Key Takeaways
- Two couples earned the season’s first 10s on DWTS’s “Wicked Night,” instantly reshaping the leaderboard.
- Pentatonix star Scott Hoying and pro Rylee Arnold were eliminated after two weeks of combined votes topping 100 million.
- Wicked director Jon M. Chu joined the judges, with cast messages and a sneak peek tying the ballroom to the film’s November 21 sequel.
- The themed episode doubled as savvy cross-promotion for the Wicked franchise’s soundtrack and sequel—timed for maximum 2025 buzz.
Fog rolls across the ballroom floor. Emerald-green lighting washes over a glittering archway. And then—like a bubble drifting down to the stage—“Wicked Night” lands on Dancing With the Stars (DWTS), a live-TV mashup made in Oz.
The costumes are jewel-toned and aerodynamic, the choreography leans theatrical, and the judges are ready to be…well, moved “for good.”
It’s 2025, and “‘Dancing With the Stars’ honors ‘Wicked’” isn’t just a theme—it’s a cultural handshake between two pop-powerhouses: America’s live dance obsession and the year’s most anticipated movie musical sequel.
With Wicked director Jon M. Chu at the judges’ table and shout-outs from the film’s stars, DWTS used its sixth week to celebrate the songs, the storytelling, and the sparkle of Oz—while still delivering high-stakes competition: the season’s first 10s and a bittersweet sendoff.
This feature unpacks the night’s biggest swings—the breakout routines, the leaderboard shock, the elimination that split the room—and the business logic behind it all: why the ballroom became Emerald City right now, how cross-promotion works when the songs already live in our heads, and where the road to the Len Goodman Mirrorball goes next.
How ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Honors ‘Wicked’ Became 2025’s Smartest Theme Night
On paper, “Wicked Night” is a fan pleaser. In practice, it’s perfect television: iconic melodies, big characters, and built-in story beats (rivalry, reinvention, redemption) that pair naturally with reality-competition arcs.
This season, DWTS elevated the theme by inviting Wicked/Wicked: For Good director Jon M. Chu to guest judge and by airing exclusive content and messages from the film’s stars, aligning a live-TV ratings tentpole with a holiday-season box-office play.
The timing matters. Wicked: For Good opens November 21, 2025; the audience’s appetite is peaking, and DWTS’s Tuesday-night megaphone is a marketer’s dream.
Chu’s presence on the panel and the use of film recordings turned the ballroom into a lush, hour-long trailer you could feel in your ribcage.
The Breakout: First 10s of Season 34
“Wicked Night” finally cracked the judges’ 9-ceiling. Social creator Whitney Leavitt—dancing a whip-fast quickstep to “Popular” with returning pro Mark Ballas—snagged the season’s first trio of 10s (with a 9 from Derek Hough), electrifying the leaderboard and the room.
Hough called it the moment “we are discovering a star,” a quote that immediately circulated among fans. Later, Olympic medalist Jordan Chiles and pro Ezra Sosa matched that magic with a lush, grounded Rumba to “For Good,” also earning three 10s and a 9. Overnight, two partnerships established themselves as endgame threats.
Context makes those 10s sweeter: both routines pulsed with choreographic storytelling that honored Wicked without trading away ballroom technique—Ballas’s speed and frame control in quickstep; Sosa’s breath-led rumba phrasing that let Chiles’s athleticism melt into musicality.
The effect wasn’t just high scores; it was an unmistakable narrative pivot from “improving contenders” to “final-night front-runners.”
Who Went Home (and Why It Stung)
Theme nights heighten emotion, and “Wicked Night” ended on a bittersweet note as Pentatonix star Scott Hoying and pro Rylee Arnold were eliminated.
The decision reflected a two-week vote/score combo (carryover from “Dedication Night”) that added drama to an already tense episode—E! reported fans cast about 100 million votes over the last two weeks combined.
For Hoying, who danced contemporary to “The Wizard and I” earlier in the evening, the exit came with gratitude and grace: “It’s the perfect way to go.”
The cut also clarified the season’s stakes. With the leaderboard squeezing at the top, even solid routines can get edged out by viral moments—and “Wicked Night” produced them in bulk.
Scores, Songs & the New Leaderboard
If you’re tracking momentum, the “Wicked Night” scoreboard is the clearest map we have. After two weeks of scores (including carryover), the top looks like this:
- Whitney Leavitt & Mark Ballas — 72/80
- Jordan Chiles & Ezra Sosa — 71/80
- Robert Irwin & Witney Carson — 71/80
- Alix Earle & Val Chmerkovskiy — 70/80
…and the field compresses from there. It’s a leaderboard that rewards theatrical clarity as much as pure ballroom, which favors showmanship that’s Wicked-friendly.
Songbook highlights you asked for: “Popular” (quickstep), “For Good” (rumba), “Dancing Through Life” (jazz), “No Good Deed” (Argentine tango), “As Long as You’re Mine” (foxtrot), “I’m Not That Girl” (rumba), “One Short Day” (jazz), and the night’s cinematic gut-punch, “Defying Gravity” (contemporary) that left Carrie Ann Inaba in tears.
A Night Engineered for Viral Moments
DWTS knows its audience—and the internet. Consider three mini-cliffhangers that kept timelines humming:
- The Discover-a-Star Moment: Hough’s “discovering a star” line after Leavitt’s “Popular” quickstep gave fans a clean, shareable story about a breakout.
- The Panel “Spice”: Carrie Ann Inaba playfully interrupts Hough to defend Jordan Chiles’s rumba, adding judge-table sizzle, the kind that amplifies clip views.
- The Tear-Through Triumph: Elaine Hendrix’s “Defying Gravity” contemporary—performed while managing injuries—landed as an emotional apex that platforms love.
Why This Cross-Promotion Works
Call it Emerald City synergy. Wicked remains a rare modern musical with cross-demographic recognition; its 2024 film soundtrack charted, and Part One continues to stream, priming a broad audience for Part Two.
DWTS’s multigenerational reach, plus live voting urgency, makes it the perfect funnel: viewers meet the songs again through fresh interpretations, then follow the breadcrumbs to the sequel’s full-length soundtrack and final trailer.
For the Wicked team, it’s not just nostalgia—it’s conversion: Part One’s success (and ongoing streaming life) feeds anticipation for November’s Part Two, now re-contextualized by ballroom storytelling and Chu’s on-air authority.
The Fashion and Confidence Evolution
If DWTS is a runway, “Wicked Night” is couture-meets-character. You saw Glinda gloss (crystals, candy-pink fringes) strobe against Elphaba green (satin, smoke, and cape-like movement).
The smart design note: silhouettes that breathe—necessary for quickstep flight and rumba melt—while nodding to Oz iconography. It’s the sweet spot where TV sparkle meets Broadway story.
Choreography Notes from the Judges’ Table
The best routines did three things at once: honored the original phrasing, added ballroom-specific texture, and stayed in character.
That’s why judges’ comments fixated on grounding (rumba) and footwork efficiency (quickstep). The core note—“don’t let theatrics swallow technique”—is what separated 9s from 10s.
Fan Culture, TikTok, and the Oz Effect
DWTS fandom translates directly to short-form virality: bench lifts, perfect pivots, judge-table spice, costume reveals—all high-loop content.
Wicked’s catalog supercharges that; you can practically hear the audio edits already (“For Good” slow-mos, “Popular” speed-ups).
The show’s editorial tempo leaned into this—fewer lulls, more moments built for micro-sharing—without feeling rushed. (And yes, those crowd-shot reaction cuts matter.)
The Night’s Most Cinematic Beat: “Defying Gravity”
There’s a reason this number anchors Wicked lore. On DWTS, the contemporary palette (lifts, extensions, breath) showcased resilience over pyrotechnics.
The judges’ emotional response wasn’t accidental; the routine was designed to peak on a held suspension and release—a live-TV-friendly climax that resonates instantly in living rooms and on 5-inch screens.
How the Cast Is Shaping the Season’s Storylines
With Chiles/Sosa and Leavitt/Ballas now stamped as “the ones to beat,” the season’s most interesting mid-pack narrative belongs to the performers threading growth arcs with showmanship—think Argentine tango breakthroughs and jazz numbers that add precision without losing play.
Meanwhile, viewers are recalibrating expectations after Hoying/Arnold’s exit, a reminder that cumulative momentum matters as much as one great week.
The Business of Oz: Why 2025 Needed This Episode
Wicked: For Good isn’t just a sequel; it’s a cultural checkpoint for a 20-year phenomenon. By staging “Wicked Night,” DWTS gave the franchise a premiere-adjacent spotlight while giving viewers a reason to vote with their hearts and thumbs.
It’s the kind of mutually beneficial TV that reminds you why themed nights exist: they’re potent, portable storytelling—music you know, characters you love, and competition you can affect in real time.
What’s Next on the Yellow Brick Road
With the season’s first 10s awarded, the judging rubric tends to tighten—expect more precise notes on frame, shaping, and weight transfer as the show moves from showmanship to mastery.
The couples chasing Leavitt/Ballas and Chiles/Sosa will need clean footwork, bigger breath in transitions, and smarter musical dynamics to keep up. And for Wicked fans? The ballroom was your appetizer; the main course arrives in theaters November 21.
Conclusion
“‘Dancing With the Stars’ honors ‘Wicked’” wasn’t a gimmick—it was a glitter-green alignment of story, song, and stakes. The episode delivered heart and high scores, a cathartic elimination, and a pair of performances that felt like coronations in waiting.
As the competition tightens and the film’s release nears, the two worlds will continue to cross-pollinate: the ballroom pushing for excellence, the movies pushing for magic.
In 2025, synergy doesn’t have to be soulless. On “Wicked Night,” it was the beat that made the ballroom fly.
FAQs
Who was eliminated on DWTS’s “Wicked Night”?
Scott Hoying and pro Rylee Arnold. The result combined two weeks of viewer votes and judges’ scores.
Which couples earned the first 10s of Season 34?
Whitney Leavitt/Mark Ballas (quickstep to “Popular”) and Jordan Chiles/Ezra Sosa (Rumba to “For Good”).
Why was Jon M. Chu on the judges’ panel?
He directed Wicked and the 2025 sequel Wicked: For Good; his guest spot tied directly into the film’s promotion and the episode’s content.
Did the episode include any film-related exclusives?
Yes—messages from Wicked stars and a sneak-peek moment aired during the broadcast.
When does Wicked: For Good hit theatres?
November 21, 2025.
Where can I stream the first Wicked movie?
It’s available on Peacock, with additional options via digital retailers.
What songs did the couples dance to on “Wicked Night”?
Highlights included “Popular,” “For Good,” “Dancing Through Life,” “No Good Deed,” “As Long as You’re Mine,” “I’m Not That Girl,” “One Short Day,” and “The Wizard and I.”
Nishant Wagh is the founder of The Graval and a seasoned SEO and content strategist with over 15 years of experience. He writes with a focus on digital influence, authority, and long-term search visibility.
