[WARNING: This post contains MAJOR spoilers from Dancing With the Stars Season 34, Week 3.]
The competition is getting even more intense during Episode 3 of Dancing With the Stars Season 34. During the Tuesday, September 30, episode, the remaining 12 pairs hit the dance floor once again to perform routines to songs that have gone viral on TikTok. Judges Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli offered their critiques and gave the contestants their scores.
One person will be eliminated at the end of the episode based on viewer votes and the judges’ scores. Follow along as we live blog all of the performances and reveal the scores. Keep checking back as we update throughout the episode!
Jen Affleck — 19/30
For her Week 3 cha-cha-cha, Jen Affleck performed to “She’s a Bad Mama Jama,” which is the same song she previously went viral for dancing to on TikTok. She threw it back to that viral video by starting the routine wearing a fake baby bump and hospital gown, then ripping it off to show off her sexy gold costume.
“Mamma mia! That was an easy delivery, wasn’t it? In, out, cha-cha-cha-, down, next! I’ve never quite seen anything like it, I have to say,” Tonioli said. However, he said Affleck needed a little bit more foot action and to be a bit “cleaner on the finish.” Inaba gushed, “You are such a hottie!” and said it was “so impressive” that she did that routine so soon after pregnancy. “But, there’s a little bit hyperextension going on in some of your moves,” she added.
Hough concluded the critiques by telling Affleck she gave a “great performance,” and warned her she needed to have straight legs and the “proper Cuban motion” in this particular dance. “Overall, I think your performance is starting to evolve and come out,” he concluded. Inaba gave the routine a 7, but Tonioli and Hough scored Affleck with 6s.
Lauren Jauregui — 18/30
Lauren Jauregui hit the dance floor next with a cha-cha-cha to her band Fifth Harmony’s song “Work From Home.” Of course, they threw in some original 5H choreography to the routine, as well.
“The way you move, I really like the way you move, you’re very in tune with your body,” Inaba said. “I want to see a lot more pop in your step. I just want you to hit certain things harder. I want more dynamics. I think you have it in you.” Hough said there’s “something beautiful” about the way Jauregui moves, but agreed with Inaba’s comments that she needs more “power” in her Latin moves.
“They’re absolutely right,” Tonioli added. “You have a wonderful lyrical quality. When you dance Latin … sometimes you have to hit the beat. Flow your body as you would do with your voice.” She received 6s from all three judges, which was down from last week.
Danielle Fishel — 21/30
After getting her first 7 last week, Danielle Fishel had even more to prove this time around (especially since she’s battling an injury). She performed a foxtrot to “Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter, her former Girl Meets World costar.
“You’re just so pleasant and refreshing. There’s a simplicity and a grace when you dance,” Hough said. “The control and the foxtrot fundamentals, thank you so much. One note tonight is that when you use your arms, use it from your ribcage. An extension from your ribcage. So your whole body moves.”
Toniolo praised Fishel for taking his past advice about watching her shoulders. He called the dance “lovely” and “elegant,” adding, “The TikTok did not take away from the style of the dance. It was incorporated beautifully.” Inaba agreed with her fellow judges and said the routine was “very beautiful,” but told Fishel she can “work a little bit on [her] body contact” in the future. She improved from her scores last week, earning 7s with all of the judges.
Jordan Chiles — 24/30
After her major improvements last week, Jordan Chiles returned with a tango to “Anxiety.” The response to the “really hard” routine was so overwhelming that Chiles got emotional afterwards.
“Don’t cry, your improvement has been astonishing. My baby has transformed into a stalking panther! Clean, clear, powerful, focused. Your best dance yet,” Tonioli raved. Inaba thanked Chiles for sharing her own story with anxiety. “That was an example of how to be smooth and fierce. Amazing again, my friend,” she added. Hough said he was “really impressed” with how Chiles kept her frame, despite her height difference with Sosa.
For the powerful routine, Chiles earned 8s from all three judges. The highest scores of the season so far!
Dylan Efron — 23/30
Dylan Efron’s dance this week was a foxtrot to Justin Bieber’s “Yukon.”
“I’m having a hard time scoring this. I am torn,” Inaba said. “There’s a beginner level group and then the advanced, showman entertain group. You are like the beginner group, but you are really learning the technique, and that’s the key to winning this season, in particular. You are really learning the technique.” Hough called the foxtrot “smooth as silk” and said he was impressed by Efron’s “control” and “stride” in the dance. “We do not see that. That was exceptional,” he raved.
Tonioli concluded the comments by calling Efron “smoldering” and said technically the dance was very impressive. Tonioli and Hough both gave Efron 8s, while Inaba scored the dance a 7, giving him his highest score yet.
More to come …
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.
