Season eleven of '' Dancing with the Stars'' premiered on September 20, 2010, 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. Several changes were introduced this season, including an "Acoustic Week," in which couples performed either 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. ...

or the Argentine tango while the audience was brought closer to the dance floor which was elevated and made circular. Contestants from previous seasons also came back as guest judges when the current contestants attempted re-created memorable routines in the 200th episode. These guest judges were

Hélio Castroneves Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He has won the Indianapolis 500 a record-equalling four times: in 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2021. He won the 2021 24 Hours of Daytona with Wa ...

Kelly Osbourne Kelly Michelle Lee Osbourne (born 27 October 1984) is an English television personality, singer, actress, model, and fashion designer. The daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, she appeared on the reality show '' The Osbournes'' (2002–2005) w ...

, Emmitt Smith,

Drew Lachey Andrew John Lachey (born August 8, 1976) is an American singer and actor. He is known as a member of 98 Degrees, the winner of the second season of ''Dancing with the Stars'', and the younger brother of Nick Lachey. Early years Drew Lachey was ...

Gilles Marini Gilles Marini (; born 26 January 1976) is a French actor known for his roles in the film ''Sex and the City'', and in the American television shows '' Brothers & Sisters'', '' Switched at Birth'' and ''Devious Maids''. He was also the runner-up i ...

, and Mel B. Kristi Yamaguchi and Apolo Ohno also served as team captains for team dances. There was also a week dubbed "Instant Choreography," in which the couples practiced their routines for a week, but only received the music for their Latin dances 45 minutes before their live performances. Actress Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough were crowned the champions, while actor Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer finished second, and Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas finished third.

Cast

Couples

The cast was announced during the August 30 episode of ''Bachelor Pad'' during a live press conference that included a Q&A session with host Tom Bergeron and co-host Brooke Burke and the new cast. There were twelve celebrity cast members this season. The pairs were announced on September 1; however, Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas were announced as a couple the day before by way of a ''Good Morning America'' interview. This was the first season to feature no new professional dancers, as each of the twelve pros had appeared on at least one previous season. ;Future appearances Bristol Palin returned for the Dancing with the Stars (American season 15), All-Stars season, where she was again paired with Mark Ballas.

Host and judges

Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke returned as co-hosts, while Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Len Goodman returned as judges.

Scoring charts

The highest score each week is indicated in . The lowest score each week is indicated in . ;Notes * : Each couple each couple received two scores from the judges this week: one for technical and one for performance. * : 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 highest and lowest performances in each dance according to the judges' 30-point scale are as follows.

Couples' highest and lowest scoring dances

Scores are based upon a potential 30-point maximum.

Weekly scores

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