Unbelievable Twists and Turns: The Most Jaw-Dropping Eliminations on Dancing With the Stars
Dancing With the Stars’ jaw-dropping eliminations have left viewers stunned Notable exits include Heather Morris, Simone Biles, and James Van Der Beek Explore shocking moments in photos
Some Dancing With the Stars contestants are eliminated due to their lack of dancing skills, while others are sent home prematurely. Season 28 witnessed a revamping of the voting system after the controversial win of radio host Bobby Bones in the previous season. However, despite the changes, strong contenders still found themselves exiting the ballroom early.
Olympian Johnny Weir expressed his disappointment after being eliminated during season 29. He discussed the emotional setback, highlighting how it seemed more like a popularity contest rather than a dance competition. Despite this, Weir acknowledged that he understood the nature of the show when signing up and emphasized his preference for authenticity over popularity.
Scroll down to see Dancing With the Stars’ most shocking eliminations.
Credit: ABC/Eric McCandless
Dancing With the Stars’ Most Shocking Eliminations
Some Dancing With the Stars contestants are eliminated due to their lack of dancing skills, while others are unfairly sent home before their time.
In order to address the issues arising from the controversial victory of radio host Bobby Bones in the previous season, the voting system was revamped for season 28. However, despite these changes, talented competitors continued to be eliminated from the competition prematurely.
Following his elimination in season 29, Johnny Weir, the Olympic athlete, candidly shared his disappointment with the outcome. Expressing his emotions, he commented, "It's truly disheartening because it seems like the competition is more about popularity rather than dancing, but that's just how it is." Weir, fully aware of the nature of the show when he joined, confidently added, "I can honestly say that I would always choose to be authentic rather than seeking popularity."
Scroll down to see Dancing With the Stars’ most shocking eliminations.
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Sabrina Bryan (Season 5)
Despite having the third-best average of season 5, the Cheetah Girls star's placement was disappointingly seventh. Five years afterwards, she made a comeback for the All-Stars season, only to once again secure the seventh spot.
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Shannen Doherty (Season 10)
The Beverly Hills 90210 alum was the first contestant cut from season 10, even though Buzz Aldrin had earned scores far worse than hers.
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Brandy Norwood (Season 11)
When the “Boy Is Mine” singer was eliminated, she had danced top-scoring routines four weeks in a row.
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Maria Menounos (Season 14)
The TV personality just missed the cut for the season 14 finals, getting eliminated in week 9 even though her scores were better than those of the eventual finalists.
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Elizabeth Berkley (Season 17)
Bill Engvall had earned the worst scores of the bunch for six weeks in a row by the time this Saved By the Bell alum got cut.
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Heather Morris (Season 24)
According to host Tom Bergeron, the elimination of this Glee star resulted in the "most vocally unhappy reaction we've received." Morris had recently achieved the season's first perfect score of 40.
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Simone Biles (Season 24)
The Olympic gymnast failed to secure gold, silver, or bronze on DWTS, finishing in fourth place. It is worth noting that she was the sole contestant to achieve a flawless score of 80 during the week of her elimination.
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Normani (Season 25)
Despite receiving the highest scores of the season 24 finals, the singer of "Motivation" ended up in third place. In an interview with ET, she shared, "You can never truly be assured of anything. It was a complete surprise for me, to say the least."
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Sasha Pieterse (Season 25)
Nick Lachey had earned the lowest scores two weeks in a row by the time this Pretty Little Liars actress got the boot.
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Juan Pablo Di Pace (Season 27)
The Fuller House actor landed a perfect 60 for his two dances the week he was sent home, while eventual season 27 winner Bobby Bones earned the week’s worst scores.
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James Van Der Beek (Season 28)
The Dawson’s Creek alum earned top scores for four weeks in a row during season 28 but got cut just before finals.
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Olivia Jade Giannulli (Season 30)
One week after landing at the top of the leader board, the YouTube star and partner Val Chmerkovskiy were eliminated ahead of semifinals in November 2021.
Credit: ABC/Andrew Eccles
Jamie Lynn Spears (Season 32)
Spears and her partner, Alan Bersten, didn't rank at the top of the leaderboard throughout their time on the show, but they also never received the lowest scores. Their unexpected elimination in episode 2 caught judge Derek Hough off guard.
"Frankly, it's quite surprising. Jamie Lynn, you were absolutely fantastic. You should be incredibly proud of your performances here," Hough expressed. "This is honestly shocking. Jamie, we're going to miss you."
