Dancing with the Stars (American season 23)
Season twenty-three of Dancing with the Stars premiered on September 12, 2016, on the ABC network.
On November 23, 2016, Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez and Valentin Chmerkovskiy were announced the winner; IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe and Sharna Burgess placed second, and retired NFL player Calvin Johnson Jr. and Lindsay Arnold placed third. Having won at age 16, Hernandez is currently the youngest winner of the show, surpassing Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson.
Cast
Couples
The first eight professional dancers were revealed on Good Morning America on August 23, 2016, and have all appeared on the show before. The six returning from the previous season include Lindsay Arnold, Sharna Burgess, Witney Carson, Artem Chigvintsev, Val Chmerkovskiy, and Sasha Farber; the two returning from past seasons are Allison Holker and Gleb Savchenko. Later, other returning dancers were announced: Emma Slater, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Derek Hough and Cheryl Burke. Past troupe member Jenna Johnson is the only new pro this season. Pros from the previous season who did not return this season include reigning champion Peta Murgatroyd, who was expecting a child, Mark Ballas, Tony Dovolani, Edyta Śliwińska, and Karina Smirnoff. Keo Motsepe returned, but as a member of the show's dance troupe.The full cast of celebrities and pros was revealed on August 30, 2016, on Good Morning America.
Celebrity | Notability | Professional partner | Status | |
Jake T. Austin | Actor | Jenna Johnson | Eliminated 1st on September 20, 2016 | |
Rick Perry | Republican politician | Emma Slater | Eliminated 2nd on September 27, 2016 | |
Babyface | Singer, songwriter & record producer | Allison Holker | Eliminated 3rd on October 4, 2016 | |
Vanilla Ice | Rapper & actor | Witney Carson | Eliminated 4th on October 4, 2016 | |
Amber Rose | Model & actress | Maksim Chmerkovskiy | Eliminated 5th on October 17, 2016 | |
Maureen McCormick | Actress & author | Artem Chigvintsev | Eliminated 6th on October 24, 2016 | |
Ryan Lochte | Olympic swimmer | Cheryl Burke | Eliminated 7th on October 31, 2016 | |
Marilu Henner | Actress, broadcaster & author | Derek Hough | Eliminated 8th on November 7, 2016 | |
Terra Jolé | Reality television star | Sasha Farber | Eliminated 9th on November 14, 2016 | |
Jana Kramer | Country music singer & actress | Gleb Savchenko | Eliminated 10th on November 21, 2016 | |
Calvin Johnson Jr. | Former American football wide receiver | Lindsay Arnold | Third place on November 22, 2016 | |
James Hinchcliffe | Race car driver | Sharna Burgess Jenna Johnson | Runner-up on November 22, 2016 | |
Laurie Hernandez | Olympic artistic gymnast | Valentin Chmerkovskiy | Winner on November 22, 2016 |
Hosts and judges
and Erin Andrews return as hosts, and Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli return as judges. On August 26, 2016, it was reported that Julianne Hough would return to the show as a judge following a hiatus. Due to a personal tragedy involving her boyfriend, Erin Andrews took a week off from her co-hosting duties; former pro Kym Johnson-Herjavec filled in during week 3 Tuesday's results show. On October 17, Pitbull took over Len Goodman's position as a guest judge for week 6. On November 7, Idina Menzel took over for Goodman as a guest judge for week 9.Scoring charts
Average score chart
This table only counts dances scored on a 40-point scale.Rank by average | Place | Couple | Total points | Number of dances | Average |
1 | 1 | Laurie & Val | 591 | 16 | 36.9 |
2 | 2 | James & Sharna | 586 | 16 | 36.6 |
3 | 3 | Calvin & Lindsay | 564 | 16 | 35.3 |
4 | 4 | Jana & Gleb | 521 | 15 | 34.7 |
5 | 5 | Terra & Sasha | 440 | 13 | 33.9 |
6 | 6 | Marilu & Derek | 349 | 11 | 31.7 |
7 | 8 | Maureen & Artem | 237 | 8 | 29.6 |
8 | 7 | Ryan & Cheryl | 261 | 9 | 29.0 |
9 | 9 | Amber & Maks | 165 | 6 | 28.4 |
10 | 11 | Babyface & Allison | 99 | 4 | 24.8 |
11 | 10 | Vanilla Ice & Witney | 97 | 4 | 24.3 |
12 | 13 | Jake & Jenna | 46 | 2 | 23.0 |
13 | 12 | Rick & Emma | 65 | 3 | 21.7 |
Highest and lowest scoring performances
The best and worst performances in each dance according to the judges' 40-point scale are as follows:Dance | Highest scored dancer | Highest score | Lowest scored dancer | Lowest score |
Jive | James Hinchcliffe | 40 | Jake T. Austin | 22 |
Foxtrot | Laurie Hernandez | 40 | Ryan Lochte Amber Rose | 24 |
Cha-cha-cha | Marilu Henner | 34 | Rick Perry | 20 |
Viennese Waltz | Laurie Hernandez James Hinchcliffe | 40 | Maureen McCormick | 22 |
Quickstep | Calvin Johnson Jr. | 40 | Rick Perry | 22 |
Tango | Terra Jolé | 40 | Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds | 24 |
Argentine tango | Jana Kramer Laurie Hernandez | 40 | Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds | 30 |
Paso doble | Jana Kramer | 40 | Rick Perry Vanilla Ice | 23 |
Salsa | Calvin Johnson Jr. | 40 | Amber Rose | 25 |
Charleston | Terra Jolé | 38 | Marilu Henner | 29 |
Samba | Laurie Hernandez | 40 | Maureen McCormick | 31 |
Jazz | Laurie Hernandez | 40 | Calvin Johnson Jr. | 32 |
Contemporary | Laurie Hernandez Jana Kramer | 40 | Ryan Lochte | 32 |
Rumba | Terra Jolé | 40 | Ryan Lochte | 28 |
Jitterbug | James Hinchcliffe | 36 | — | — |
Team dance | Ryan Lochte James Hinchcliffe Maureen McCormick Calvin Johnson Jr. | 38 | Laurie Hernandez Terra Jolé Jana Kramer Marilu Henner | 35 |
Waltz | Jana Kramer | 40 | Calvin Johnson Jr. | 37 |
Team-up dance | Laurie Hernandez Jana Kramer | 40 | Marilu Henner Terra Jolé | 36 |
Freestyle | Calvin Johnson Jr. Laurie Hernandez James Hinchcliffe | 40 | Jana Kramer | 36 |
Fusion dance | Laurie Hernandez James Hinchcliffe Calvin Johnson Jr. | 40 | — | — |
Couples' highest and lowest scoring dances
Scores are based upon a potential 40-point maximum.Couples | Highest scoring dance | Lowest scoring dance |
Laurie & Val | Jazz, Viennese Waltz, Argentine tango, Contemporary, Foxtrot, Samba, Freestyle & Foxtrot/Argentine tango fusion | Cha-cha-cha & Tango |
James & Sharna | Viennese Waltz, Jive, Freestyle & Viennese Waltz/Foxtrot fusion | Paso doble & Cha-cha-cha |
Calvin & Lindsay | Quickstep, Salsa, Freestyle & Jive/Quickstep fusion | Cha-cha-cha |
Jana & Gleb | Argentine tango, Waltz, Contemporary & Paso doble | Jive |
Terra & Sasha | Rumba & Tango | Jive |
Marilu & Derek | Viennese Waltz, Samba & Jazz | Jive |
Ryan & Cheryl | Contemporary | Foxtrot & Quickstep |
Maureen & Artem | Argentine tango & Foxtrot | Viennese Waltz |
Amber & Maks | Argentine tango & Samba | Foxtrot & Viennese Waltz |
Vanilla Ice & Witney | Viennese Waltz | Paso doble |
Babyface & Allison | Argentine tango | Tango |
Rick & Emma | Paso doble | Cha-cha-cha |
Jake & Jenna | Cha-cha-cha | Jive |
Weekly scores
Individual judges' scores in the charts below are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli.Week 1: First Dances
The couples danced the cha-cha-cha, foxtrot, jive, or Viennese Waltz.;Running order
Couple | Scores | Dance | Music |
Marilu & Derek | 27 | Jive | "Can't Stop Dancin'—Captain & Tennille |
James & Sharna | 31 | Foxtrot | "Live Life"—Zayde Wølf |
Calvin & Lindsay | 26 | Cha-cha-cha | "That's What I Like"—Flo Rida feat. Fitz |
Maureen & Artem | 22 | Viennese Waltz | " A Natural Woman"—Mary J. Blige |
Babyface & Allison | 26 | Foxtrot | "'Deed I Do"—Ray Charles |
Amber & Maks | 24 | Foxtrot | "Here"—Alessia Cara |
Vanilla Ice & Witney | 25 | Cha-cha-cha | "Ice Ice Baby"—Vanilla Ice |
Jana & Gleb | 27 | Viennese Waltz | "Dangerous Woman"—Ariana Grande |
Jake & Jenna | 22 | Jive | "Kiss You"—One Direction |
Rick & Emma | 20 | Cha-cha-cha | "God Blessed Texas"—Little Texas |
Terra & Sasha | 25 | Jive | "Stuff Like That There"—Betty Hutton |
Ryan & Cheryl | 24 | Foxtrot | "Call Me Irresponsible"—Michael Bublé |
Laurie & Val | 31 | Cha-cha-cha | "American Girl"—Bonnie McKee |
After Ryan & Cheryl's Foxtrot, two protesters are arrested for rushing to the stage and shouting out, "Liar".
Week 2: TV Night
The couples performed one unlearned dance to famous TV theme songs; Argentine tango, paso doble, quickstep, and tango are introduced.;Running order
Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | TV show | Result |
Maureen & Artem | 26 | Quickstep | "The Brady Bunch"—Peppermint Trolley Company | The Brady Bunch | Safe |
Jana & Gleb | 29 | Tango | "I Don't Want to Be"—Gavin DeGraw | One Tree Hill | Safe |
Rick & Emma | 22 | Quickstep | "Green Acres Theme"—Vic Mizzy | Green Acres | Safe |
Calvin & Lindsay | 28 | Foxtrot | "As Days Go By"—Jesse Frederick | Family Matters | Safe |
Amber & Maks | 24 | Viennese Waltz | "Game of Thrones Theme"—Ramin Djawadi | Game of Thrones | Safe |
Jake & Jenna | 24 | Cha-cha-cha | "Go, Diego, Go! Theme" | Go, Diego, Go! | Eliminated |
Vanilla Ice & Witney | 26 | Foxtrot | "Love and Marriage"—Frank Sinatra | Married... with Children | Safe |
Terra & Sasha | 31 | Quickstep | "Bewitched Theme"—Howard Greenfield & Jack Keller | Bewitched | Safe |
Babyface & Allison | 30 | Argentine tango | "The X-Files"—Mark Snow | The X-Files | Safe |
Laurie & Val | 32 | Jive | "DuckTales"—Mark Mueller | DuckTales | Safe |
James & Sharna | 29 | Paso doble | "The Walking Dead Theme"—Bear McCreary | The Walking Dead | Safe |
Marilu & Derek | 29 | Foxtrot | "Angela"—Bob James | Taxi | Safe |
Ryan & Cheryl | 24 | Quickstep | "The Muppet Show Theme"—Jim Henson & Sam Pottle | The Muppet Show | Last to be called safe |
Week 3: Face-off Night
The couples were paired off into six sets, with each set of couples performing the same dance to different songs. The highest-scoring couple from each set won immunity, and could not be eliminated. Salsa is introduced. The show was shortened to one hour due to the presidential debate.;Running order
Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Result |
Babyface & Allison | 25 | Jive | "Great Gosh A'Mighty"—Little Richard | Safe |
Jana & Gleb | 26 | Jive | "Too Many Fish in the Sea"—Bette Midler | Immunity |
Rick & Emma | 23 | Paso doble | "Tamacun"—Rodrigo y Gabriela | Eliminated |
Vanilla Ice & Witney | 23 | Paso doble | "Save Tonight"—Zayde Wølf | Immunity |
James & Sharna | 29 | Cha-cha-cha | "Big Trouble"—Outasight | Immunity |
Ryan & Cheryl | 25 | Cha-cha-cha | "If It Ain't Love"—Jason Derulo | Safe |
Terra & Sasha | 30 | Viennese Waltz | "Iris"—Goo Goo Dolls | Safe |
Calvin & Lindsay | 32 | Viennese Waltz | "Woman's World"—BJ the Chicago Kid | Immunity |
Amber & Maks | 25 | Salsa | "Booty"—Jennifer Lopez feat. Iggy Azalea | Last to be called safe |
Maureen & Artem | 28 | Salsa | "Tres Deseos"—Gloria Estefan | Immunity |
Laurie & Val | 31 | Tango | "Into the Sunset "—Crystal Lake feat. Kifi | Immunity |
Marilu & Derek | 28 | Tango | "Battle Cry"—Imagine Dragons | Safe |
Week 4: Cirque du Soleil Night
Individual judges' scores in this charts are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli.The couples performed one unlearned dance inspired by a Cirque du Soleil show, while Cirque du Soleil acrobats, aerialists, dancers, and fire stick performers performed alongside them; Charleston, jazz, and samba are introduced.
;Running order
Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Cirque du Soleil show | Result |
Calvin & Lindsay | 23 | Charleston | "Bella Donna Twist"—Raphaël Beau | Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities | Safe |
Maureen & Artem | 24 | Argentine tango | "High Bar/Taikoba"—Benoît Jutras | Mystère | Safe |
Jana & Gleb | 23 | Foxtrot | "Here Comes the Sun"—The Beatles | The Beatles: LOVE | Last to be called safe |
Marilu & Derek | 21 | Paso doble | "Battlefield"—René Dupéré | Kà | Safe |
Amber & Maks | 24 | Argentine tango | "Two Two Tango"—Simon Carpentier | Zumanity | Safe |
Ryan & Cheryl | 22 | Viennese Waltz | "Jeux d'Eau"—Benoît Jutras | O | Safe |
Babyface & Allison | 18 | Tango | "Come Together"—The Beatles | The Beatles: LOVE | Eliminated |
Terra & Sasha | 25 | Samba | "Tzelma"—Benoît Jutras | O | Safe |
Laurie & Val | 30 | Jazz | "The Way You Make Me Feel"—Michael Jackson | Safe | |
Vanilla Ice & Witney | 23 | Viennese Waltz | "La Nouba"—Benoît Jutras | La Nouba | Eliminated |
James & Sharna | 28 | Quickstep | "The Hollywood Wiz"—Guy Dubuc & Marc Lessard | Paramour | Safe |
Week 5: Most Memorable Year Night
The couples performed one unlearned dance to celebrate the most memorable year of their lives; contemporary is introduced. Due to the lack of a separate results show, no elimination took place this week.;Running order
Couple | Scores | Dance | Music |
Maureen & Artem | 24 | Foxtrot | "From the Ground Up"—Dan + Shay |
Calvin & Lindsay | 24 | Jazz | "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"—Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell |
Jana & Gleb | 26 | Contemporary | "In My Daughter's Eyes"—Martina McBride |
Ryan & Cheryl | 24 | Contemporary | "A Song for You"—Leon Russell |
Laurie & Val | 25 | Paso doble | "Rise"—Katy Perry |
Marilu & Derek | 27 | Viennese Waltz | "Surprise Yourself"—Jack Garratt |
Amber & Maks | 24 | Samba | "Woman Up"—Meghan Trainor |
James & Sharna | 29 | Tango | "The Right Time"—Yves V feat. Mike James |
Terra & Sasha | 27 | Contemporary | "Stand by Me"—Florence + The Machine |
Week 6: Latin Night
Individual judges' scores in the chart below are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Pitbull, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli.The couples danced a Latin-inspired routine; rumba is introduced.
;Running order
Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Result |
Ryan & Cheryl | 30 | Salsa | "La Negra Tiene Tumbao"—Celia Cruz | Safe |
Terra & Sasha | 30 | Paso doble | "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"—Santa Esmeralda | Safe |
Amber & Maks | 28 | Cha-cha-cha | "Bla Bla Bla Cha Cha Cha"—Petty Booka | Eliminated |
James & Sharna | 38 | Rumba | "Need the Sun to Break"—James Bay | Safe |
Marilu & Derek | 34 | Cha-cha-cha | "Echa pa'lante"—Thalía | Safe |
Jana & Gleb | 40 | Argentine tango | "Hands to Myself"—Selena Gomez | Safe |
Maureen & Artem | 31 | Samba | "Mas que Nada"—Sérgio Mendes feat. The Black Eyed Peas | Safe |
Calvin & Lindsay | 37 | Argentine tango | "Hotel California"—Eagles | Last to be called safe |
Laurie & Val | 37 | Salsa | "Light It Up"—Major Lazer feat. Nyla & Fuse ODG | Safe |
Week 7: Eras Night
The couples performed one unlearned dance and a team dance representing different historical eras; jitterbug is introduced.After a three-week absence, Len Goodman temporarily returned to the judges' table.
;Running order
Week 8: Halloween Night
Individual judges' scores in the chart below are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli.Couples performed one unlearned dance to Halloween themes and songs; the couple with the highest score earned an immunity from elimination, while the rest of the couples participated in dance-offs for extra points.
After injuring her knee in week 7, Sharna Burgess was unable to perform with James Hinchcliffe; Jenna Johnson danced in her place.
;Running order
Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Result |
Terra & Sasha | 24 | Cha-cha-cha | "Day-O "—Harry Belafonte | Last to be called safe |
Laurie & Val | 30 | Viennese Waltz | "Pure Imagination"—Jane Monheit | Safe |
Marilu & Derek | 23 | Argentine tango | "Sweet Dreams "—Emily Browning | Safe |
Calvin & Lindsay | 30 | Quickstep | "Dr. Bones"—Cherry Poppin' Daddies | Safe |
Ryan & Cheryl | 23 | Tango | "Howlin' for You"—The Black Keys | Eliminated |
Jana & Gleb | 27 | Jazz | "Little Shop of Horrors"—Alan Menken | Safe |
James & Jenna | 30 | Viennese Waltz | "You Don't Own Me"—Grace feat. G-Eazy | Immunity |
Because Calvin, Laurie, and James all earned perfect scores, the tiebreaker was cumulative points over the season, which resulted in James winning immunity and a five-point bonus. For each dance-off, the couple with the highest remaining score picked the opponent against whom they wanted to dance; the chosen opponent was allowed to pick the dance style. The winner of each dance-off earned three points. The general public helped to determine the winner of each dance-off via the show's official website.
Couple | Judges' votes | Public vote | Dance | Music | Result |
Laurie & Val | Laurie, Laurie, Laurie | Laurie | Jive | "The Purple People Eater"—Sheb Wooley | Winner |
Calvin & Lindsay | Laurie, Laurie, Laurie | Laurie | Jive | "The Purple People Eater"—Sheb Wooley | Loser |
Jana & Gleb | Terra, Jana, Jana | Jana | Salsa | "Magic"—Robin Thicke | Winner |
Terra & Sasha | Terra, Jana, Jana | Jana | Salsa | "Magic"—Robin Thicke | Loser |
Ryan & Cheryl | Ryan, Ryan, Marilu | Ryan | Cha-cha-cha | "Can't Feel My Face"—The Weeknd | Winner |
Marilu & Derek | Ryan, Ryan, Marilu | Ryan | Cha-cha-cha | "Can't Feel My Face"—The Weeknd | Loser |
Week 9: Showstoppers Night (Quarterfinals)
Individual judges' scores in the chart below are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Idina Menzel, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli.Couples performed one musical theatre-inspired dance and a team-up dance with another couple, which involved the celebrities dancing side-by-side to the same song and receiving the same set of scores from the judges for the routine. Waltz is introduced.
Jenna Johnson stepped in to dance with James Hinchcliffe again this week due to Sharna Burgess' knee injury.
;Running order
Week 10: Semifinals
Individual judges' scores in the chart below are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli.The couples performed an unlearned dance and a trio dance involving an eliminated pro or a member of the troupe; Sharna Burgess returned to the dance floor after a two-week hiatus.
;Running order
Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Result |
James & Sharna | 29 | Argentine tango | "Santa María "—Gotan Project | Safe |
James & Sharna | 30 | Jive | "Gimme Some Lovin'"—The Spencer Davis Group | Safe |
Terra & Sasha | 30 | Rumba | "Scars to Your Beautiful"—Alessia Cara | Eliminated |
Terra & Sasha | 30 | Tango | "Hideaway"—Kiesza | Eliminated |
Jana & Gleb | 28 | Quickstep | "Go Mama"—Wayne Beckford | Safe |
Jana & Gleb | 30 | Paso doble | "Kill of the Night"—Gin Wigmore | Safe |
Calvin & Lindsay | 26 | Tango | "Seven Nation Army"—The White Stripes | Last to be called safe |
Calvin & Lindsay | 30 | Salsa | "Limbo"—Daddy Yankee | Last to be called safe |
Laurie & Val | 30 | Foxtrot | "Hollow"—Tori Kelly | Safe |
Laurie & Val | 30 | Samba | "Magalenha"—Sérgio Mendes feat. Carlinhos Brown | Safe |
Week 11: Finals
Individual judges' scores in the chart below are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli.On the first night, the couples performed a redemption dance and a freestyle.
On the second night, the final three couples danced a fusion dance that fused two dance styles.
Once again after a three-week absence, Len Goodman returned to the judges' table for the finals.
;Running order
Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Result |
Calvin & Lindsay | 35 | Viennese Waltz | "I Am Your Man"—Ryan Shaw | Safe |
Calvin & Lindsay | 40 | Freestyle | "I Want You Back"—The Jackson 5 "Please Mr. Postman"—The Marvelettes | Safe |
Jana & Gleb | 35 | Tango | "Stay the Night"—Zedd feat. Hayley Williams | Eliminated |
Jana & Gleb | 36 | Freestyle | "Unstoppable"—Sia | Eliminated |
Laurie & Val | 38 | Paso doble | "Wicked Ones"—DOROTHY | Safe |
Laurie & Val | 40 | Freestyle | "Brand New"—Ben Rector | Safe |
James & Sharna | 37 | Foxtrot | "It Had to Be You"—Harry Connick Jr. | Last to be called safe |
James & Sharna | 40 | Freestyle | "Beethoven's 5 Secrets"—The Piano Guys | Last to be called safe |
;Running order
Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Result |
James & Sharna | 40 | Viennese Waltz Foxtrot | "Over and Over Again"—Nathan Sykes feat. Ariana Grande | Runner-up |
Calvin & Lindsay | 40 | Jive Quickstep | "Tutti Frutti"—Little Richard | Third place |
Laurie & Val | 40 | Foxtrot Argentine tango | "We Are the Ones"—Myon | Winner |
Dance chart
The celebrities and professional partners danced one of these routines for each corresponding week:- Week 1: Cha-cha-cha, foxtrot, jive, or Viennese waltz
- Week 2: One unlearned dance
- Week 3: One unlearned dance
- Week 4: One unlearned dance
- Week 5: One unlearned dance
- Week 6: One unlearned Latin dance
- Week 7: One unlearned dance and team dances
- Week 8: One unlearned dance and dance-offs
- Week 9: One unlearned dance and team-up challenge
- Week 10: One unlearned dance and trio dance
- Week 11 : Redemption dance and freestyle
- Week 11 : Fusion dance
Ratings