The Most Dramatic Dancing With The Stars Cast Member Exits

It's hard to believe that "Dancing With the Stars" has been on the air since 2005, crowning a total of 34 Mirrorball champions through 2025. The show basically takes everyday celebrities, including actors, athletes, reality television stars, and influencers, pairs them with a ballroom professional, and has them perform a different style of ballroom dance every week. Over the course of the season, some celebs prove that they have staying power, while others struggle to get the discipline and challenging choreography down. Each week, production tallies a combination of judges' scores and at-home viewer votes to determine who stays and who goes.

The majority of "Dancing With the Stars" cast-offs express gratitude for the incredible opportunity and part ways with the show without any further ado, but there have been some very dramatic show exits over the years. Whether marked by complete shock from the live audience or an offhand remark made by the celebrity who's just been told they are going home, the live results have certainly been unpredictable at times. There have been plenty of viral moments stemming from cast member exits over the past 20 years, but there are some that are just more dramatic than others. Let's take a look.

Anna Delvey was one of the most controversial cast additions in "Dancing With the Stars" history, given that she'd previously served nearly four years in prison after being convicted of fraud. And while many fans of the show spent weeks debating whether or not Delvey was a good addition to the cast, she seemed to go into the competition with an open mind. She was partnered with first-time pro Ezra Sosa for the season, but her reign was cut incredibly short — she and Sosa were the first couple eliminated from Season 33. After host Alfonso Ribeiro announced that Delvey and Sosa had been eliminated, they walked to the center of the ballroom to say their official goodbyes. When host Julianne Hough asked what she would take away from the experience, Delvey offered a one-word response: "Nothing."

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Delvey's comment went viral — and Sosa even got the word tattooed on his back as a way to always remember his first season on the show. Some people found the response funny and others thought it was incredibly rude, but, according to Delvey, it was just honest. "You guys told me what I'm supposed to do. I tried to do it, and then I still was rejected," Delvey said on the September 28, 2025, episode of the "misSPELLING" podcast. "And, I'm taking away nothing. This is what I'm taking away from it, because your advice was worthless. The advice did not pay off for me, even though I tried to follow it," she added.

Jeannie Mai competed on Season 29 of "Dancing With the Stars" alongside ballroom pro Brandon Armstrong. However, about halfway through the competition, Mai was forced to drop out due to her health. Both she and Armstrong were devastated to have to end their journey together early. "It saddens me that I will not be able to continue with the competition on DWTS. My doctors discovered a health concern with my throat, which requires immediate attention and surgery," Mai said in a statement given to Us Weekly on Monday, November 2. "I am heartbroken that my DWTS journey has to end here. The last several weeks have been an amazing learning experience. I have pushed myself to new limits physically and mentally, and I am so proud of how far we've come," she added.

As it turns out, Mai ended up being diagnosed with epiglottitis, which is potentially life-threatening. According to the Cleveland Clinic, epiglottitis can cause food and fluid that would normally travel down one's esophagus to end up in the larynx. Mai was hospitalized and underwent emergency surgery. "Although I am grateful to be recovering safely, I can't lie... I am devastated by the fact that my journey with #DWTS will end this way," she captioned an Instagram post that included a photo from her hospital bed.

Fifth Harmony's Lauren Jauregui was thrilled to join Season 34 of "Dancing With the Stars" and was excited to see how far she could make it on the road to winning the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. However, Jauregui and her pro partner Brandon Armstrong ended up being the second couple eliminated from the competition. The singer could hardly contain her emotions during her exit interview, describing how she felt in that moment with one word, "p*ssed."

In an interview with People after her elimination, Jauregui explained her blunt reaction. "There's a lot of pressure that happens when you're in front of millions of people and feeling something really vulnerable and then have a mic shoved into your face and asked how you feel. And if I'm thinking it, I'm going to say it," she told the outlet. "In my mind I was like, 'Oh my God, I'm so upset. I'm so sad. This isn't supposed to happen.' [That] was just what my brain was telling me, and then the only word that came out of my mouth was 'p*ssed,' which is an interesting one," she added. Jauregui did return for the show's finale, however, and didn't seem to harbor any negative feelings about her premature elimination.

Tamar Braxton's exit from "Dancing With the Stars" Season 21 was quite dramatic due to the fact that she'd fallen ill and needed to be hospitalized, which essentially forced her out of the competition. The singer and her pro partner, Valentin Chmerkovskiy, were eyeing the semi-finals when Braxton was diagnosed with pulmonary embolisms. "With a Heavy heart I regret to inform you that my season of #dwts has to come to an end along with the rest of my tour dates with @musicbykem," Braxton wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post, according to E! News. "After yesterday's final #dwts performance I went back to the hospital (after the doctors didn't want me to leave in the first place) only to find out that I don't have pneumonia but something way more serious and that is having several P.E.'s (blood clots in both sides of my lungs)," she explained.

Chmerkovskiy was totally crushed when Braxton dropped out, but he knew that her health was more important than the competition. Chmerkovskiy even went to visit Braxton in the hospital and shared a photo from her hospital bed on Instagram. Judging by Chmerkovskiy's sad face — and the sad emoji in his caption — fans could tell that he was totally crushed.

It's hard not to think of Alexa PenaVega's "Dancing With the Stars" elimination when recalling some of the show's most dramatic cast member exits. Alexa and her husband, Carlos PenaVega, competed on the show together, going head-to-head in hopes of becoming the next champion. However, the night that Alexa and her ballroom pro partner Mark Ballas got eliminated, they were up against Carlos and his partner Witney Carson. One couple would stay, and the other would go. When Alexa heard her name, she broke down in tears. She and Carlos embraced for what seemed like several minutes, leaving their dance partners standing there awkwardly. At one point, Carlos told Alexa that he wished it was him that got eliminated.

To this day, many fans believe Alexa's DWTS exit is the most dramatic. "They was crying like she was about to go get sacrificed or some s*** lol," one Redditor commented on a thread about the elimination. "I've said it before and I'll say it again, they acted like one of them was being involuntarily shipped off to war or something. They were much, to say the least," another Reddit user agreed. Two weeks later, Carlos joined his wife in the elimination pool. 

Legendary musician Michael Bolton joined Season 11 of "Dancing With the Stars," taking ballroom lessons from pro Chelsie Hightower. Sadly for him and his fans, he and Hightower were the second couple eliminated from the competition. Their exit came after they performed a jive to "Hound Dog," which was critically judged by Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli, the latter of whom scored the routine a three out of 10. Tonioli was very harsh in his feedback for Bolton, telling the "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" singer that it was the "the worst jive in 11 seasons," according to ABC News. "I am a dog lover, but you make it so hard for me. You should have taken your bone and gone back to the dog house. You did it all very, very, very badly," Tonioli told Bolton.

Bolton was extremely upset by Tonioli's comments and demanded that the judge issue him an apology. "I think he should apologize publicly and be reprimanded for it," Bolton said on "Good Morning America" after the elimination, per ABC News. But Bolton never did get that apology. "Bruno's role as a judge is to give his honest opinions on the quality of the dances he's judging, which is what he did in this case. While we respect the feelings of our celebrities and dancers, we don't feel Bruno should be expected to apologize for doing his job," producers said in a statement. 

Another dramatic "Dancing With the Stars" exit occurred on Season 27. "Fuller House" star Juan Pablo Di Pace and his pro partner Cheryl Burke were this close to the semi-finals, but ended up being sent home in fifth place. The duo had earned perfect scores for their recent dance, but the judges' scores apparently weren't enough to keep them in the competition. As soon as their names were announced as the couple that had been eliminated, the whole ballroom started booing loudly. "I agree! Boo!" said Erin Andrews, who was co-hosting the show alongside Tom Bergeron at the time.

"People are so amazing, and the fans are so vocal, so I'm good. I'm really good," Di Pace told TV Line. "But I was still shocked and sad to lose. For me, it's a talent and a love for dance competition. It's heartbreaking when you work your ass off," he added, also admitting that he knew that he didn't have as big of a fan base as some of his co-stars, but he really put in the work in hopes of making it to the finale. Instead, Alexis Ren, Evanna Lynch, Milo Manheim, and Bobby Bones continued on in the competition, with the latter taking home the Mirrorball Trophy alongside Sharna Burgess in what turned out to be the most dramatic win in the history of the show. The reason? Bones won solely on viewer votes — his co-stars scored better on their dances overall.

James Van Der Beek's elimination from Season 28 of "Dancing With the Stars" may very well be the most depressing one ever. The "Dawson's Creek" star and his pro partner Emma Slater were sent home ahead of the semi-finals, directly after Van Der Beek shared a personal update with fans. During a video package that night, Van Der Beek revealed that he and his wife suffered a devastating loss. "My wife Kimberly and I went through every expecting parent's worst nightmare. We lost the baby. The little soul that we had expected to welcome into our family took a shortcut to whatever lies beyond," Van Der Beek said (via People), adding, "You never know why these things happen, that's what I've been telling my kids. All you know is that it brings you closer together, it breaks you open, it opens your heart, it deepens your appreciation. It makes you more human."

Van Der Beek and Slater found themselves in the bottom two alongside Ally Brooke and her pro partner Sasha Farber. When Van Der Beek's name was called, people in the live audience were gasping, many completely shocked by the outcome. Brooke was in tears and even offered to give up her spot so that Van Der Beek could continue on. Is someone cutting onions?!

Many "Dancing With the Stars" fans were overjoyed to learn that Selma Blair had joined Season 31. Aside from her being a beloved actress, Blair has also been battling Multiple Sclerosis (MS) since she was diagnosed in August 2018. She and Sasha Farber developed a great friendship very quickly, and Blair appeared to be having the time of her life before her doctors advised her that dancing wasn't agreeing with her health. "You know I've been monitored and in touch with my doctors this whole process," Blair told Farber in a pre-taped package that aired during Blair's final episode (via People). "I had these MRIs and when the results came back, it just all adds up to I can't. I can't. I can't go on with the competition. I pushed as far as I could," she added.

Blair and Farber ended their run on the show with a beautiful waltz to "What the World Needs Now," which received high praise from the judges and from fans. Many people were bummed to see Blair exit the competition, even her Season 31 co-stars. "Selma truly is the light that we've all gravitated to and we're all close now," Wayne Brady told People. Blair has made some lifelong friends on the show and still keeps in touch with Farber. 

Aaron Carter joined the Season 9 cast of "Dancing With the Stars" and was a fan favorite fairly early on. He and ballroom pro Karina Smirnoff were voted off in fifth place, narrowly missing the semi-finals. The singer was genuinely shocked to hear that he'd been sent home. "I'm very proud of myself," Carter said on "Good Morning America" following the elimination. "It's been a great experience. I've learned so many different things throughout the competition. ... Now I can actually brag that I know all these different kinds of style of dance," he added. 

It was clear that Carter's time on the show touched many people, including the head judge at the time, Len Goodman, who sent Carter a heartfelt message. "I think you're an inspiration to all young people that anything is possible," Goodman said. "If you were my son, I would be so proud of you, but more importantly, you be proud of yourself because you've been great," he added.

Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson (now Herjevec) ended up winning the Mirrorball Trophy that season. Tragically, Carter died on November 5, 2022. His body was found in the bathtub of his California home, and his death was ruled accidental (via People).

No one expected Heather Morris to be eliminated from "Dancing With the Stars" ahead of the semi-finals, but she and her pro partner Maks Chmerkovskiy were voted off in eighth place. What happened on that fateful night was just plain unfair. Morris and Chmerkovskiy had received the first perfect score of Season 24, setting them up to be frontrunners, but their excitement was quickly shot down when they were sent home. Both Morris and Chmerkovskiy could hardly hide the disappointment on their faces when host Tom Bergeron said their names. And just about everyone in the ballroom was shocked that Morris got the boot.

Morris believes that she was unfairly judged by fans who held her past dancing experience against her. "They watch it and they want to believe, 'She's a dancer, it's not fair, she knows exactly how to do all those things' ... I cannot do ballroom. It's unbelievably hard ... it's so challenging," she said on a July 2017 episode of the "LadyGang" podcast. Morris returned for the season finale, which she said was "great."