DWTS Season 34 Finale Upends Tradition With One Game-Changing Twist
Dancing with the Stars is tearing up the rulebook for its Season 34 finale, with a major format shake-up announced November 18 that sets the stage for the series’ most intense showdown yet.
DWTS is closing out Season 34 with a swing-for-the-fences finale and, yes, they are changing the rules on the way out. If you like pressure, you’re about to get three rounds of it crammed into one night.
The twist and when it dropped
During the November 18 episode — while Robert Irwin, Alix Earle, Elaine Hendrix, Jordan Chiles, Whitney Leavitt, and Dylan Efron were still fighting for those last spots in the Top Five — co-host Alfonso Ribeiro told the live audience that next week won’t be business as usual.
'Next week, we’re taking over all of ABC in primetime with our most demanding season finale in the history of the show. For the first time, we’ll have three rounds of competition.'
Co-host Julianne Hough backed it up by basically saying the talent this season is too good to miss. Translation: they’re going big.
How the finale will work
- Instant Dances: Couples are handed a surprise song live and have to learn it and perform on the spot. It’s exactly as chaotic (and fun) as it sounds.
- Make-or-Break Freestyle: No rules, just the show’s most crowd-pleasing, vote-swinging routine of the night. Public vote carries serious weight here.
- Judges’ Choice: The judges assign a routine or dance style and the couples have to deliver precisely what they’re asked for.
Why the stakes feel extra high
The semifinals were stacked. Multiple couples pulled perfect scores, and the judges were in full superlative mode.
Robert Irwin and Witney Carson’s jive to 'Baby I’m a Star' had Carrie Ann Inaba raving about how hard they were knocking on the finale’s door — crisp, buoyant, and a statement routine. Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy actually hit that perfect 30 with a Viennese waltz to 'Purple Rain,' and Derek Hough told Alix she’s transformed into a legit dancer and that he fully expects to see her in the finals.
Then Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten danced to 'When Doves Cry,' and Bruno Tonioli went so over the moon he ripped his shirt open on live TV. He called it regal and majestic. Subtle, it was not — but the performance backed up the theatrics.
When to watch
The Dancing with the Stars Season 34 finale airs Monday, November 25 on ABC. Three rounds, live pressure, and apparently the whole network carved out for it. Buckle up.