Couples

This season featured twelve celebrity contestants. Edyta Śliwińska returned as a professional dancer after an eleven-season hiatus.^[2] Also returning to the pro roster were Artem Chigvintsev, Peta Murgatroyd, and Sasha Farber. Actress Jodie Sweetin was the first celebrity revealed on Good Morning America on March 2, 2016, while TV meteorologist Ginger Zee was also revealed on that show two days later.^[3][4] The remaining celebrities and professionals dancers were later revealed, also on Good Morning America, on March 8.^[5]

Hosts and judges

Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews returned as hosts, while judges Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli returned this season. Head judge Len Goodman returned after missing last season, while Julianne Hough, who served as a judge during the previous three seasons, did not.^[15] Season 16 runner-up Zendaya returned as a guest judge on April 11,^[16] and Maksim Chmerkovskiy returned as a guest judge on April 18.^[6]

Dance troupe

The dance troupe consisted of Jenna Johnson, Hayley Erbert, and Alan Bersten, who were joined by new members Dennis Jauch, Kiril Kulish, and Shannon Holtzappfel.

Week 1: First Dances

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 2: Latin Night

The couples danced a Latin-inspired routine, and are listed in the order they performed.

Mark Ballas was unable to perform due to an injury, so Paige VanZant performed with Alan Bersten instead.^[7]

Week 3: Most Memorable Year Night

The couples performed one unlearned dance to celebrate the most memorable year of their lives. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 4: Disney Night

Individual judges scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Zendaya, Bruno Tonioli.

The couples performed one unlearned dance to a song from a Disney film, and are listed in the order they performed.

Week 5: Switch-Up Night

Individual judges scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Bruno Tonioli.

The celebrities performed one unlearned dance with a different partner selected by the general public. Couples are listed in the order they performed. Due to the nature of the week, no elimination took place this week.

Week 6: Famous Dances Night

The couples performed one unlearned dance that paid tribute to iconic dance performances from films, music videos, or live performances. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 7: Icons Night

The couples performed one unlearned dance and a team dance to songs from popular musical icons. Two couples were eliminated at the end of the night. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 8: Judges' Team-up Challenge

The couples performed one unlearned dance and a team-up dance with another couple that was designed and coached by one of the three judges. To avoid favoritism, the judges did not score their own teams, shown by the letter X below. Instead, the general public was able to score the team-up dances on a scale from 1 to 10, with an averaged score counting alongside the remaining judges. The score from the public vote is listed fourth on the scores for the team-up dances.^[12] Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 9: Semifinals

The couples performed one unlearned dance and a trio dance involving an eliminated pro or a member of the troupe. There were two eliminations at the end of the night. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 10: Finals

On the first night, the couples performed a redemption dance and their freestyle routine. On the second night, the couples danced a fusion dance of two previously learned dance styles. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Night 1

Night 2