‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 34 Predictions: Our Week 3 Power Rankings
We’ve made it to Week 3 on Season 34 of Dancing With the Stars. After last week’s double elimination, just 12 celebrity contestants will hit the ballroom to continue the competition during the Tuesday, September 30 episode.
Another pair will be eliminated at the end of the episode, with the judges’ scores and viewer votes being combined to decide who will be sent packing.
Judges Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli will be scoring the routines, while viewers will have a chance to vote for their favorites throughout the episode. Each week, we’ll be making our predictions about who will most likely be eliminated by ranking the contestants based on their scores and fan reaction online.
Scroll down for our predictions about where we think the pairs stand ahead of Week 3! Hop into the comments section below to let us know if you agree with our picks!
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.
1. Robert Irwin & Witney Carson
Robert Irwin and Witney Carson once again take the top spot on our list this week. Despite telling TV Insider he had absolutely no dance experience before the show, Robert looked like an absolute pro during Weeks 1 and 2.
In addition to having the highest combined scores from the first two weeks, he also overwhelmingly won over viewers. Carson has said that her DMs are flooded with messages asking people to set her up with Irwin.
Irwin will be dancing a salsa this week, and the ladies are going to love it! Continuously being at the top is a tough position, as it adds a lot of extra pressure, but I think Irwin is going to hold on to that spot for another week.
2. Jennifer Affleck & Jan Ravnik
Jennifer Affleck is moving up another spot on our list after her Week 2 performance. Despite being less than three months postpartum (which means she began her training just two months after giving birth to baby No. 3), Affleck wowed with her first two dances, tying for a top spot on the leaderboard in Week 2.
Affleck clearly has a lot on her plate, but she’s still remained dedicated to putting in the work during rehearsals, and viewers are very inspired by her, which could bring in a lot of votes.
The cha-cha-cha should be one of Affleck’s stronger dance styles, and since that’s what she’s performing in Week 3, the odds look good for her.
3. Alix Earle & Val Chmerkovskiy
As an influencer competing on Season 34 of DWTS, Week 3’s TikTok night was made for Alix Earle. Not only does Earle have a background in dance (she danced competitively in high school) hasn’t danced competitively since high school, but she’s already proven that she still has the skills in the ballroom.
Plus, her partner, Val Chmerkovskiy has been a pro on the show for years and has a great track record, so they’re definitely proving to be a great combo.
I do still think Earle needs to continue building more of an emotional connection with viewers who don’t know who she is, and this week is her chance.
4. Whitney Leavitt & Mark Ballas
Whitney Leavitt finished Week 1 tied at the top of the leaderboard with Robert (although Tonioli’s 8 was admittedly supposed to be a 7, he just locked it in incorrectly). She tied for the top spot once again in Week 2.
Clearly, there’s no denying that she’s looking great on the dance floor, and the popularity of Mormon Wives should not be underestimated.
Plus, she has Mark Ballas, one of the best choreographers, as a partner, and we just know he’s going to continue to bring it.
But the pair’s Week 3 dance is a samba, which is notoriously one of the hardest on the show, so that could cause them to fall a bit.
5. Hilaria Baldwin & Gleb Savchenko
Hilaria Baldwin was the last person to be announced safe in the first elimination, but at the end of the day, that means nothing. The results are not called in any particular order. Regardless, I think that will light a fire under her to work even harder this week.
Although Baldwin is probably the most controversial casting choice for Season 34,, she has competitive ballroom dance experience. The judges scores aren’t about who’s the most “popular,” and Baldwin has proven that her dance skills are up to speed.
Going forward, she’ll likely also be held to a bit of a higher standard due to her dance background, and viewer votes are half the battle, so she definitely still has some work to do.
6. Jordan Chiles & Ezra Sosa
Many oddsmakers had Jordan Chiles as the favorite to win this season before the show began, which is why it was so shocking when she only scored a 10/20 for her first dance. However, she totally turned this around when she returned for Week 2, tying for that top leaderboard spot.
DWTS has had two Olympic gymnasts win the show (Shawn Johnson and Laurie Hernandez), but Simone Biles, Nastia Liukin, Suni Lee, and Aly Raisman didn’t have the same results, so being an Olympic athlete doesn’t necessarily guarantee a victory. However, Chiles definitely started showing that she has what it takes, and needs to bring that same energy with her Week 3 tango
7. Danielle Fishel & Pasha Pashkov
Danielle Fishel has found herself in the middle of the pack so far, and she’s battling a leg injury during Week 3. However, she will likely continue bring in a lot of fan votes due to her years of popularity, and sharing her cancer journey will definitely be an inspiration to viewers. I’m still envisioning an incredible redemption story for Fishel.
8. Dylan Efron & Daniella Karagach
As much as I still desperately want to put Dylan Efron higher on this list, he does still have some work to do. However, during Week 2, he came out swinging with his difficult samba routine, and still scored toward the top of the leaderboard.
There’s no doubt Efron is charming (and attractive), which I think viewers who didn’t know him before the season started are are beginning to pick up on. That could definitely help bring in the votes, as well.
9. Elaine Hendrix & Alan Bersten
As she’s one of the lesser-known members of the cast, Elaine Hendrix still has a lot to prove, but she’s consistently scored well in the first two weeks of competition.
I think a lot of viewers were surprised to learn that Hendrix used to be a competitive dancer before an accident ended her career. Plus, many people are buzzing that they can’t believe she’s 54 years old. She’s definitely made a statement so far, but has to continue proving herself week after week if she wants to keep bringing in viewer votes.
10. Scott Hoying & Rylee Arnold
Scott Hoying was my dark horse in this competition for Weeks 1 and 2, but unfortunately, he hasn’t been scoring too impressively.
His band, Pentatonix, does have a major cult following online, so that could keep him in the mix thanks to viewer votes for a while, but he’s definitely going to have to step up his dancing game if he wants to keep going in the competition.
11. Lauren Jauregui & Brandon Armstrong
Lauren Jauregui has some dance experience as a member of Fifth Harmony, and she scored toward the top of the leaderboard for Weeks 1 and 2.
Unfortunately, for the main demographic of DWTS viewers, Jauregui is a bit less known, and she seems to be a bit of a forgotten about cast member this season, which could hinder her when it comes to raking in votes.
Her fellow Fifth Harmony members Ally Brooke and Normani both came in third place when they were on the show in Seasons 28 and 27, respectively, but those appearances came when 5H was much more in the spotlight, so Jauregui has some making up to do if she wants to match their performances.
12. Andy Richter & Emma Slater
At the end of the day, the show is simply harder on the older contestants. At 58 years old, Andy Richter is the oldest person in the cast, and based on what we’ve seen in seasons’ past, that doesn’t bode well for him.
Richter had the lowest Week 1 and 2 scores from the contestants who are left. He managed to skirt by the double elimination thanks to his popularity with fans, but that can only get you so far. I think this week will be his time to go.
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