Season eighteen of Dancing with the Stars premiered on March 17, 2014, on the ABC network.
On May 20, 2014, Olympic ice dancer Meryl Davis and Maksim Chmerkovskiy were crowned the champions, while snowboarder Amy Purdy and Derek Hough finished in second place, and actress Candace Cameron Bure and Mark Ballas finished in third.
This season was also first to feature a new twist called "The Switch Up", which gave viewers the opportunity to vote and change up the celebrity/professional pairings for a week during the season. Each celebrity was required to perform with a new pro for one week.
Cast Couples This season featured twelve celebrity contestants. The cast and their professional partners were revealed on March 4, 2014, on Good Morning America. Sasha Farber returned to the dance troupe, while Witney Carson and Henry Byalikov were elevated to professional status, and Maksim Chmerkovskiy also returned following a two-season hiatus. Jenna Johnson, who competed on season ten of So You Think You Can Dance, and Artem Chigvintsev, who was a professional on the British Strictly Come Dancing, joined the dance troupe.
Celebrity Notability Professional partner Status Long-distance swimmer Eliminated 1st NHL player Eliminated 2nd Movie actor Withdrew Singer-songwriter Eliminated 3rd Television host, actor & comedian Eliminated 4th Reality television personality & actress Eliminated 5th The Wonder Years actress & author Eliminated 6th Olympic ice dancer Eliminated 7th Big Time Rush singer & actor Eliminated 8th Full House actress & author Third place Paralympic snowboarder Runners-up Olympic ice dancer Winners
Host and judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli returned as judges; Tom Bergeron returned as host, while Erin Andrews replaced Brooke Burke Charvet as co-host. Bandleader Ray Chew replaced the Harold Wheeler orchestra and singers.
Beginning in week three, a celebrity guest judge joined the judges panel. As a result, couples could receive a top score of 40 for their dances.
Date Guest judge Occupation(s) March 31 Robin Roberts Anchor of Good Morning America April 7 Julianne Hough Actress, singer, dancer & choreographer April 14 Donny Osmond Singer, actor & season 9 winner April 21 Redfoo Singer/rapper (member of LMFAO) & season 20 contestant April 28 Ricky Martin Singer, actor & author May 5 Abby Lee Miller Choreographer & dance instructor on Dance Moms May 12 Kenny Ortega Producer, director & choreographer
Episodes
Scoring chart The highest score each week is indicated in with a dagger (), while the lowest score each week is indicated in with a double-dagger ().
Color key:
+Dancing with the Stars (season 18) - Weekly scores Couple Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Meryl & Maks 1st 24 36 39+39= 36+34= 40+40= 30+30=+30= Amy & Derek 2nd 24 24 36 34 37 38 36+39=75 40+39= 39+39=78 30+29=59+30=89 Candace & Mark 3rd 25 21 32 35 35+39=74 36+38=74 34+38= 27+24=+27= James & Peta 4th 21 36 35 35 35+35=70 36+39=75 40+36=76 29+29=58 Charlie & Sharna 5th 36 33 37 36 36+35=71 40+38=78 40+36=76 Danica & Val 6th 24 24 36 32 39 36 33+39=72 38+34=72 NeNe & Tony 7th 21 21 31 32 36 33 31+35= Drew & Cheryl 8th 21 21 33 Cody & Witney 9th 22 22 35 3134 Billy Dee & Emma 10th Sean & Karina 11th 2021 Diana & Henry 12th 18 Notes
Weekly scores Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli.
Week 1: First Dances Couples performed either the cha-cha-cha, contemporary, or the foxtrot, and are listed in the order they performed.
CoupleScoresDanceMusic NeNe & Tony 21 (7, 7, 7) Cha-cha-cha "Give It 2 U" — Robin Thicke, feat. Kendrick Lamar James & Peta 21 (7, 7, 7) Foxtrot "Story of My Life" — One Direction Danica & Val 24 (8, 8, 8) Foxtrot "Walk Away" — Kelly Clarkson Sean & Karina 20 (7, 6, 7) Contemporary "Somewhere Only We Know" — Keane Billy Dee & Emma 15 (5, 5, 5) Cha-cha-cha "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" — Meco Meryl & Maks 24 (8, 8, 8) Cha-cha-cha "All Night" — Icona Pop Candace & Mark 25 (9, 8, 8) Contemporary "Burn" — Ellie Goulding Cody & Witney 22 (7, 7, 8) Cha-cha-cha "Timber" — Pitbull, feat. Kesha Drew & Cheryl 21 (7, 7, 7) Foxtrot "Money (That's What I Want)" — Barrett Strong Amy & Derek 24 (8, 8, 8) Cha-cha-cha "Counting Stars" — OneRepublic Diana & Henry 18 (6, 6, 6) Foxtrot "Beyond the Sea" — Bobby Darin Charlie & Sharna 27 (9, 9, 9) Contemporary "Let Her Go"—Passenger
Week 2: Celebrity's Pick Night Couples are listed in the order they performed. Two couples were eliminated at the end of the night. Diana Nyad and Henry Byalikov were eliminated before they had a chance to perform their cha-cha-cha, although they did perform in exhibition and received no scores from the judges.
CoupleScoresDanceMusicResult Drew & Cheryl 21 (7, 7, 7) Jive "You Can't Sit Down" — The Dovells Safe Danica & Val 24 (8, 8, 8) Samba "All Nite (Don't Stop)" — Janet Jackson Safe 15 (5, 5, 5) Tango "Peter Gunn" — Henry Mancini Safe Meryl & Maks 25 (8, 9, 8) Swing "Big and Bad" — Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Safe Diana & Henry No scores received Cha-cha-cha "Move Your Feet" — Junior Senior Eliminated Candace & Mark 21 (7, 7, 7) Rumba "Say Something" —A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera Safe Amy & Derek 24 (8, 8, 8) Swing "Swing Set" — Jurassic 5 Safe James & Peta 25 (9, 8, 8) Salsa "Follow the Leader" — Wisin & Yandel, feat. Jennifer Lopez Safe Charlie & Sharna 25 (9, 7, 9) Tango "Addicted to You" — Avicii Safe NeNe & Tony 21 (7, 7, 7) Jive "Do My Thing" — Estelle, feat. Janelle Monáe Safe Sean & Karina 21 (7, 7, 7) Salsa "Dance Bailalo" —Kat DeLuna Eliminated Cody & Witney 22 (7, 7, 8) Tango "Yeah 3x" — Chris Brown Safe
Week 3: Most Memorable Year 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, Robin Roberts, Bruno Tonioli.
At the beginning of the show, it was announced that Billy Dee Williams had to withdraw from the competition due to a chronic back problem. Therefore, no one was eliminated at the end of the show. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
CoupleScoresDanceMusic James & Peta 36 (9, 9, 9, 9) Jive "The Middle" — Jimmy Eat World NeNe & Tony 31 (8, 7, 8, 8) Rumba "I Believe in You and Me" — Whitney Houston Cody & Witney 35 (9, 8, 9, 9) Jazz "Surfboard" — Cody Simpson Danica & Val 36 (9, 9, 9, 9) Contemporary "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)" — Billy Joel Drew & Cheryl 30 (7, 7, 8, 8) Waltz "Fade into You" — Sam Palladio & Clare Bowen Meryl & Maks 39 (10, 9, 10, 10) Foxtrot "All of Me" — John Legend Amy & Derek 36 (9, 9, 9, 9) Contemporary "Human" — Christina Perri Charlie & Sharna 36 (9, 9, 9, 9) Jive "Happy" — Pharrell Williams Candace & Mark 32 (8, 8, 8, 8) Jive "Blue Suede Shoes" — Elvis Presley
Week 4: 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, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli.
The couples switched professional partners this week and learned a new dance style. Due to the nature of the week, no elimination took place at the end of the show. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
CoupleScoresDanceMusic Candace & Tony 28 (7, 7, 7, 7) Quickstep "The Ballroom Blitz" — Sweet James & Cheryl 35 (9, 8, 9, 9) Tango "Dark Horse" — Katy Perry, feat. Juicy J Drew & Witney 33 (8, 8, 9, 8) Cha-cha-cha "Sugarfoot" — Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears Danica & Maks 32 (8, 8, 8, 8) Jive "Love Me Right!" — The Swag Geeks, feat. Brook Penning Charlie & Peta 33 (7, 8, 9, 9) Rumba "Wildest Moments" — Jessie Ware Amy & Mark 34 (9, 8, 8, 9) Salsa "Brand New" — Pharrell, feat. Justin Timberlake Cody & Sharna 31 (8, 7, 8, 8) Foxtrot "I'm Yours" — Jason Mraz NeNe & Derek 32 (8, 8, 8, 8) Jazz "Grown Woman" — Beyoncé Meryl & Val 39 (10, 9, 10, 10) Argentine tango "Too Close" — Alex Clare
Week 5: 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, Donny Osmond, Bruno Tonioli.
Couples performed one unlearned dance to a song from a Disney film. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
CoupleScoresDanceMusicDisney filmResult Drew & Cheryl 28 (7, 7, 7, 7) Quickstep "Friend Like Me" — Robin Williams Aladdin Safe 37 (9, 10, 9, 9) Jazz "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" — Julie Andrews & Dick Van Dyke Mary Poppins Safe Danica & Val 39 (10, 9, 10, 10) Quickstep "Be Our Guest" — Jerry Orbach & Angela Lansbury Beauty and the Beast Safe Amy & Derek 37 (9, 9, 10, 9) Waltz "So This Is Love" — Ilene Woods Cinderella Safe Cody & Witney 34 (9, 8, 8, 9) Samba "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" — Jason Weaver, Laura Williams & Rowan Atkinson The Lion King Eliminated NeNe & Tony 36 (9, 9, 9, 9) Foxtrot "Cruella De Vil — Bill Lee 101 Dalmatians Safe James & Peta Contemporary "Let It Go" — Idina Menzel Frozen Safe Meryl & Maks 36 (9, 9, 9, 9) Samba "I Wan'na Be Like You (The Monkey Song)" — Louis Prima The Jungle Book Safe Candace & Mark 35 (8, 9, 9, 9) Samba "Under the Sea" — Samuel E. Wright The Little Mermaid Safe
Week 6: Party Anthems Night Individual judges scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Redfoo, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli.
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
CoupleScoresDanceMusicResult NeNe & Tony 33 (8, 9, 8, 8) Salsa "Hot in Herre" — Nelly Safe Candace & Mark 32 (8, 8, 8, 8) Cha-cha-cha "I Love It" — Icona Pop, feat. Charli XCX Safe James & Peta 35 (9, 9, 8, 9) Quickstep "You're the One That I Want" — John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John Safe Danica & Val 36 (9, 9, 9, 9) Cha-cha-cha "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" — Whitney Houston Safe Meryl & Maks Tango "Feel So Close" — Calvin Harris Safe Drew & Cheryl 32 (8, 9, 7, 8) Tango "Super Freak" — Rick James Eliminated 36 (9, 9, 9, 9) Cha-cha-cha "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" — C+C Music Factory Safe Amy & Derek 38 (9, 10, 9, 10) Jive "Shout" — The Isley Brothers Safe
Week 7: Latin Night Individual judges scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Ricky Martin, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli.
Couples performed one unlearned dance style and one team dance. Due to an injury suffered by Amy Purdy after performing her rumba, Team Loca's dance was scored based on the rehearsal footage filmed prior to the live show. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
CoupleScoresDanceMusicResult Amy & Derek 36 (9, 9, 9, 9) Rumba "Light My Fire" — José Feliciano Safe James & Peta 35 (9, 9, 8, 9) Samba "Gasolina" — Daddy Yankee Safe Danica & Val 33 (8, 9, 8, 8) Salsa "Watch Out for This (Bumaye)" — Major Lazer, feat. Busy Signal, The Flexican & FS Green Safe NeNe & Tony 31 (8, 8, 7, 8) Argentine tango "Can't Remember to Forget You" — Shakira, feat. Rihanna Eliminated 36 (9, 10, 8, 9) Paso doble "Sail" — Awolnation Safe Candace & Mark 35 (8, 9, 9, 9) Argentine tango "1977" — Ana Tijoux Safe Meryl & Maks Salsa "Adrenalina" — Wisin, feat. Ricky Martin & Jennifer Lopez Safe Charlie & SharnaJames & PetaNeNe & Tony 35 (8, 10, 8, 9) Latin Freestyle"La Copa de la Vida" — Ricky Martin Amy & DerekCandace & MarkDanica & ValMeryl & Maks 39 (10, 10, 9, 10) Latin Freestyle"Livin' la Vida Loca — Ricky Martin
Week 8: Celebrity Dance Duels 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, Abby Lee Miller, Bruno Tonioli.
Although billed as "dance duels," the two celebrities in each pairing received the same score. During the routine, the celebrities were required to dance with each other for 20 seconds on the dance floor without their professional partners. Couples are listed in the order they performed.