Dancing with the Stars Season 34 is officially underway. During the premiere, the stars and their Pros performed their first numbers. Some of these duos were a hit right out of the gate. Others, however, are a work in progress.
If you were unable to watch this first episode, have no fear. We watched it, and can easily fill you in. From an absent judge to the final scores during Week 1, which resulted in a shocking frontrunner, here are the leading scorers, alongside the highlights from the premiere episode of DWTS Season 34.
Scores from Dancing with the Stars 2025: Week 1 leaderboard
Following their first performances, several leaders are already present. With 20 being the highest possible score to earn, most of these dancing duos scored somewhere in the middle range. Eight teams, however, surpassed these norms. From the highest to the lowest, these are the current top eight celebrities on the leaderboard for DWTS Season 34:
- Robert Irwin – 15 points
- Whitney Leavitt – 15 points
- Hilaria Baldwin 14/20
- Alix Earle 13/20
- Lauren Jauregui 13/20
- Jennifer Affleck 12/20
- Danielle Fishel 12/20
- Elaine Hendrix 12/20
In his intro package, Robert Irwin self-depricatingly joked that “crocs are my comfort zone, dancing is not.” But after his first performance, the judges shut down this narrative. As Derek Hough said, Robert gave “The best first dance I’ve ever seen on the show!” Robert is now one of the surprising frontrunners of Season 34.
Whitney Leavitt will be the one for Robert to beat. Currently, these two are sitting pretty at the top of the leaderboard, holding tied scores of 15 points each. As for her first performance, judge Bruno Tonioli stressed, “No messing around, very, very, very high quality!”
Nevertheless, Hilaria Baldwin is already hot on their tails on DWTS Season 34. She received an impressive score of 14 points. Her movements were “so sharp” and “so precise,” praised Derek. But will the viewers get behind her?
Who was eliminated on DWTS?
Each week, contestants face eliminations. Using their combined scores and the total number of votes from their fans, the lowest duo must exit this competition. However, at the end of the Season 34 premiere, hosts Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro made an announcement that likely found all 14 stars well.
There were no eliminations at the end of the premiere episode of DWTS Season 34. Now, this is typical for this series. However, next week, these stars will face a double elimination. Therefore, all duos need to bring their A-games to Week 2.
Following Week 1, there are two stars currently tied at the bottom of the rankings. And yes, these two stars are the same ones that we earlier predicted might not fare well this season.
Andy Richter received 9 points from the judges. During the premiere, this comedian joked that his legs might not hold up. However, Andy planned to “sell it” anyway by “peacocking” around on the dance floor. Thankfully, Bruno “loved” Andy, calling him “cheeky and chappy.”
Corey Feldman also received 9 points from the judges, which places him and Andy at the bottom of the rankings and in danger of a double elimination next week. Regardless, Derek lauded Corey as a “Hollywood icon,” while saying that his performance felt “fun to watch.”
DWTS Season 34 Episode 1 highlights
Overall, DWTS Season 34 Episode 1 went off without too many hitches. But as many longtime fans quickly realized, Judge Carrie Ann Inaba was absent. On Instagram, Carrie explained, “I will not be at the show tonight as I am feeling quite under the weather. I’m resting up and can’t wait to be back next week in good health.”
Her absence helps to explain why the top score to snag was only 20 points during Week 1. Once Carrie returns to her judgmental throne, each contestant can earn up to 30 points total from their judges.
The other hitch involved the total points Whitney earned. After her performance, Bruno electronically submitted his score as an eight while holding up a scorecard that read 7. Production helped to set this record straight via Julianne in her earpiece. After announcing that Whitney actually earned 15 points total now, Julianne laughed, joking, “We love live television.”
And we loved Danielle Fishel, who is not at the top of the leaderboard (yet), but she still managed to earn an impressive 12 points from the judges. However, it was her personal story that touched us the most. As Danielle explained (while millennials everywhere dabbed at their eyes), she decided to compete in this series as part of her “year of yes.” In 2023, Danielle received a devastating diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ, which she thankfully beat.
In all of these scores and highlights, the emotions and efforts were high. So, consider us eager for Week 2.
Dancing with the Stars is available to stream on Disney+.
TELL US – DID YOU WATCH THE PREMIERE EPISODE OF DWTS SEASON 34? WHICH DUO ARE YOU ROOTING FOR?
