Who Was Eliminated On Dancing With The Stars 2025? Wicked Night Shock

Key Takeaways

• Pentatonix star Scott Hoying and pro Rylee Arnold were eliminated after the Wicked Night results combined two weeks of scores and votes.
• Guest judge Jon M. Chu joined the panel as couples danced to songs from the Wicked films, raising the stakes and the spectacle.
• The ballroom finally saw its first 10s of the season, with Whitney Leavitt/Mark Ballas and Olympic medalist Jordan Chiles lighting up the leaderboard.
• More than 100 million fan votes over two weeks fed into the elimination—underscoring how tight the race is getting.

Emerald lights flicker. A poppy-red glow washes the floor. As “Defying Gravity” swells, the DWTS ballroom turns Broadway—plumes of tulle, quickstep footwork, and a dash of Oz whimsy.

Then the music softens, the spotlights narrow, and three couples stand shoulder to shoulder. Hearts race. It’s Wicked Night, and the season’s most theatrical hour is about to deliver brutal clarity: Who was eliminated on Dancing With The Stars?

When the cards are read, it’s Scott Hoying—self-professed Wicked superfan—whose journey ends. He hugs partner Rylee Arnold, eyes wet but smiling, and calls the experience “everything.”

In a show built on reinvention, the exit lands like a bittersweet curtain call.

This piece breaks down what happened, why it happened, and how the Wicked Night scores and voting twist just reshaped the Mirrorball chase in 2025.

Who Was Eliminated on Dancing With The Stars (Wicked Night Recap)

The Week 6 results sent home Pentatonix singer Scott Hoying and pro partner Rylee Arnold. Their contemporary routine—set to “The Wizard and I”—earned 28/40 before the elimination.

The decision came after producers combined last week’s Dedication Night votes with this week’s Wicked Night votes and judges’ scores, making for a razor-thin finish.

Hoying kept it gracious—thanking Rylee and the audience—while Rylee praised his dedication on live TV. (Shortly after, coverage confirmed this week’s results reflected more than 100 million fan votes across the two weeks.) If you missed the broadcast, the full recap is here.

A Wicked Stage, A Higher Bar: Inside the Theme Night

Wicked Night wasn’t just green lighting and glitter. Director Jon M. Chu—who helmed the film franchise—joined Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli, bringing a film-maker’s precision to the scoring.

The episode also teased a never-before-seen clip from Wicked: For Good and featured shout-outs from stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande—turning a weekly competition into a mini-premiere.

For the dancers, this meant blending ballroom technique with musical-theatre storytelling—jazzy character work, dramatic lifts, and cinematic staging.

It also meant little room for error: on a night of iconic melodies, every line and step had a benchmark baked in.

The First 10s Arrive—And Momentum Shifts

The ballroom finally cracked into the 10s. TikTok breakout Whitney Leavitt and partner Mark Ballas hit a turbocharged Quickstep to “Popular,” notching the season’s first 10s on their way to 39/40.

Olympic star Jordan Chiles matched the moment with a laser-focused Rumba to “For Good,” also scoring 39/40. Both routines felt like coronations-in-progress—and both changed the power map heading into mid-season.

Elsewhere, Robert Irwin’s theatrical jazz to “Dancing Through Life” drew raves and his best scores yet—more proof he’s not just a fan favorite but a genuine contender when performance quality spikes.

Why Scott Hoying’s Exit Stung Fans

In pure storytelling terms, the elimination hurt because the narrative was…perfectly Wicked. Hoying—who has gushed about the musical—danced out on the very night themed to Oz.

He called the experience “everything,” and later doubled down that leaving on Wicked Night felt like the “perfect way to go.” That kind of symmetry is rare on DWTS; fans felt the poetry and the punch.

Technically, Week 6 wasn’t his strongest. TVLine’s report noted wobbles and nerve, and the 28/40 reflected judges wanting more control in transitions and lifts. Once the combined votes kicked in, the math turned unforgiving.

The Voting Math That Decided Everything

There was no elimination on Dedication Night (Week 5), so Week 6 tallied judges’ scores and viewer votes across both weeks.

That created a true two-week runoff—where consistency mattered more than one standout performance.

E!’s recap added a jaw-dropper: more than 100 million fan votes were fetched over the two-week window. When the totals locked, Hoying/Arnold landed at the bottom.

For fans tracking strategy, the takeaway is simple: the new cadence rewards upward trends and penalizes flat lines. If a couple surges one week but dips the next, the combo tally can erase momentum in a heartbeat.

Leaderboard Snapshot—Who’s Surging, Who’s Steady

• Whitney Leavitt & Mark Ballas: Quickstep wizardry, first 10s, and a sky-high ceiling. Front-runner energy.
• Jordan Chiles & Ezra Sosa: A composed, emotionally tuned Rumba that screamed finals-ready.
• Robert Irwin & Witney Carson: Showmanship plus growth equals genuine dark-horse vibes.
• Danielle Fishel & Pasha Pashkov: A moody “No Good Deed” Argentine Tango—judges called it a breakthrough.
• Andy Richter & Emma Slater: Best routine yet; still hovering near the bubble but buoyed by charm and improvement.

Fashion, Faces, and the Oz Aesthetic

Costuming leaned hard into Glinda-pink shimmer and Elphaba greens—precision-tailored quickstep kits, flowing contemporary looks, and Broadway-grade headdresses.

The art department built a fantasy city in the round: poppies, emeralds, and fog that made every heel turn look like a movie moment.

It matters in scoring, too: when choreography goes maximal, a clean silhouette helps judges see the feet and frame. (Just ask the couples who ironed every pleat and still whipped through 200 BPM.)

The 2025 DWTS Meta—Why Theme Nights Still Win

DWTS’ longevity is tied to nights like this. Theme weeks collapse the distance between pop culture and ballroom, inviting casual viewers to vote on story and vibe as much as heel leads and hip action.

Wicked Night was savvy cross-promotion—with a fresh film clip and celeb video messages—but it also gave the dancers a narrative spine to play with. The result? A ratings-friendly spectacle that still delivered competitive clarity.

The Confidence & Costume Evolution

Leavitt’s Glinda-channeling quickstep wasn’t just fast; it was confidently theatrical—big carriage, clean footwork, and facial performance dialed to “bubbly but precise.” Chiles’ Rumba told a friendship story with control and breath.

And Irwin’s jazz-throated character with stamina. On Wicked Night, the best fashion served the story; the best stories earned the numbers.

What’s Next—The Road to the Len Goodman Mirrorball

The middle weeks are where DWTS seasons are won: endurance, consistency, and finding the one signature dance that flips casual voters into weekly stans.

With the first 10s finally awarded, expect two things: higher expectations from the judges and a sharper fan gaze on polish, not just personality.

Keep an eye on Leavitt’s choreography density, Chiles’ emotional range, and Irwin’s musicality—they’re the three clearest arcs headed toward the home stretch.

Watchlist—3 Storylines to Track

• Can Whitney Leavitt & Mark Ballas sustain high-content, high-speed ballroom without timing frays?
• Will Jordan Chiles translate athletic focus into softer facial storytelling for romantic styles?
• Does Robert Irwin’s performance instinct keep scaling as choreography gets denser?

Conclusion

So, who was eliminated on Dancing With The Stars this week? Scott Hoying and Rylee Arnold bowed out on Wicked Night—an exit that felt both poetic and punishing in a season defined by tight margins and theatrical highs.

With the first 10s on the board and more than 100 million votes proving fandom muscle, the Mirrorball race just snapped into sharper focus.

From here on out, it’s not just about surviving the cut—it’s about crafting a signature, show-stopping story every single Tuesday.

FAQs