Dancing with the Stars season 31: winner, cast and everything we know

The quest for the Mirror Ball trophy began this September on Dancing with the Stars season 31. It’s a new era for the dance competition as the show moves from its longtime home on ABC to its new home on Disney Plus. 

How to vote: This season the show will be broadcast live on both coasts, with voting happening live across the country at the same time. Fans will be able to vote here during the live shows on Mondays as soon as the show opens. Every fan will have 10 chances to vote per method (online or texting) per night. The night's texting codes will be revealed when the voting window opens during live shows.

Judge Bruno Tonioli told an excited crowd of fans at D23 that he's looking forward to having a commercial free season on Disney Plus. Whether that model lasts or ends when the streamer switches to an ad-supported model is anyone's guess, but it will be fun to see nonetheless.

Each season brings a new cast of celebrities paired with seasoned ballroom dancers who compete for the top prize: the coveted Mirror Ball trophy and bragging rights. It was a close race last season. Ultimately, the winner of Dancing with the Stars season 31 was Iman Shumpert and Daniella Karagach.

Here’s everything we know about Dancing with the Stars season 31. 

Winner of Dancing with the Stars season 31, results

Week 10 (November 21, Finale)

It's Finale Night on Dancing with the Stars. After ten weeks of competition, will the Mirror Ball Trophy end up with frontrunner Charli D'Amelio or will another celebrity manage to claim it?

Each couple danced a redemption dance and a freestyle.

Wayne Brady and Witney Carson received a 36/40 for their redemption quickstep and a 40/40 for their freestyle dance.

Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy received perfect scores on their redemption cha cha and freestyle dances.

Charli D'Amelio and Mark Ballas also received perfect scored on their redemption jive and freestyle.

Shangela and Gleb Savchenko earned a 36/40 on their redemption quickstep and a 40/40 on their freestyle. 

In the end, Charli D'Amelio managed to hang on to the lead she'd had from the first competition. She and Mark Ballas walked away with the Mirror Ball trophy. 

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Week 9 (November 14, Semifinals)

The last couples left dancing competed for a spot in the finals with two dances this week. (You can check out their song choices and dances in the tweet above)

In unexpected news, judge Len Goodman announced that he's leaving the show at the end of the season. 

Here are the results from the Semifinals:

Wayne Brady and Witney Carson
Paso Doble, 36/40
Viennese Waltz, 37/40

Charli D'Amelio and Mark Ballas
Viennese Waltz, 40/40
Paso Doble, 40/40

Trevor Donovan and Emma Slater
Cha Cha, 32/40
Viennese Waltz, 33/40

Daniel Durant and Britt Stewart
Viennese Waltz, 35/40
Samba, 34/40

Shangela and Gleb Savchenko
Paso Doble, 36/40
Viennese Waltz, 37/40

Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy
Waltz, 40/40
Paso Doble, 40/40

Bottom Three:
Trevor and Emma, Daniel and Britt, Shangela and Gleb

Eliminated:
Trevor and Emma, Daniel and Britt

Week 8 (November 7, 90s Night)

It's going to be a very interesting night for Dancing with the Stars as the couples dance to their favorite 90s tunes...and one of the leaders (as in Charli D'Amelio) wasn't even alive in the 1990s. Yes, we feel old now. 

You can check out the couples' song choices in the tweet above. 

It's also the dreaded double elimination night, so as Trevor Donovan reminds everyone, it's even more important to rock the vote than ever before. 

Check out the complete results from the night below:

• Vinny Guadagnino and Koko Iwasaki: Tango, 29/40
• Trevor Donovan and Emma Slater: Salsa, 34/40
• Shangela and Gleb Savchenko: Samba, 37/40
• Heidi D'Amelio and Artem Chigvintsev: Contemporary, 35/40
• Daniel Durant and Britt Stewart: Jazz, 39/40
• Wayne Brady and Witney Carson: Salsa, 40/40
• Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy: Samba, 40/40
• Charli D'Amelio and Mark Ballas: Tango, 40/40

Second Round: Relay Dances!

• Shangela and Gleb vs Daniel and Britt: Shangela won 5 points
• Vinny and Koko vs Trevor and Emma: Trevor won 5 points
• Heidi and Artem vs. Wayne and Witney: Wayne won 5 points
• Charli and Mark vs Gabby and Val: Charli won 5 points

Eliminations:

Heidi and Artem, Vinny and Koko and Trevor and Emma ended up in the bottom three. Heidi and Artem automatically went home with the lowest number of points.

All four judges voted to save Trevor and Emma, so Vinny and Koko were eliminated. 

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Week 7 (October 31, Halloween Night)

It's Halloween and that means this week's competitions will feature danced set to spooky themes.

Halloween Night results: 

• Jordin Sparks and Brandon Armstrong: Tango, 35/40
• Charli D'Amelio and Mark Ballas: Argentine Tango, 39/40
• Daniel Durant and Britt Stewart: Paso Doble, 34/40
• Shangela and Gleb Savchenko: Jazz Routine, 40/40
• Vinny Guadagnino and Koko Iwasaki: Paso Doble, 30/40
• Heidi D'Amelio and Artem Chigvintsev: Tango, 37/40
• Gabby Windey and Alan Bersten: Argentine Tango, 38/40
• Wayne Brady and Witney Carson: Contemporary, 37/40
• Trevor Donovan and Emma Slater: Contemporary, 39/40
• Group Routines:
  • Team Wicked: Vinny and Koko, Shangela and Gleb, Gabby and Alan, Heidi and Artem, Jordin and Brandon; 33/40
  • Team Scream: Trevor and Emma, Charli and Mark, Wayne and Witney, Daniel and Britt; 39/40
• Bottom Two: Heidi and Artem, Jordin and Brandon
• Eliminated via Len Goodman tiebreaker: Jordin and Brandon

Week 6 (October 24, Michael Bublé Night)

It was Michael Bublé  Night on Dancing with the Stars! Not only were the stars and their professional partners swaying the night away to the crooner's biggest hits, but Bublé himself was a guest judge. 

• Vinny Guadagnino and Koko Iwasaki: Cha Cha, 36/50
• Jessie James Decker and Alan Bersten: Tango, 41/50
• Trevor Donovan and Emma Slater: Foxtrot, 42/50
• Jordan Sparks and Brandon Armstrong: Foxtrot, 43/50
• Daniel Durant and Britt Stewart: Foxtrot, 43/50
• Wayne Brady and Witney Carson: Quick Step, 44/50
• Shangela and Gleb Savchenko: Tango, 45/50
• Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy: Rumba, 46/50
• Heidi D'Amelio and Artem Chigvintsev: Samba, 46/50
• Charli D'Amelio and Mark Ballas: Foxtrot, A perfect 50
• Bottom Two: Jessie James Decker and Alan Bersten, Trevor Donovan and Emma Slater
• Eliminated: Jessie James Decker and Alan Bersten

Week 5, Part 2 (October 18, Prom Night)

The scores from Monday's Most Memorable Year were combined with Prom Night scores to give the pairs their total scores for the night. 

• Daniel Durant and Britt Stewart: Cha Cha, 32/40 (total 66/80)
• Heidi D'Amelio and Artem Chigvintsev: Jazz Routine, 33/40 (total 69/80)
• Vinny Guadagnino and Koko Iwasaki: Viennese Waltz, 20/40 (total 60/80)
• Shangela and Gleb Savchenko: Cha Cha, 35/40 (total 67/80)
• Charli D'Amelio and Mark Ballas: Jive, 38/40 (total 77/80)
• Jessie James Decker and Alan Bersten: Viennese Waltz, 32/40 (total 61/80)
• Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy: Tango, 40/40, (76/80)
• Trevor Donovan and Emma Slater: Jive, 32/40 (total 64/80)
• Joseph Baena and Daniella Karagach: Cha Cha, 32/40 (total 66/80)
• Jordin Sparks and Brandon Armstrong: Contemporary, 35/40 (total 68/80)
• Wayne Brady and Witney Carson: Samba, 40/40 (total 77/80)
• Bottom Two: Joseph and Daniella, and Heidi and Artem
• Eliminated: Joseph and Daniella

Week 5, Part 1 (October 17, Most Memorable Year Night)

Week 5 featured two nights of competition, with Most Memorable Year kicking things off. Selma Blair and her partner Sasha Farber landed the competition's first perfect score after their waltz, which would also mark the end of their journey on the show. Blair received an update from her doctors after a recent MRI and they advised her to not compete. 

Since Blair dropped out, no one was sent home on Monday.

• Selma Blair and Sasha Farber, Waltz, 40/40
• Jessie James Decker and Alan Bersten: Tango, 29/40
• Trevor Donovan and Emma Slater: Jazz Dance, 32/40
• Vinny Guadagnino and Koko Iwasaki: Jazz Dance, 32/40
• Shangela and Gleb Savchenko: Foxtrot, 32/40
• Jordin Sparks and Brandon Armstrong: Salsa, 33/40
• Daniel Durant and Britt Stewart: Contemporary Dance, 34/40
• Joseph Baena and Daniella Karagach: Rumba, 34/40
• Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy: Foxtrot, 36/40
• Heidi D'Amelio and Artem Chigvingtsev: Rumba, 36/40
• Wayne Brady and Witney Carson: Foxtrot, 37/40
• Charli D'Amelio and Mark Ballas: Contemporary Dance, 39/40

Week 4 (October 10, Disney Plus Night)

Week 4's competition on Monday, October 10, was themed to Dancing with the Stars' new home: Disney Plus! That means competitors could be dancing to anything from classic Disney songs to the "Imperial March" from Star Wars, or even the National Geographic theme song!

Here are the results:

• Sam Champion and Cheryl Burke: Paso Doble, 25/40
• Trevor Donovan and Emma Slater: Samba, 28/40
• Joseph Baena and Daniella Karagach: Charleston, 28/40
• Vinny Guadagnino and Koko Iwasaki: Samba, 29/40
• Daniel Durant and Britt Stewart: Quickstep, 29/40
• Jessie James Decker and Alan Bersten: Jive, 31/40
• Shangela and Gleb Savchenko: Charleston, 32/40
• Selma Blair and Sasha Farber: Quickstep, 32/40
• Heidi D'Amelio and Artem Chigvintsev: Viennese Waltz, 34/40
• Jordin Sparks and Brandon Armstrong: Jazz, 34.40
• Wayne Brady and Witney Carson: Jazz, 36/40
• Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy: Quickstep, 36/40
• Charli D'Amelio and Mark Ballas: Jazz, 36/40
• Bottom Two: Sam and Cheryl, Trevor and Emma
• Eliminated: Sam and Cheryl

Week 3 (October 3, James Bond Night):

James Bond week featured stunning performances from all of the celebrities and their professional partners. Selma Blair and Sasha Farber wowed the crowd with a rousing rumba that Selma performed while blindfolded. In addition to enhancing her performance, the blindfold helped her to limit stimuli from around the ballroom that triggered her MS. It worked. 

There was a bit of a controversy when Cheryl Ladd and Louis Van Amstel were sent packing despite receiving glowing praise from the judges and not ending up on the bottom of the leaderboard. 

• Cheryl Ladd: Rumba 24/40 
• Jessie James Decker: Rumba 29/40 
• Joseph Baena (with Alexis Warr): Tango 29/40
• Sam Champion: Samba 25/40 
• Vinny Guadagnino: Rumba 23/40 
• Trevor Donovan: Tango 27/40 
• Selma Blair: Rumba 28/40
• Jordin Sparks: Rumba 29/40 
• Shangela: Rumba: 30/40 
• Daniel Durant: Rumba 31/40 
• Heidi D’Amelio: Tango 32/40 
• Gabby Windey: 33/40 
• Wayne Brady: Tango 33/40 
• Charli D’Amelio: Rumba 33/40 
• Bottom Two: Sam and Cheryl, Cheryl and Louis 
• Eliminated: Cheryl Ladd and Louis Van Amstel 

Week 2 (September 26, listed in order of performance): 

Joseph Baena's partner Daniella Karagach tested positive for COVID-19 overnight and was replaced by troupe dancer Alexis Warr.

Teresa and Pasha found themselves in the bottom two once again after their jive failed to connect with the judges. Cheryl and Louis' tango, though ambitious, had too many errors and ended up with the lowest score of the night. Bruno and Derek voted to keep Teresa and Pasha while Carrie Ann voted for Cheryl and Louis, partly because it was her comments last week that Cheryl needed to push for more that landed them in the bottom two.

The final vote came down to Len, who ended up voting for Cheryl and Louis.

• Jesse James Decker: Foxtrot 25/40 
• Jordin Sparks: Quickstep 27/40 
• Sam Champion: Viennese Waltz 26/40 
• Shangela: Quickstep 28/40 
• Teresa Giudice: Jive 23/40 
• Daniel Durant: Jive 29/40
• Gabby Windey: Viennese Waltz 32/40 
• Vinny Guadagnino: Quickstep 27/40 
• Charli D’Amelio: Quickstep 32/40 
• Selma Blair: Jive 28/40  
• Cheryl Ladd: Tango 21/40 
• Joseph Baena: Viennese Waltz 24/40 
• Heidi D’Amelio: Foxtrot 28/40 
• Trevor Donovan: Rumba 30/40 
• Wayne Brady: Jive 32/40  
• Bottom Two: Teresa and Pasha, Cheryl and Louis
• Eliminated: Teresa and Pasha

Week 1 (September 19, listed in order of performance):

• Jordin Sparks: Cha Cha 26/40 
• Sam Champion: Foxtrot 20/40 
• Heidi D’Amelio: Cha Cha 24/40 
• Daniel Durant: Tango 27/40 
• Jesse James Decker: Cha Cha 20/40 
• Teresa Giudice: Tango 20/40 
• Wayne Brady: Cha Cha 29/40 
• Cheryl Ladd: Cha Cha 21/40 
• Vinny Guadagnino: Salsa 17/40 
• Shangela: Salsa 28/40 
• Trevor Donovan: Quickstep 21/40 
• Gabby Windey: Jive 28/40 
• Joseph Baena: Jive 23/40 
• Jason Lewis: Cha Cha 18/40 
• Selma Blair: Viennese Waltz 28/40 
• Charli D’Amelio: Cha Cha 32/40 
• Bottom Two: Teresa and Pasha, Jason and Peta 
• Eliminated: Jason Lewis and Peta Murgatroyd

When is the Dancing with the Stars season 31 release date? 

Dancing with the Stars season 31 premieres Monday, September 19, at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT on Disney Plus. 

At this time there is no information about whether Dancing with the Stars will be available in the UK. Previously, the series has not been available in the UK but that could change now that the show has moved to Disney Plus. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more. 

What is Dancing with the Stars season 31 about? 

Now in its 31st season, Dancing with the Stars is the American version of Britain’s much-loved Strictly Come Dancing competition. Since its debut, international versions of Dancing with the Stars have popped up all over the world. 

Here’s the official synopsis of the reality dance competition from Disney Plus:

“Dancing with the Stars is the hit series hosted by supermodel and businesswoman Tyra Banks and actor and television personality Alfonso Ribeiro in which celebrities are paired with trained ballroom dancers to compete in themed choreographed dance routines that are judged by a panel of renowned ballroom experts, including Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough.” 

Who is in the Dancing with the Stars cast and who are their partners? 

Get to know the Dancing with the Stars season 31 cast with our meet the cast guide.

Here is your season 31 cast:

• Charli D’Amelio: the TikTok star is partnered with Mark Ballas   
• Heidi D’Amelio: the The D’Amelio Show host is partnered with Artem Chigvintsev 
• Joseph Baena: the fitness model and son of Arnold Schwarzenegger is partnered with Daniella Karagach   
• Selma Blair: the American Crime Story actress is partnered with Sasha Farber   
• Wayne Brady: the Let’s Make a Deal host is partnered with Witney Carson 
• Sam Champion: the Good Morning America contributor is partnered with Cheryl Burke  
• Jessie James Decker: the country singer is partnered with Alan Bersten   
• Trevor Donovan: The Baxters actor is partnered with Emma Slater   
• Daniel Durant: the Coda actor is partnered with Britt Stewart  
• Teresa Giudice: the Real Housewives of New Jersey star is partnered with Pasha Pashkov  
• Vinny Guadagnino: The Jersey Shore star is partnered with Koko Iwasaki 
• Cheryl Ladd: The Charlie’s Angels actress is partnered with Louis Van Amstel  
• Jason Lewis: The Sex and the City actor is partnered with Peta Murgatroyd
• Shangela: the RuPaul's Drag Race star is partnerned with Gleb Savchenko   
• Jordin Sparks: the pop music star and American Idol winner is partnered with Brandon Armstrong 
• Gabby Windey: The Bachelorette star is partnered with Val Chmerkovskiy 

Check out the official cast announcement via Disney Plus's Twitter page. 

As many of you may have noticed, Dancing with the Stars season 31 features the return of some very familiar faces with two-time Mirrorball winner Mark Ballas and fan favorite Louis Van Amstel.

Ballas hasn’t been on the show since 2017. He claimed his first Mirrorball trophy with partner and Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi in season 6 and again in season 8 with yet another gold medalist, Shawn Johnson.

While Van Amstel never won a Mirrorball during his 10 seasons on the show, he had a legion of loyal fans who hoped he’d secure a win. The last time he competed on the show was in 2015 when he was partnered with celebrity chef Paula Deen in season 21.

Who are the Dancing with the Stars season 31 judges and hosts?

Though the show is jumping from ABC to Disney Plus, it looks like everything else will remain the same and that includes the panel of judges and the show’s hosts. 

Original Dancing with the Stars judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli are returning along with Derek Hough. Hough was originally one of the professional dancers on the show. He stepped in for season 29 when Goodman was unable to travel due to COVID-19 restrictions and he became a regular fourth judge in season 30. 

Tyra Banks (America’s Next Top Model) returns as host and will be joined by Alfonso Ribeiro (America’s Funniest Home Videos), who was named the show's co-host earlier this summer. 

Is there a trailer for Dancing with the Stars?

There’s usually a video that accompanies the casting announcement. As soon as the trailer arrives we’ll post it here.  

How to watch Dancing with the Stars season 31

The new season of Dancing with the Stars will be available exclusively on Disney Plus. If you don't have a Disney Plus subscription yet, there are a few options. You can add the service as a standalone subscription, you can bundle it with Hulu and ESPN Plus or it's included as part of the Hulu with Live TV package. 

You can add a Disney Plus subscription using one of the options below: 

We’ll be sure to provide updates if the show becomes available to UK viewers.