The Dancing with the Stars ballroom is celebrating two decades of fun.
Week 9 of season 34 of the competition, airing Tuesday, Nov. 11, is its special 20th Birthday Party celebration. Joining as a guest judge for the evening is former host Tom Bergeron.
The night will begin with an opening number set to a reimagined live version of the “Dancing with the Stars Theme” by Ray Chew. Choreographed by judge Derek Hough, the number will bring together the show’s current pros and troupe, as well as six original pros from season 1: Alec Mazo, Ashly DelGrosso, Louis van Amstel, Jonathan Roberts, Charlotte Jorgensen and Edyta Śliwińska.
Then, the show will honor DWTS members who have died with a performance by pros Ezra Sosa and Rylee Arnold to “Always Remember Us This Way” by Lady Gaga.
In the first round of the competition, the remaining seven couples will each showcase a new style to a song inspired by an iconic freestyle performance from past seasons. Later in the evening, the Relay Dance competition will return.
In this challenge, one couple will perform to the first half of a song, followed by a second couple who will complete the second half. The judges will then decide the winner of each relay, with the victorious couples of each relay earning two bonus points apiece.
For the first time ever in the relay, the celebrities will dance without their professional partners, instead joining forces with a returning Mirrorball champion to perform a Quickstep, Viennese Waltz or Jive.
As a result of their top scores in the individual dance round from the previous week (and their cumulative judges’ totals all season), Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas have received immunity and will not have to participate in the relay dances. They will automatically receive two bonus points as part of their immunity.
Fans will be able to vote during the live show for their favorite couples. Live viewer votes from the night will be combined with the judges’ scores and bonus points to determine which couples will escape elimination and dance in next week’s semi-finals, deemed Prince Night.
Keep reading for a full recap from week 9 of Dancing with the Stars.
(Note: the most recent updates appear at the top, so scroll all the way down to start from the beginning of the show.)
