Dancing with the Stars Season 34 premiere is a 20 th anniversary of the show with memorable dances, a successful debut by Robert Irwin, fans buzzing, judge missing, and ratings comparing it with earlier seasons.
Basics
- Premier Date The premiere date of the show was September 16, 2025, at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
- It is available now on ABC and live on Disney+, and Hulu has next-day availability.
- The judges include Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli, and Carrie Ann Inaba; the hosts are Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough.
What stood out
- Carrie Ann Inaba was missing the premiere because she was sick. She announced a few moments before the show that she was not feeling well and she was going to take a nap. She is supposed to visit back the following week.
- Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli were the only judges in the first episode due to the absence of her. No temporary judge filled in.
STAR The interesting episodes and participants.
- Season 34 marks the 20 th anniversary of DWTS.
- The cast is an eclectic mix of TV, sports, music, social media and so on, celebrities. Among them:
o Robert Irwin (collaborating with Witney Carson)
o Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas.
o Danielle Fishel, Jordan Chiles, Alix Earle, Lauren Jauregui, Andy Richter, Elaine Hendrix, Jen Affleck among others.
- One of the highlights was the first dance of Robert Irwin (a Jive to Born to Be Wild). It impressed the judges and he also scored the same points as Whitney Leavitt (15/20) in the night as top score. Derek referred to it as possibly the best first dance he has ever witnessed on the show.
- Minor scoring mistake: one of the judges has entered an incorrect score but it was corrected.
- No one has been killed in the premiere. However, in order to compensate that, the following episode will be a double elimination.
Fan Reactions & Social Buzz
What fans are saying so far:
- Everything about the debut of Robert Irwin is talking positively. His initial dance (a jive to Born to be wild) appears to impress people, some believe that in the past it was a good first dance.
- Whitney Leavitt too had her share of applause; she was even in the score with Robert as the highest point of the night and her tango was highly rated.
- Some of the mistakes – such as Bruno Tonioli speaking in front of the camera and awarding the wrong mark – were discussed (as well as criticized) by the viewers. There is no overt evidence of favoritism or rigging but some accused it.
- Mixed reactions were received over the performance by Corey Feldman. When Derek Hough scored low (4) despite the performance receiving applause due to effort and energy, the audience booed him.
- The fact that Carrie Ann Inaba did not participate in the premiere was mentioned – people lacked the complete judge panel and some wondered how it can impact the dynamics of judging.
In short: they are usually fans, excited by some spectacular performances, but paying attention to scoring consistency and impartiality.
Comparisons of Ratings and Viewership.
This is a bit trickier. Currently, complete Nielsen or streaming data of the premiure of Season 34 has not been widely disseminated (at least not by reputable sources as I yet have not located). However, we have new past data to make comparisons and background regarding trends.
Here’s what I found:
- The premiere of season 33 was rated at 4.97 million viewers on ABC + Disney+ live-plus-same-day.
- It also improved by 14% in the major 18-49 demo as compared to the premiere of Season 32.
- Comparatively, the premiere of Season 32 had an audience of an approximate of 4.78 million.
- Fashion The overall trend is being reported across numerous seasons, the premieres and averages are lower than they were in the early years (when the viewership might be reaching double digits in millions).
How Season 34 Premiere Could (or Could) Compare.
Considering what is known + what is typical, the following inferences / what to observe are:
- Supposing that the premiere of Season 34 attracts the same or slightly higher numbers (around 5 million or more on ABC + Disney+), it is likely that it is going to be similar or marginally better compared to recent seasons, depending on the strength of the streaming figures.
- Since the fans are responding positively and the initial performances are being received well, they will have a viewership bump, although whether this will be reflected in Nielsen / demo ratings will be determined.
- But the hiccups (scoring mistakes, no judge) may attract certain criticism or make them doubtful, which can have an impact on long-term perception.
- In the comparison with the early days of DWTS, there is not a chance that the premiere is going to reach the same high scores (20-30 million viewers) due to the present fragmentation in the TV / streaming sphere. The benchmark has shifted.
Conclusion
The premiere of the Dancing with the Stars Season 34 was packed with great performances, some of the best moments brought by Robert Irwin and Whitney Leavitt, and a controversy of scoring mistakes. Even though it was obvious that the absence of Carrie Ann Inaba was felt, the excitement and power of the 20 th anniversary season were evident. Initial fan interest is very positive with an abundance of social buzz creating anticipation of what lies ahead. A ratings in the steady range of 5 million and above would put the show on the same trajectory established by Season 33 of staying on the rise and establishing itself as one of the strongest competition series on TV.
Also read- Review of Instantly released trailer of The Housemaid 2025