Press release - Primetime – Unscripted
October 9, 2025
‘DANCING WITH THE STARS’ HONORS LOVED ONES ON ‘DEDICATION NIGHT,’ OCT. 14
Two-Time Mirrorball Champion Kym Johnson Returns to the Ballroom as Guest Judge
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“Dedication Night” — Ten remaining couples take to the ballroom floor to pay tribute to the influential people in their lives with moving and meaningful performances. Special guest judge Kym Johnson returns to offer her expert insights. “Dedication Night” premieres TUESDAY, OCT. 14 (8:00-10:00 p.m. EDT/PDT, 7:00-9:00 p.m. CDT), simulcast LIVE across both ABC and Disney+ in local time zones and next day on Hulu. The show is produced in front of a live audience by BBC Studios.
For the first time on the show, the friends and family members selected by each celebrity contestant for their dedications will join them on the ballroom floor in routines featuring Contemporary, Foxtrot, Jive, Salsa and Viennese Waltz. Troupe performances include “Mystical Magical” by Benson Boone; “Man I Need” by Olivia Dean; and additional pro performances to “Green Light” by Lorde, choreographed by Jenna Johnson and Britt Stewart; and “Back On 74” by Jungle, choreographed by Brandon Armstrong.
Fans will be able to vote during the live simulcast of the show in the ET/CT time zones. During this time, online voting will be available to fans in any time zone in the U.S., its territories and Canada via dwtsvote.abc.com, and fans on participating U.S. wireless carriers can also vote via SMS/text (fans in Canada cannot vote via SMS/text). Live viewer votes from the night will be combined with the judges’ scores to determine who may be in jeopardy of elimination.
The couples (along with their dance styles and songs) are the following:
- From “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” Jen Affleck and partner Jan Ravnik will perform a Viennese Waltz to “Rescue” by Lauren Daigle, dedicating the routine to her mother, Maria.
- Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles and partner Ezra Sosa will perform a Viennese Waltz to “Daughters” by John Mayer, dedicating the routine to her father, Timothy.
- Social media personality Alix Earle and partner Val Chmerkovskiy will perform a Contemporary to “Sparks” by Coldplay, dedicating the routine to her younger sister Izabel.
- Reality TV star and content creator Dylan Efron and partner Daniella Karagach will perform a Contemporary to “Rewrite the Stars” by Zac Efron & Zendaya, dedicating the routine to his little sister, Olivia.
- “Boy Meets World” star Danielle Fishel and partner Pasha Pashkov will perform a Jive to “Boy Meets World” by Twenty Cent Crush featuring Phil Rosenthal, dedicating the routine to “Boy Meets World” co-star Bill Daniels (Mr. Feeny) .
- Film and TV actress Elaine Hendrix and partner Alan Bersten will perform a Foxtrot to “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” by Natalie Cole, dedicating the routine to her best friend and “The Parent Trap” co-star, Lisa Ann Walter (Chessy).
- From Pentatonix GRAMMY® winner Scott Hoying and partner Rylee Arnold will perform a Foxtrot to “Parallel” by Scott Hoying, dedicating the routine to his husband, Mark.
- Wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin and partner Witney Carson will perform a Contemporary to “You’ll Be In My Heart” by Phil Collins, dedicating the routine to his mother, Terri Irwin.
- From “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” Whitney Leavitt and partner Mark Ballas will perform a Contemporary to “Heal” by Jamal Roberts, dedicating the routine to her husband, Connor.
- Comedian Andy Richter and partner Emma Slater will perform a Salsa to “Jump In the Line” by Harry Belafonte, dedicating the routine to his daughter, Cornelia.
After each episode, go behind the curtain with the “‘Dancing with the Stars’ Official Podcast.” Hosted by Season 33 Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy champion Joey Graziadei, the show brings exclusive cast interviews, special guests, behind-the-scenes insights and expert breakdowns of the performances people can’t stop discussing. Tune in Thursdays on Disney+ and Hulu.
“Dancing with the Stars” is the hit series cohosted by Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough in which celebrities are paired with trained ballroom dancers to compete in themed choreographed dance routines that are judged by a panel of renowned ballroom experts, including Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough.
EPK footage for all couples is now available here.
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