Dancing with the Stars (American season 28)


Season twenty-eight of Dancing with the Stars premiered on September 16, 2019 on the ABC network.
On November 25, 2019, The Bachelorette star Hannah Brown and professional dancer Alan Bersten were announced winners, marking Bersten’s first win. Actor and comedian Kel Mitchell and Witney Carson finished second, while singers Ally Brooke and Sasha Farber and Lauren Alaina and Gleb Savchenko came in third and fourth place, respectively.
This also marked the last season for co-hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews, after 28 and 11 seasons with the show, respectively.

Cast

Couples

For the first time, the couples were not announced in advance, but were revealed on the season premiere. On August 19, 2019, Peta Murgatroyd announced that she would be returning as a professional and on August 21, the cast was revealed on Good Morning America. Artem Chigvintsev and last season's champion Sharna Burgess did not return for this season. Two new dancers, Daniella Karagach and Pasha Pashkov, were added to the pro line-up. Karagach and returning pro Keo Motsepe do not have partners this season. This is the first season in which all the competing female pros have won prior.
On September 16, it was announced that Christie Brinkley would withdraw from competing in the season due to injuries in rehearsals. Due to this, her daughter, Sailor, took her place.
CelebrityNotability Professional partnerStatus
Mary WilsonThe Supremes singerBrandon ArmstrongEliminated 1st
on September 23, 2019
Ray LewisFormer NFL linebackerCheryl BurkeWithdrew
on September 30, 2019
Lamar OdomFormer NBA forwardPeta MurgatroydEliminated 2nd
on October 7, 2019
Model & daughter of Christie BrinkleyValentin ChmerkovskiyEliminated 3rd
on October 21, 2019
Karamo BrownQueer Eye expert & activistJenna JohnsonEliminated 4th
on October 28, 2019
Kate FlanneryThe Office actressPasha PashkovEliminated 5th
on November 4, 2019
Sean SpicerFormer White House Press SecretaryLindsay Arnold
Jenna Johnson 		Eliminated 6th
on November 11, 2019
James Van Der BeekDawson's Creek actorEmma SlaterEliminated 7th
on November 18, 2019
Lauren AlainaCountry music singerGleb SavchenkoFourth place
on November 25, 2019
Ally BrookeFifth Harmony singerSasha FarberThird place
on November 25, 2019
Kel MitchellActor & comedianWitney CarsonRunners-up
on November 25, 2019
Hannah BrownThe Bachelorette starAlan BerstenWinners
on November 25, 2019

Hosts and judges

and Erin Andrews returned as hosts, while Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli, returned as judges.

Dance troupe

There was no troupe this season.

Scoring charts

Average score chart

This table only counts dances scored on a 30-point scale.
Rank by
average		PlaceCoupleTotal
points		Number
of dances		Average
13Ally & Sasha3991526.6
21Hannah & Alan3841525.6
32Kel & Witney3821525.5
45James & Emma3261325.1
54Lauren & Gleb3711524.7
67Kate & Pasha202922.4
79Sailor & Val133622.2
88Karamo & Jenna168821.0
96Sean & Lindsay1971117.9
1012Mary & Brandon32216.0
1111Ray & Cheryl30215.0
1210Lamar & Peta48412.0

Highest and lowest scoring performances

The best and worst performances in each dance according to the judges' 30-point scale are as follows:
DanceHighest scored dancerHighest scoreLowest scored dancerLowest score
Cha-cha-chaKel Mitchell
James Van Der Beek		24Lamar Odom12
FoxtrotJames Van Der Beek
Lauren Alaina		27Lamar Odom11
SalsaKel Mitchell28Sean Spicer
Lamar Odom		12
TangoHannah Brown29Kel Mitchell
Sean Spicer		16
RumbaLauren Alaina
Hannah Brown		27Sailor Brinkley-Cook18
Viennese waltzKel Mitchell30Lamar Odom13
Paso dobleAlly Brooke30Sean Spicer15
QuickstepHannah Brown29Karamo Brown
Sean Spicer		19
SambaAlly Brooke30Kel Mitchell20
JiveAlly Brooke30Karamo Brown16
Argentine tangoLauren Alaina27Kate Flannery
Sean Spicer		19
JazzAlly Brooke
Kel Mitchell		30Sean Spicer20
ContemporaryJames Van Der Beek
Kel Mitchell		30Karamo Brown25
Team dancesAlly Brooke
Hannah Brown
James Van Der Beek
Lauren Alaina		27Karamo Brown
Kate Flannery
Kel Mitchell
Sean Spicer		24
CharlestonAlly Brooke30——
FreestyleAlly Brooke
Lauren Alaina
Hannah Brown		30Kel Mitchell29

Couples' highest and lowest scoring dances

Scores are based upon a potential 30-point maximum.
CoupleHighest scoring danceLowest scoring dance
Hannah & AlanFreestyle Cha-cha-cha
Kel & WitneyViennese waltz, Contemporary & Jazz Tango
Ally & SashaPaso doble, Samba, Jazz, Charleston, Jive & Freestyle Cha-cha-cha
Lauren & GlebFreestyle Cha-cha-cha & Paso doble
James & EmmaContemporary Cha-cha-cha
Sean & LindsayViennese waltz Salsa
Kate & PashaViennese waltz Cha-cha-cha
Karamo & JennaContemporary & Paso doble Jive
Sailor & ValJive Foxtrot & Rumba
Lamar & PetaViennese waltz Foxtrot
Ray & CherylSalsa & Foxtrot Salsa & Foxtrot
Mary & BrandonFoxtrot Cha-cha-cha

Weekly scores

Individual judges' scores in the charts below are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli.

Week 1: First Dances

On the first night, couples danced the cha-cha-cha, foxtrot, salsa or tango.
For the first time in the show's history, the official partnerships were revealed to the public during the live broadcast.
At the end, the show paid tribute to season 17 contestant, Valerie Harper who died sixteen days earlier.
;Running order
CoupleScoresDanceMusic
Hannah & Alan20 Cha-cha-cha"I Wanna Dance with Somebody "—Whitney Houston
Kel & Witney16 Tango"Sucker"—Jonas Brothers
Kate & Pasha15 Cha-cha-cha"She Works Hard for the Money"—Donna Summer
Lamar & Peta11 Foxtrot"Feeling Good"—Michael Bublé
Lauren & Gleb19 Cha-cha-cha"Man! I Feel Like a Woman!"—Shania Twain
Sailor & Val18 Foxtrot"Uptown Girl"—Billy Joel
Karamo & Jenna17 Salsa"Juice"—Lizzo
Ray & Cheryl15 Salsa"Hot in Herre"—Nelly
Mary & Brandon17 Foxtrot"Baby Love"—The Supremes
Ally & Sasha16 Cha-cha-cha"Work from Home"—Fifth Harmony
Sean & Lindsay12 Salsa"Spice Up Your Life"—Spice Girls
James & Emma21 Tango"Whatever It Takes"—Imagine Dragons

Week 2: First Elimination

The couples danced one unlearned dance; Paso doble, quickstep, rumba, samba and Viennese waltz are introduced.
Two new format changes were introduced for the remainder of the season: live voting during the broadcast, and a judges' save for one of the bottom two couples.
;Running order
CoupleScoresDanceMusicResult
James & Emma20 Cha-cha-cha"Dancing on the Ceiling"—Lionel RichieSafe
Sailor & Val18 Rumba"Señorita"—Shawn Mendes & Camila CabelloSafe
Ray & Cheryl15 Foxtrot"September"—Earth, Wind & FireBottom two
Ally & Sasha20 Viennese waltz"Iris"—Kina GrannisSafe
Mary & Brandon15 Cha-cha-cha"Think"—Aretha FranklinEliminated
Lauren & Gleb19 Paso doble"Confident"—Demi LovatoSafe
Sean & Lindsay16 Tango"Shut Up and Dance"—Walk the MoonSafe
Karamo & Jenna19 Quickstep"Let's Go Crazy"—Prince & The RevolutionSafe
Kate & Pasha21 Foxtrot"Fly Me to the Moon"—Frank SinatraSafe
Kel & Witney20 Samba"Every Little Step"—Bobby BrownSafe
Lamar & Peta12 Salsa"Con Calma"—Daddy Yankee feat. SnowSafe
Hannah & Alan24 Viennese waltz"Lover"—Taylor SwiftSafe

;Judges' votes to save
The couples performed one unlearned dance to famous film songs; jive is introduced.
At the beginning of the show, it was announced that Ray Lewis had withdrawn from the competition due to a prior toe injury sustained in rehearsals. His dance partner, Cheryl Burke, performed their routine during the live show with season 24 winner Rashad Jennings as a stand-in. There was no additional elimination.
;Running order
CoupleScoresDanceMusicFilmResult
Lauren & Gleb20 Tango"Oh, Pretty Woman"—Roy OrbisonPretty WomanSafe
Hannah & Alan21 Rumba"Hold On"—Wilson PhillipsBridesmaidsSafe
Karamo & Jenna16 Jive"I'm Still Standing"—Elton JohnRocketmanSafe
Ally & Sasha24 Rumba"Dreaming of You"—SelenaSelenaSafe
Ray & CherylN/ACha-cha-cha"Twist and Shout"—The BeatlesFerris Bueller's Day OffWithdrew
James & Emma23 Rumba"Shallow"—Lady Gaga & Bradley CooperA Star Is BornSafe
Kate & Pasha24 Quickstep"9 to 5"—Dolly Parton9 to 5Safe
Lamar & Peta12 Cha-cha-cha"Old Time Rock and Roll"—Bob SegerRisky BusinessBottom two
Sailor & Val23 Tango"Mamma Mia"—Meryl StreepMamma Mia!Safe
Kel & Witney20 Rumba"My Heart Will Go On"—Celine DionTitanicBottom two
Sean & Lindsay15 Cha-cha-cha"Night Fever"—Bee GeesSaturday Night FeverSafe

Week 4: Top 10

Individual judges' scores in the charts below are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Leah Remini, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli.
The couples performed one unlearned dance; Argentine tango is introduced.
As part of ABC's "Cast from the Past Week," season 17 contestant Leah Remini served as a guest judge for this week.
;Running order
CoupleScoresDanceMusicResult
Sean & Lindsay21 Paso doble"Bamboléo"—Gipsy KingsSafe
Ally & Sasha32 Jive"Proud Mary"—Tina TurnerSafe
Kel & Witney32 Cha-cha-cha"If I Can't Have You"—Shawn MendesSafe
Kate & Pasha26 Argentine tango"Hands to Myself"—Selena GomezSafe
James & Emma28 Quickstep"Walking on Sunshine"—Katrina and the WavesSafe
Hannah & Alan32 Paso doble"I Love It"—Icona Pop feat. Charli XCXSafe
Lamar & Peta20 Viennese waltz"Kiss from a Rose"—SealEliminated
Sailor & Val31 Cha-cha-cha"Ain't No Mountain High Enough"—Marvin Gaye & Tammi TerrellSafe
Lauren & Gleb32 Foxtrot"Jolene"—Dolly PartonSafe
Karamo & Jenna28 Tango"Old Town Road"—Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray CyrusBottom two

;Judges' votes to save
The couples performed one unlearned dance to songs from Disney films; contemporary and jazz are introduced.
No elimination took place this week.
;Running order
CoupleScoresDanceMusicDisney film
Sailor & Val24 Viennese waltz"A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes"—Lily JamesCinderella
Karamo & Jenna21 Samba"I Just Can't Wait to Be King"—JD McCrary, Shahadi Wright Joseph & John OliverThe Lion King
Kate & Pasha24 Jazz"A Spoonful of Sugar"—Julie AndrewsMary Poppins
Sean & Lindsay19 Quickstep"You've Got a Friend in Me"—Randy NewmanToy Story
Ally & Sasha27 Contemporary"Beauty and the Beast"—Ariana Grande & John LegendBeauty and the Beast
Lauren & Gleb23 Samba"Under the Sea"—Samuel E. WrightThe Little Mermaid
Kel & Witney26 Jazz"We're All in This Together"—Cast of High School MusicalHigh School Musical
Hannah & Alan25 Foxtrot"A Whole New World"—Zayn & Zhavia WardAladdin
James & Emma26 Paso doble"He's a Pirate"—Klaus Badelt

Week 6

The couples danced one unlearned dance.
;Running order
CoupleScoresDanceMusicResult
Ally & Sasha25 Quickstep"Take On Me"—A-haBottom two
Kate & Pasha27 Viennese waltz"I Have Nothing"—Whitney HoustonSafe
Kel & Witney26 Quickstep"Part-Time Lover"—Stevie WonderSafe
Karamo & Jenna25 Contemporary"Someone You Loved"—Lewis CapaldiSafe
Hannah & Alan24 Samba"Southbound"—Carrie UnderwoodSafe
Sailor & Val27 Jive"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"—Wham!Eliminated
Sean & Lindsay21 Viennese waltz"Somebody to Love"—QueenSafe
James & Emma27 Samba"Light It Up"—Major Lazer feat. Nyla & Fuse ODGSafe
Lauren & Gleb26 Contemporary"The Other Side"—Lauren AlainaSafe

;Judges' votes to save
The couples performed one unlearned dance and a team dance to Halloween themes and songs.
;Running order
;Judges' votes to save
The couples performed one unlearned dance and participated in specific dance-offs for extra points. Due to being on top of the previous week's leaderboard and holding the highest average of the season this far, James & Emma earned immunity from competing in the dance-off and automatically received two bonus points added to their total score.
Due to Lindsay Arnold's mother-in-law passing away, Jenna Johnson stepped in to dance with Sean Spicer for this week.
;Running order
CoupleScoresDanceMusicResult
Sean & Jenna20 Jazz"Come Sail Away"—StyxSafe
Lauren & Gleb24 Jive"Hound Dog"—Elvis PresleySafe
Kel & Witney28 Salsa"This Is How We Do It"—Montell JordanSafe
Ally & Sasha30 Paso doble"Higher"—Ally Brooke feat MatomaBottom two
Hannah & Alan29 Quickstep"American Girl"—Elle KingSafe
Kate & Pasha24 Jive"Heat Wave"—Linda RonstadtEliminated
James & Emma30 Contemporary"Don't Stop Believin'"—Ray ChewSafe

;Judges' votes to save:
Individual judges' scores in the charts below are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Joey Fatone, Bruno Tonioli.
The couples performed two unlearned dances to songs from famous girl groups and boy bands throughout history.
Season 4 runner-up, season 15 competitor and NSYNC member Joey Fatone served as a guest judge for this week. Spice Girls member Emma Bunton was originally supposed to guest judge the girl group round but could not attend due to scheduling conflicts. Emma Bunton was not replaced.
For the second consecutive week, Jenna Johnson danced with Sean Spicer on account of Arnold's absence.
;Running order
CoupleScoresDanceMusicResult
James & Emma36 Jive"I'm So Excited"—The Pointer SistersSafe
James & Emma36 Jazz"Bye Bye Bye"—NSYNCSafe
Sean & Jenna26 Argentine tango"Bills, Bills, Bills"—Destiny's ChildEliminated
Sean & Jenna24 Foxtrot"Story of My Life"—One DirectionEliminated
Hannah & Alan32 Salsa"No Scrubs"—TLCSafe
Hannah & Alan39 Tango"Boy with Luv"—BTSSafe
Ally & Sasha40 Samba"Wannabe"—Spice GirlsSafe
Ally & Sasha40 Jazz"Step by Step"—New Kids on the BlockSafe
Lauren & Gleb34 Quickstep"You Can't Hurry Love"—The SupremesBottom two
Lauren & Gleb36 Rumba"I Want It That Way"—Backstreet BoysBottom two
Kel & Witney34 Paso doble"Free Your Mind"—En VogueSafe
Kel & Witney40 Viennese waltz"I'll Make Love to You"—Boyz II MenSafe

;Judges' vote to save:
During the first round, the couples performed a redemption dance to a new song that was coached by one of the three judges. They also later danced one unlearned dance in the second round.
Charleston is introduced.
;Running order
CoupleScoresDanceMusicResult
Lauren & Gleb27 Paso doble"Stronger "—Kelly ClarksonSafe
Lauren & Gleb27 Viennese waltz"Humble and Kind"—Tim McGrawSafe
Kel & Witney27 Tango"Get Ready"—The TemptationsSafe
Kel & Witney30 Contemporary"I Will Always Love You"—Whitney HoustonSafe
Ally & Sasha29 Viennese waltz"Perfect"—Ed SheeranBottom two
Ally & Sasha30 Charleston"Sing, Sing, Sing "—Benny GoodmanBottom two
Hannah & Alan27 Rumba"Dancing with a Stranger"—Sam Smith & NormaniSafe
Hannah & Alan27 Contemporary"Lose You to Love Me"—Selena GomezSafe
James & Emma24 Cha-cha-cha"Canned Heat"—JamiroquaiEliminated
James & Emma27 Foxtrot"Take Me to Church"—HozierEliminated

;Judges' vote to save:
The couples performed their favorite dance of the season and a freestyle routine.
;Running order
CoupleScoresDanceMusicResult
Ally & Sasha30 Jive"Proud Mary"—Tina TurnerThird place
Ally & Sasha30 Freestyle"Conga"—Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound MachineThird place
Lauren & Gleb27 Foxtrot"Jolene"—Dolly PartonFourth place
Lauren & Gleb30 Freestyle"Country Girl "—Luke BryanFourth place
Kel & Witney30 Jazz"We're All in This Together"—Cast of High School MusicalRunners-up
Kel & Witney29 Freestyle"Jump"—Kris KrossRunners-up
Hannah & Alan28 Viennese waltz"Lover"—Taylor SwiftWinners
Hannah & Alan30 Freestyle"Girl on Fire"—Alicia Keys / "Hollaback Girl"—Gwen StefaniWinners

Dance chart

The celebrities and professional partners danced one of these routines for each corresponding week: