‘DWTS’ Is Changing Its Format for the Season 34 Finale

Dancing With the Stars is changing things up for the Season 34 finale.

As Robert Irwin and Witney Carson, Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach, Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy, Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten, and Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa head into Tuesday’s finale, Dancing With the Stars co-host Alfonso Ribeiro announced there would be a twist in the finale format.

“Next week, we’re taking over all of ABC in primetime with our most demanding season finale in the history of the show,” Ribeiro teased during the semi-finals episode. “For the first time, we’ll have three rounds of competition.”

In addition to the “Make-or-Break Freestyle,” which is an anything-goes routine, the celebrities will be challenged in the three-hour finale by a judges’ choice dance as well as “Instant Dances,” which tasks them with learning and performing a dance to a surprise song during the live show itself.

Co-host Julianne Hough assured fans, “With all the incredible talent this season, you don’t want to miss it.”

Tuesday’s Prince-themed semi-finals ended with a shocking elimination, as Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas were eliminated after coming in at the top of the leaderboard with a 29/30 for their Viennese waltz to “Slow Love” and a 29/30 for their cha cha to “1999.”

“I already feel like a winner,” said the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star as she made her exit from the stage. “This show has absolutely meant the world to me. It’s changed my life. I’ll forever be so grateful for the friendships I’ve made, to have this experience, thank you so, so much.”

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Leavitt said her experience on DWTS was “definitely worth it,” adding, “I would do it all again.”

“It happened over time, experiencing this, because I didn’t even think I was going to make it this far,” she continued. “Every single week, I would talk to Mark saying, ‘I don’t know, tonight might be the night, but I’m happy with what we’ve done so far.’ I’m so grateful to have made it so far. I don’t know what that is, maybe it’s the little kid in me that had all these dreams that felt unattainable but now they feel within reach.”

Dancing With the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+ and is available to stream the next day on Hulu.