LOS ANGELES — Utah native and social media influencer Whitney Leavitt made “Wicked” night truly magical on this week’s episode of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.” Leavitt and her professional partner Mark Ballas dazzled audiences and judges alike, earning the first perfect 10s of the season for their high-energy quickstep performance.
Leavitt, best known for her role on “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” and her massive TikTok following, has quickly become one of this season’s standout contestants. Performing a quickstep to Ariana Grande’s “Popular” from the upcoming “Wicked” film, Leavitt and Ballas impressed all four judges with their technical precision, storytelling, and chemistry.
Bruno Tonioli called the performance “insanely good,” while Carrie Ann Inaba described it as “unhinged — but in all the right ways.” With guest judge and Wicked director Jon M. Chu joining the panel, the couple’s score of 39 out of 40 tied them for first place with Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles and her Utah-born partner Ezra Sosa, who performed a rumba to “For Good.”
This marks a major comeback for Leavitt and Ballas, who slipped to fourth place during last week’s “Dedication Night.” Their strong return to the top of the leaderboard solidifies them as frontrunners in the competition.
Meanwhile, fellow Utah contestant Rylee Arnold, paired with Pentatonix member Scott Hoying, was eliminated after scoring 28 out of 40 for their contemporary dance to “The Wizard and I.” The elimination marked the halfway point of the season.
Other standout performances included:
- Robert Irwin and Witney Carson (Utah native) scoring 36/40 for their jazz routine to “Dancing Through Life.”
- Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten earning 36/40 for their emotional contemporary performance of “Defying Gravity.”
- Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy scoring 35/40 for their animated jazz number to “What Is This Feeling?”
Guest appearances from Wicked stars Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, and Jonathan Bailey added extra excitement to the night, along with an exclusive sneak peek from “Wicked: For Good,” premiering next month.
Leavitt’s success this season not only cements her as one of Utah’s rising entertainment figures but also highlights the growing influence of social media personalities in mainstream television. Fans will now be watching closely to see if she can maintain her momentum and dance her way to the mirrorball trophy.
