‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 34 Episode 2 Live Recap: Dances, Scores and a Double Elimination

The long-running hit show is officially back for a second week, and the dancers are more than ready to take the ballroom by storm.

Allie Hayes | Sep 23, 2025

‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 34. / Disney/Eric McCandless

It’s a Tuesday in late September, so you know what that means: it’s time for a new episode of Dancing With the Stars!

We’re here to make sure that—just like the dancers—you don’t miss a beat when it comes to Season 34 of the popular ABC program, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year! Throughout the season, we’ll be here to fill you in on every breathtaking dance and eye-catching ensemble live.

We’ll also be cheering on a few faces familiar to the SI Swimsuit family, including the first-ever SI Swimsuit digital cover model, Alix Earle, and 2025 SI Swimsuit cover model Jordan Chiles!

In case you missed last week’s show

Starting things off with a quick recap, just in case you missed last week’s premiere episode. First off, no one was sent home for the inaugural episode, meaning tonight’s episode will see the full cast hit the ballroom floor. However, tonight will see our first elimination after the duos each take their spin across the hardwood—and it’s a double elimination.

In the premiere episode, the pros and their celebrity partners tackled a “Personal Anthem” theme, with each celeb choosing a song they felt spoke to their own personality and life story.

The lowest total scores of the night from the two judges on the panel—brand staples Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli, with Carrie Ann Inaba out due to illness—were both nines out of 20, with Corey Feldman and Andy Richter tying. Funnily enough, the same occurred when it came to the highest total scores, two 15s, going to Robert Irwin and Whitney Leavitt. Still, the competition is just getting started, and the celebs have plenty of time to break in their dancing shoes.

Tonight’s theme

The theme for the Sept. 23 episode is “One-Hit Wonders”—i.e., tunes by artists who’ve had one hit song throughout their career. The DWTS official Instagram account announced which songs and dance styles each duo would be tackling this week on Monday, Sept. 22. The list included classics like “Mambo No. 5,” “Take On Me” and “Baby Got Back,” to name a few, promising plenty of fun potential routines for the cast to work with.

Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy

Up first was Earle, who shared that she had some nervousness around her first routine, but after seeing the fan reaction, she grew in her confidence for week two. The social media superstar was tasked with dancing a fast-paced Jive number to Lou Bega’s classic “Mambo No. 5,” and the two-time SI Swimsuit model rocked a green and gold two-piece, tassel-filled set.

Carrie Ann Inaba was back on the judging panel after being out the first week, and she was ecstatic about the dance, giving the pair a 7. Hough was equally enthused, also giving them a 7. Tonioli matched the previous for 7s across the board, giving the two a final score of 21/30, and a total score of 34/50 for the last two weeks.

Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov

Fishel revealed in the behind the scenes package that she was dealing with a few roadblocks this week—including a hamstring injury—making the two’s Cha Cha choreography to Corona’s “Rhythm of the Night” even more difficult. Still, she pushed through for an impressive second showing in a Barbie pink mini dress.

Tonioli commented on Fishel’s improvement, but noted she still needed to watch her shoulders, giving her a 6. Inaba pointed out that Fishel looked like she might be holding her breath for a bit at the start of the dance, hoping she’d relax in the future, giving her a 7. Hough noted the dance was “good,” awarding the pair a 6. Overall, the dancing duo received a 19/30 for this week and a 31/50 for the two weeks.

Andy Richter and Emma Slater

Richter noted that he was surprised by how much better he felt while dancing, and that he was excited to hit the floor again for his Tango to “It’s Raining Men” by The Weather Girls, hoping the fans would vote to keep him and his partner in the game a little longer.

Hough applauded Richter’s joy and hard work, calling him “very entertaining” and giving him a 5. Tonioli also cheered on Richter for his humor, awarding him a 5. Inaba was happy to say he improved, giving Richter a 6. The two ended with a 16/30 and a two-week total of 25/50.

Lauren Jauregui and Brandon Armstrong

In the behind the scenes footage, Armstrong applauded Jauregui’s incredible stage presence before the two took to the ballroom to perform a Foxtrot to “Lovefool” by The Cardigans in dreamy matching baby blue sets. The two glided across the floor for a graceful routine.

Inaba commented that their partnership had an ease to it, awarding the pair a 7. Hough concurred, noting that Jauregui was “ethereal,” awarding the pair a 7. Meanwhile, Tonioli said one word: “classy,” giving the two a 7. This meant the pair had a 21/30 for this week, and a 34/50 for this week and last week combined.

Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa

Chiles noted she was excited to grow more, feeling she’d have an easier time with the Jive this week thanks to her high-energy personality and history in athletics. She also noted that the songs she chooses for her floor routines on the mat often match the same vibe as “Maniac” by Michael Sembello, which she danced to this week.

Tonioli was on his feet after the dance, exclaiming that Chiles was “going for gold tonight” and giving the athlete a 7. Inaba matched the excitement, saying Chiles reminded her of Tina Turner and awarding her an 8. Hough was more subdued, but still awarded the pair a strong 7, with the duo ending with a 22/30 for this week and a total of 32/50 for both weeks.

Corey Feldman and Jenna Johnson

After tying with Richter with the lowest score last week and admitting he was “hurt” by the scores, Feldman took to the ballroom. He left all he had on the dance floor, grooving with his partner to a fun and cheeky Cha Cha set to the Sir Mix-A-Lot classic, “Baby Got Back.”

Hough noted that, no matter the judge’s feelings, Feldman brought the energy, awarding the pair a 5. Tonioli applauded his attitude, giving them a 5. Inaba celebrated the actor’s commitment to the cause, giving them a 5. They ended with a score of 15/30 for tonight and a score of 24/50 total for the last two weeks.

Jen Affleck and Jan Ravnik

Affleck danced a Quick Step to A-Ha’s 1980s hit “Take On Me”—a song she revealed she had a special relationship to, as she went viral on TikTok to the tune. She wore a sparkling, silky blue one-piece for the dance, which was the perfect choice given her fast-paced movement. At the end of the dance, Affleck got a sweet hug from her baby.

Inaba was excited about the dance, but gave Ravnik a note about lifts for future choreography and a score of 8. Hough also gave the pair a note, this time about shoulder movement, but applauded their overall improvement, giving the pair a 7. Tonioli then matched Hough’s 7. Their final score this week was 22/30, with their total score for the two weeks equaling 34/50.

Robert Irwin and Witney Carson

After a strong first week, Irwin took to the ballroom with confidence—though Carson warned him he might have a target on his back due to his work. The two tackled a Tango set to Junior Senior’s “Move Your Feet.” Irwin clearly had fun with the number and was all smiles from the moment the song began.

Tonioli gave the pair a 7, applauding Irwin’s “leading man energy.” Inaba couldn’t believe it was only week two for Irwin, giving him an 8 for his charisma and moves. Hough referenced Irwin’s late father with an excited “Crikey!” and a score of 7. The pair’s score for the night was 22/30, and 37/50 for the two weeks—putting them at the top of the leaderboard for the time being.

Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten

Hendrix danced a Jive to the cheerleading classic “Hey Mickey!” by Toni Basil, who made a cameo in the behind the scenes footage for a look at the duo’s choreography. Hendrix also donned an adorable blue and white cheerleading outfit for the number, leaning fully into the fun and flirty vibes to a standing ovation from the audience.

Hough was pleased with Hendrix’s overall performance, giving her the note to watch out for her hands and giving her a 7. Tonioli gave her a 7, warning her to keep her core tight. Inaba screamed in excitement before awarding the duo a 7, resulting in a score of 21/30 for this week and 33/50 total.

Baron Davis and Britt Stewart

Davis chose to dance to “Return of the Mack” by Mark Morrison for his Samba this week. Unfortunately, he made a small error in the middle of the dance, but recovered marvelously and continued to finish the dance.

Inaba noted Davis’s mistake, which she felt took him out of the dance, and awarded him a 6. Hough applauded Davis’s recovery and hard work, also giving him a 6. Tonioli loved how “smooth” the dance was, also giving a score of 6. Their final scores were: 18/30 for the week; 28/50 for the two weeks.

Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas

Leavitt was tied at the top last week with Irwin and was excited to prove herself again this week. For their second dance, the pair danced a groovy Cha Cha to “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry. Leavitt wore a sparkling red two-piece set for a fun pop of color.

Tonioli joked that Leavitt was definitely not a one-hit wonder, awarding the pair an 8. Inaba gave them a 7, cheering her on for both this week and last week. Hough simply clapped, also giving them a score of 7. Their final score for this week was 22/30, and their score for the combined two weeks was 37/50—once again tying them with Irwin and Carson at the top.

Hilaria Baldwin and Gleb Savchenko

After landing in second place behind the two duos tied in the top spot last week, Baldwin was eager to hit the dance floor again for a chance at a higher score. She took on a Tango set to “What Is Love” by Haddaway, promising to “leave it all on the dance floor” in a beautiful purple gown.

Hough gave the pair a 7 and was excited to chat about her fantastic form. Tonioli commended her blend of “power and elegance,” also giving the pair a 7. Inaba matched the other two judges, giving the duo a 7. Their final score for this week was 21/30, and 35/50 total for both weeks.

Dylan Efron and Danielle Karagach

Efron danced a high-intensity Samba to the 1990s classic “Macarena” by Los Del Río, revealing in the behind the scenes footage that he was unaware of how difficult the dance style would be when he chose it. Still, he took to the floor with plenty of energy, excitement and hip swivels.

Inaba joked that, despite Efron being a beginner, his hips were “expert-level” and gave him a 7. Hough added that the dance was “impressive,” awarding him a 6. Tonioli finished the judging off with a 7. Their final score for the week was 20/30, and their two-week score was 30/50.

Scott Hoying and Rylee Arnold

The final dance of the evening was set to the Y2K anthem “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” by Eiffel 65, and it proved to be the perfect tune for Hoying’s cheeky Cha Cha—with the pair (of course) decked out in beautiful matching blue outfits. Hoying noted he was determined to prove himself to the judges, and he sure did!

Tonioli was excited to see Hoying’s improvement, giving the dance a 6. Inaba gave the duo a 6, but encouraged Hoying to “take up space” on the floor in the future. Hough also gave the dance a 6, resulting in a final score of 18/30 for this week and 28/50 for the two weeks combined.

The double elimination: who went home?

At the end of the night, Davis and Stewart, as well as Feldman and Johnson, were sent home as part of the double elimination due to a combination of their low scores from the judges over the two weeks and votes from the viewers at home. Both pairs were emotional after hearing the results, but expressed gratitude for their time on the show and their incredible dance partners.

Next week, the theme is “TikTok Night,” and each of the celebs will take on a viral song and dance. The episode will air on Tuesday, Sept. 30, at 8 p.m. ET, and we’ll be back here to recap everything live for you!

Watch new episodes of DWTS Season 34 every Tuesday night on ABC and Disney+. New episodes stream on Hulu the next day.

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Published Sep 23, 2025|Modified Sep 23, 2025

ALLIE HAYES

Allie Hayes is an experienced pop culture staff writer and editor specializing in movies, TV and celebrity news. Before joining the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit team as a Breaking/Trending News Editor, she worked at several outlets including BuzzFeed, The Daily Dot, and Newsweek. When she’s not writing for work (or writing for fun), you’ll find her curled up on the couch reading yet another romance novel, obsessively watching pro wrestling with her friends, or taking blurry photos of her two adorable cats.