Couples

This season featured thirteen celebrity contestants. The official cast announcement was made on the morning of August 25, 2008, on Good Morning America.^[2]

Host and judges

Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris returned as the show's co-hosts. Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli, and Carrie Ann Inaba returned as the judges, while Michael Flatley appeared as a guest judge during week six.

Week 1

On the first night, each couple performed either the cha-cha-cha or foxtrot. On the second night, each couple performed either the mambo or quickstep. Two couples were eliminated by the end of the second night. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Night 1

Night 2

Week 2

Each couple performed either the paso doble or rumba. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 3

Each couple performed either the jive or Viennese waltz. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

On October 3, Misty May-Treanor was injured during practice and received immediate medical attention.^[3] At the end of the episode that aired on Monday, October 6, she announced that she had ruptured her Achilles tendon, and thus had to withdraw from the competition. On the results show the next night, Tom Bergeron revealed that no one would be eliminated that week because of May-Treanor's withdrawal, and the week 3 scores would carry over to week 4.^[4][5]

Week 4

Each couple performed either the samba or tango. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 5

Each couple performed one of four dances newly introduced this season: the hustle, jitterbug, salsa, or West Coast Swing. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

On Sunday, October 19, Brooke Burke was injured during the camera blocking for her jitterbug with partner Derek Hough. She ended up going to the hospital on Monday, October 20, for treatment and x-rays. It was determined that she had severely bruised her foot, but as of Monday afternoon, an ABC spokesperson told People that Burke and Hough would still perform on that night's live show.^[6]

Week 6

Individual judges scores in charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Michael Flatley, Bruno Tonioli.

Each couple performed one unlearned dance, and participated in a group hip-hop dance. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 7

Each couple performed one unlearned dance and one team dance. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Approximately forty minutes after the October 21 results show, Julianne Hough was taken by ambulance to the hospital for increasingly painful stomach pains.^[7] Initially, Hough said she was taking a day off from the group rehearsal to recover. However, on October 27, she was diagnosed with endometriosis,^[8][9] had to undergo surgery to remove her appendix on October 28,^[9] and that she would miss the competition until she recovered. As a result, her celebrity partner, Cody Linley, was paired with Edyta Śliwińska for weeks 7 and 8 of the competition.^[10]

On October 30, Lacey Schwimmer reported that she had endometriosis as well. It came after Julianne Hough's experience with the common, but painful, condition allowed Schwimmer to notice similar symptoms and be diagnosed at an early stage, enabling it to be treated without surgery or time away from the show.^[11][12][13]

Week 8

Each couple performed two unlearned dances. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 9

Each couple performed two unlearned dances. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Julianne Hough returned to the competition after missing the previous two weeks.

Week 10

On the first night, all three couples faced off in a group samba, where they received individual scores from the judges, and performed their freestyle routines. On the second night, each couple performed their favorite routine from the season. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Night 1

Night 2