Scott Hoying Debunks Speculation That ‘DWTS’ Eliminations Are Fixed

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Some Dancing With the Stars fans speculated that Scott Hoying‘s surprise elimination was a planned one.

“Me knowing Scott was going home tn bc Pentatonix‘s tour starts in 2 weeks,” one TikTok user pointed out in a Tuesday, October 21, upload. Hoying’s Grammy-winning a cappella group is set to kick off their Christmas in the City tour on November 8 in West Valley City, Utah.

Hoying, however, seemingly shut down the theory in an interview with Extra after the episode. “I was going to do both at the same time, which I had been stressing about and losing sleep over,” he clarified. “So, the silver lining is I can dive into that.”

Hoying and his pro partner, Rylee Arnold, landed second-to-last on the leaderboard during Tuesday’s Wicked Night episode, earning all 7s from the judges for their contemporary routine to “The Wizard and I.” Their results were combined with their Dedication Night scores, bringing their total to 58/80.

While Hoying’s love for Wicked showed through his performance, he and Arnold were ultimately eliminated at the end of the episode.

“I have literally made a best friend,” he told the outlet about working with Arnold. “Everyone here is so nice. It feels like a family and I felt so welcomed. Every single day was such a special experience, and six weeks is a beautiful amount of time to get to do this. I feel really, really, really lucky, genuinely, and I’m so sad to go.”

Disney/Eric McCandless

He continued, “I just can’t believe it. Like, my husband [Mark Manio] and I were standing face-to-face, announcing our baby on this show. That’s crazy. It’s more than I could have ever dreamed for.”

Hoying went on to joke that he “accidentally manifested” that he would go home on Wicked Night, stating, “I kept saying online, ‘I loved Wicked so much! Please get me to Wicked Night!’ I should have said ‘to the end.’”

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With no more DWTS rehearsals on his schedule, Hoying told the outlet that he was “gonna start learning the Pentatonix tour show,” as well as sleep in “for a few days.”

Following the elimination, Arnold took to Instagram to pay tribute to her and Hoying’s DWTS partnership. “I truly couldn’t have asked for a better partner this season!! Scott you were so so amazing in every way!!” she gushed. “Your patience, work ethic, laughter, and kindness carried me through every single rehearsal and you helped me grow in so so many ways. I’m so proud of everything you did!!!! You worked so hard and you put your entire heart into the competition and I couldn’t be more grateful! You improved so much week by week and it was so surreal to be by your side experiencing it with you.”

Noting that she will “forever cherish the memories we made this season,” Arnold continued, “Scott is seriously one of the most genuine, kind and caring people I know and I’m so grateful that he is in my life now!! Thank you for this amazing season Scott it was everything and more!! Team RYOTT forever!!!! ✨🫶🏼🪩🥹.”

Dancing With the Stars, Season 34, Tuesdays, 8/7c, ABC and Disney+ (Streaming Next Day on Hulu)

For a more extended celebration of two decades of Dancing With the Stars, from exclusive interviews to retrospectives and must-see photos, pick up a copy of TV Guide Magazine’s Dancing With the Stars 20th Anniversary special issue, available for purchase online at DWTS.TVGM2025.com and on newsstands now.