‘DWTS’ Judges Stir Controversy With Their Scores During Season 34 Premiere

Despite there being no elimination during the Season 34 premiere of Dancing With the Stars, things weren’t all sunshine and rainbows — judges’ feedback included.

During the first episode of the 2025 season, judges Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli doled out some scores that may surprise longtime viewers of the show as a bit lower than fans are used to seeing, even for Week 1.

In all fairness, Hough did warn the celebrity contestants and their pro partners that the official scoring would be tough. “The scoring tonight, just be mindful, it might be a little lower than you’re expecting because there’s a long way to go,” he explained. “This is a marathon. We want to give you guys room to grow.”

Hough and Tonioli were on their own at the judges’ table, as their co-judge Carrie Ann Inaba was forced to drop out of the premiere episode due to illness. Perhaps the outcome of the night’s scores would have been different with her there, but overall the scores were much lower than Week 1 in years past.

For example, after Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles and pro partner Ezra Sosa kicked things off with a high-energy salsa set to Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul,” the judges returned two 5s for a combined 10.

Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach, who danced a cha-cha to “Milkshake” by Kelis, also earned a collective 10 out of 20.

“There’s a whole lot of back and forth going on down here with the audience,” co-host Alfonso Ribeiro said after Efron’s dance. “They’re already pissed at these scores.”

Continue reading to see brief recaps of the dances and scores for the night.

Jen Affleck and Jan Ravnik

Dance: Salsa
Song: “NUEVAYoL” by Bad Bunny
Judges’ score: 12 out of 20

Hilaria Baldwin and Gleb Savchenko

Dance: Cha-cha
Song: “Let’s Get Loud” by Jennifer Lopez
Score: 14 out of 20

Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa

Dance: Salsa
Song: “Break My Soul” by Beyoncé
Score: 10 out of 20

Baron Davis and Britt Stewart

Dance: Cha-cha
Song: “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer
Score: 10 out of 20

Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy

Dance: Cha-cha
Song: “Circus” by Britney Spears
Score: 13 out of 20

Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach

Dance: Cha-cha
Song: “Milkshake” by Kelis
Score: 10 out of 20

Corey Feldman and Jenna Johnson

Dance: Tango
Song: “It’s Still Rock & Roll to Me” by Billy Joel
Score: 9 out of 20

Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov

Dance: Tango
Song: “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” by Kelly Clarkson
Score: 12 out of 20

Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten

Dance: Cha-cha
Song: “Woman” by Kesha
Score: 12 out of 20

Scott Hoying and Rylee Arnold

Dance: Tango
Song: “Abracadabra” by Lady Gaga
Score: 10 out of 20

Robert Irwin and Witney Carson

Dance: Jive
Song: “Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf
Score: 15 out of 20

Lauren Jauregui and Brandon Armstrong

Dance: Tango
Song: “Yes, And?” by Ariana Grande
Score: 13

Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas

Dance: Tango
Song: “Golden” by HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI & KPop Demon Hunters Cast
Score: 15 out of 20

Andy Richter and Emma Slater

Dance: Cha-cha
Song: “Hold On, I’m Coming” by Sam & Dave
Score: 9 out of 10

Dancing with the Stars Season 34 airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.