DWTS is officially turning up the volume on the ballroom floor.
In a historic first for the long-running reality competition series. The show is introducing a brand-new “Grammy Night” theme, challenging the remaining celebrity contestants and their pro partners to perform routines set to iconic, award-winning tracks. From show-stopping pop anthems to soul-stirring ballads, the high-stakes evening promises to fuse world-class choreography with the biggest musical moments in Recording Academy history.
Who Will Compete During ‘Grammy Night?’
DWTS “Grammy Night” will feature seven couples competing to continue in the competition in their quest to win the series’ iconic Mirrorball trophy. Each pair will bring a unique Grammy-winning track to life, aiming to impress the judges and earn the crucial fan votes needed to stay in the running.
Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa were eliminated on Disney Night. Therefore, seven couples remain in the competition.
Dancing will be Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik, Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy, Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach, Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov, Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas, Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson, and Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold.
The series hasn’t yet dropped a press release yet for Grammy Night. But some details were revealed during DWTS live show, which aired on Monday, November 2.
Shum and Johnson and Dewan and Chmerkovskiy both scored 40/40 and finished at 80/80 scores. The series announced that, due to the tie, the couple with the highest overall scores this season would win immunity in the series’ upcoming dance-off. Shum and Johnson eked out a win over Chmerkovskiy and Dewan, with a total cumulative score of 236 to 235.
How Does DWTS Dance-Off Work?
The DWTS Dance-Off round is a high-stakes mini-competition within the episode designed to award crucial extra judges’ points before elimination. As Jenna Johnson and Harry Shum Jr. are safe from the task, the remaining six couples are then paired head-to-head to perform the exact same dance style—such as a Cha-Cha, Salsa, or Jive—side-by-side on the ballroom floor, relying on split-second improvisation and flair rather than elaborate staging.
Once each pair finishes their head-to-head matchup, the judges cast their votes live to declare a winner for each face-off. The winning couple from each pairing receives extra bonus points added directly to their leaderboard total for the night. In a tight race where single points can shift the rankings, winning a Dance-Off often provides the vital safety cushion needed to dodge the bottom two and perhaps, survive into the next week of competition.
Since “Grammy Night” marks a first-of-its-kind theme for the franchise, fans are stepping into unchartered territory. However, viewers can count on the remaining contestants taking the floor to timeless, Grammy-winning anthems.
To make the milestone evening even bigger, the show is rolling out star-studded musical performances from R&B icons Brandy and Monica, along with powerhouse artists Maren Morris and Sheryl Crow, making it an absolute can’t-miss event for music and dance lovers alike.
DWTS returns to its scheduled Tuesday evening programming for “Grammy Night.” The series airs at 8 p.m. ET, live on ABC and Disney +. New episodes air the next day on Hulu.
DWTS Drops a Historic First With ‘Grammy Night’ Announcement