My Dancing with the Stars Season 34 Bracket

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Conn chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

The popular ballroom reality show Dancing with the Stars is back this fall for its 34th season and the stakes are high. There are 14 couples back in the ballroom competing for the coveted Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy and these celebrities are up for the challenge.  

The level of competition and raw talent this season is one that hasn’t been seen for a while, making it difficult to determine who will make it to the finale. I’ve created my Dancing with the Stars bracket for season 34 and because I have a background in competitive dance, my predictions as to how far each couple will go have intention and reasoning behind it. These predictions are based strictly on each celebrity’s week one routine, their dance technique and performance qualities. 

Following the pattern from season 33, here are my predictions for each week’s elimination. 

Week Two: Double Elimination 

The first round of eliminations is during week two, where two couples are sent home. Emma Slater and Andy Richter’s cha-cha in week one was entertaining as it had high energy and a handful of technical footwork that I found to be impressive. However, Richter struggled in week two with timing, his steps were not following the music’s beat throughout the routine, and there was less intention to his steps compared to Slater.  

Richter does have the performance qualities the judges are looking for in the show but his difficulty with the steps may be the reason he’s sent home during this first elimination round. 

The second couple that may be sent home week two is Jenna Johnson and Corey Feldman. Feldman performed a tango in week one, which was done well. Ballroom dances in frame can be difficult to start with on the show because of how many factors you need to be mindful of when performing. This means pushing your shoulders down, maintaining tension between yourself and your partner to keep your arms straight in line and to hold an upright posture. Feldman’s framing was strong in the beginning of the routine, minus his raised shoulders. His Michael Jackson influence did highlight his personality in the routine, which I enjoyed.  

Feldman had an energized routine that was fun to watch, but the other competitors were more technical this week, and I believe he will be sent home if these corrections are not made.  

Week Three: No Elimination 

Last season, there was not an elimination on week three, leaving the 12 remaining couples safe for the week. 

Week Four: Double Elimination 

The second round of eliminations is projected to be during week four, with another double elimination. Unfortunately, the talent from this season’s cast is extraordinarily strong and having to organize this bracket has been difficult. That said, this week’s double elimination will send Baron Davis and Danielle Fishel home. 

Britt Stewart and Davis are partnered up together this season and their cha-cha was so fun to watch. Davis walked out onto the ballroom floor with a basketball in hand and blue studded jacket. His routine was underwhelming because there was not much footwork or movement — most of it came from his partner Stewart who held my attention the entire time.  

Davis may be sent home this week because he does have a lot of potential in his dancing. He does have a lot of charisma in his performance and I think this will allow him to get to week four. 

Pasha Pashkov and Fishel may be the 4th couple to be eliminated this season. Fishel had an incredibly beautiful tango during week one, clearly conveying a story throughout the entire routine. She held herself very well, maintaining her frame throughout the dance and only having an issue with raising her shoulders. There was a long of great technical steps that emphasized her strengths in movement.  

One element of her performance I noticed was her lack of sharpness. There were moments in the routine where a pose or accent was choreographed and her body did not attack the moment with enough energy to freeze in that moment. Fishel does have a lot of potential in this competition so it wouldn’t surprise me if she were to move forward in the competition. Based on these notes, I believe she will be eliminated during week four. 

Week Five: One Elimination 

Week five is expected to be the first single elimination week for the season. During this round, Daniella Karagach and Dylan Efron will probably be sent home. Efron’s routine was fun to watch because of his high energy throughout it. 

There was a good amount of movement from Efron: fluid moments through his arms and hips, which are essential in the cha cha. He did struggle with his timing as he was dancing in and out of time the entire routine.  

Outside of his timing issues, Dylan’s larger issue is that he does not take on a leading man role in his partnership. Karagach overpowered him during this routine, which is something Efron must work on to get farther in this competition. However, based on my knowledge of this show and familiarity of the professionals in the cast, I don’t think Efron will be able to perform with the quality early enough in the competition to make it farther than week five.  

Week Six: One Elimination 

The next elimination will be Jan Ravnik and Jennifer Affleck in week six. Affleck had a great stage presence, high energy and a great smile, but she spent so much of the routine in the air, so there wasn’t much actual dancing to judge her on. I’m not going to fault Affleck entirely as that falls on her pro, Ravnik. Moving forward, I believe this will be less likely in her routines.  

There was some great choreography in the routine — when Affleck was on the ground — that displayed her use of hip movement, but she lacked energy throughout her body. There was less of an emphasis on her moves, which dilutes the overall feeling of the routine. 

Week Seven: One Elimination 

Brandon Armstrong and Lauren Jauregui’s week one tango was technically sound and had a fabulous combination of sharpness and fluidity. 

She was intentional about releasing energy from her arms when opening them in the choreography and during the moments in frame, she accented her movements consistently.  

Even with her consistency in frame, she needs to focus on her endings of the routine, finishing strong each time, which is why she may be sent home during week seven. 

Week Eight: One Elimination 

The eighth couple to most likely leave the ballroom floor will be Gleb Savchenko and Hilaria Baldwin. Their week one cha-cha was extremely technical which was refreshing from the audience standpoint. Baldwin has openly discussed her prior experience in ballroom and Latin style dance, meaning she already has a leg up on the competition.  

Baldwin’s knowledge of these dance styles shows throughout her cha-cha as she has strong hip and arm movement. She hit every accent in the music and had no issues with quick footwork. Baldwin also walked into this competition knowing she was expected to have a powerful performance quality, which she delivered on.  

She hasn’t practiced ballroom in years, meaning that even though she has prior experience, she does also struggle with tense shoulders and needs to push them down while performing. 

Week Nine: One Elimination 

The final elimination will be during week nine. This week’s elimination will be a tough one considering that those who remain will make their way to the finale. Alan Bersten and Elaine Hendrix’s cha-cha from week one will propel the couple to week nine.  

Hendrix’s showmanship throughout this routine was by far the best of any pairing this season. She has so much fun on the floor that the viewers at home can feel her energy. She had many technical elements in her routine including fast paced movement and sharp accents. Hendrix remained consistent with these elements throughout the routine, easily making it one of the strongest from week one. 

That said, she’ll likely be sent home due to her need to finish off her arm movements, push her shoulders down and straighten the backs of her knees to elongate her legs through her movements.  

Semi-Finals: No Elimination 

Following last season’s elimination schedule, there will not be any eliminations during the semi-final episode.  

Finale: 

For the season 34 finale, five couples will be in the running to take home the Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy. I have selected the top five couples who will make it to the show’s finale. 

Starting in fifth place, Rylee Arnold and Scott Hoying. This pairing’s tango to Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra” conveyed a very tense feeling which made it a great routine. There were a few notes for Hoying: his steps were good, however he must watch his stability.  

There were moments where he seemed to shake or shuffle his footing while Arnold was being dipped or spun. The other big critique to point out is his turnout. Hoying continuously turned his feet in, otherwise known as sickling, causing a domino effect as his knees, then his hips turned in, affecting his steps. 

Ezra Sosa and Jordan Chiles could take home fourth place in the competition this season. Their week one salsa was engaging and tasteful with its use of partner tricks. Because Chiles is an Olympic gymnast, the use of flips and partner work is intentional in acclimating her to the ballroom space.  

Her experience competing for a national team has granted her the advantage of understanding the need for strong facials, as it directly impacts the overall performance quality of her routine. I’m looking forward to seeing her progress this season. With her salsa already showing fluid arms, expressive hips and clean footwork, she will make it to the finale.  

In third place, Val Chmerkovskiy and Alix Earle. They ignited this season with fire as Earle’s cha-cha was strong and fierce from beginning to end. Her technique for only doing ballroom for two weeks is impressive and her drive to be a top contender in this competition has already started to show.  

I was heavily impressed with her leg movement and ability to perform fast paced, technical choreography. One of the little things I noticed was her wrists and hands when moving her arms. Earle needs to finish off those moves with sharpness and intention, releasing energy to the ends of her fingertips.  

Mark Ballas and Whitney Leavitt may be the runners-up this season. Leavitt’s tango was tied at the end of week one with a total score of 15. For a week one routine, it was intense, strong and very traditional.  

Leavitt’s prior experience with dance must have reminded her of the importance of turning out her feet when dipping backwards, because she did it every single time. Her solid frame was also incredibly impressive for week one and I believe she will be on the show until the very end. 

My projected winner of season 34 of Dancing with the Stars is Witney Carson and Robert Irwin. After the conclusion of week one, this was the top-scoring couple with a total of 15 out of 20. From the moment Irwin jumped off the humvee prop, I knew that his jive was going to be phenomenal.  

There was fast footwork, sharp jive kicks, perfect timing — what more could you ask for? Irwin was radiating energy from start to finish, making it a truly engaging routine to watch. He complimented his partner Carson well, not overpowering or being overpowered. One of the best notes from this routine includes Irwin’s pointed toes in his toe touch over Carson.  

In terms of his critiques, he needs to watch the sickling feet, similarly to the other celebrities. When he stood up out of his roll to the ground, he stood up with his foot turned in, causing him to turn in his entire leg.  

Overall, Robert has the strongest performance qualities, technical intelligence and ability to compliment his partner well, making him the top contender to win the Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy!