo *Carrie Ann: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Anne & Keo''

Week 4: Top 13

The couples performed one unlearned dance. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Carrie Ann: Monica & Val *Derek: Monica & Val *Bruno: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Monica & Val''

Week 5: '80s Night

The couples performed one unlearned dance to a song released in the 1980s. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Bruno: Vernon & Peta *Carrie Ann: Vernon & Peta *Derek: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Vernon & Peta''

Week 6: Top 11

The couples performed one unlearned dance. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Derek: Johnny & Britt *Carrie Ann: Vernon & Peta *Bruno: Johnny & Britt

Week 7: Villains Night

The couples performed one unlearned dance dressed as villains from a movie or television show. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Bruno: Jeannie & Brandon *Derek: Monica & Val *Carrie Ann: Jeannie & Brandon

Week 8: Double Elimination Night

The couples performed one unlearned dance and a dance relay with two other couples. Hours before the episode aired, Jeannie Mai had to withdraw from the competition after being hospitalized for epiglottitis. As a result, the originally planned double elimination did not take place, only one other couple was eliminated. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Carrie Ann: Skai & Alan *Bruno: Skai & Alan *Derek: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Skai & Alan''

Week 9: Icons Night

The couples performed one unlearned dance dressed as an icon and participated in paired dance-offs for extra points. Nev & Jenna were immune from the dance-off as a result of their week 8 performance and a tie-breaker of having the highest total season score. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Bruno: Johnny & Britt *Derek: AJ & Cheryl *Carrie Ann: Johnny & Britt

Week 10: Semifinals

During the first round, the couples performed a redemption dance to a new song that was coached by one of the four judges. In the second round, they performed one unlearned dance. Two couples were sent home at the end of the night in a double elimination. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Derek: Justina & Sasha *Carrie Ann: Justina & Sasha *Bruno: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Justina & Sasha''

Week 11: Finale

The couples performed their favorite dance of the season and their

freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * ICD Freestyle, a paintball marker * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott La ...

routine. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Dance chart

The couples performed the following each week: * Week 1: One unlearned dance * Week 2: One unlearned dance * Week 3: One unlearned dance * Week 4: One unlearned dance * Week 5: One unlearned dance * Week 6: One unlearned dance * Week 7: One unlearned dance * Week 8: One unlearned dance & dance relay * Week 9: One unlearned dance & dance-off * Week 10 (Semifinals): One unlearned dance & redemption dance * Week 11 (Finale): Favorite dance & freestyle

Ratings

References

External links

* {{italic title, string=Dancing with the Stars 2020 American television seasons Dancing with the Stars (American TV series) Television series impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic