DWTS Fans Spot Awkward Moment Between Danielle Fishel, Whitney Leavitt

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Just like tango, it takes two to spark feud rumors.

Dancing With the Stars viewers think there was some awkwardness between celebrity contestants Danielle Fishel and Whitney Leavitt following the TikTok Night episode on September 30th.

A quick clip is making the rounds on social media showing Whitney-one of the top performers that evening-smiling brightly after Fifth Harmony‘s Lauren Jauregui and her dance partner Brandon Armstrong were eliminated on the ABC dance show.

I was watching, and as Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Whitney approached Danielle, it was so noticeable-Danielle, who’s known from Boy Meets World, seemed to actually step back a little. Whitney’s face changed *so* quickly, going from a friendly smile to a really serious, almost stern expression. It was a bit awkward to watch, honestly!

One viewer commented on X (formerly Twitter) about how out of touch Whitney was, saying, “Talk about not reading the room – everyone is shocked and saddened, and she thinks now is the time to be funny.” The viewer also praised Danielle for calling Whitney out, describing the comment as very insensitive!

One viewer commented, “Danielle Fishel firmly corrected Whitney Leavitt after Whitney attempted to celebrate simply lasting another week on the show.”

TopMob News has contacted representatives for Danielle and Whitney for a statement, but they haven’t responded yet. However, the Girl Meets World actress did discuss TikTok Night generally on her iHeartRadiopodcast, Pod Meets World.

“I honestly didn’t think Lauren would be leaving,” Danielle said on the October 1st episode. “I’m really disappointed. I truly enjoy Lauren and love seeing her perform.”

Danielle called the elimination of the “Work From Home” singer “shocking”, noting she was particularly surprised because Lauren had consistently received “great scores.”

 

She pointed out that the contestant wasn’t consistently ranked the lowest. “It really highlights how crucial votes are,” she added.

Actually, the public’s votes are just as important as the judges’ scores on DWTS. Professional dancer Lindsay Arnold clarified this, stating, “When deciding who gets eliminated, it’s a 50/50 split between the judges’ scores and the viewers’ votes.”

She explained in a 2023 TikTok video that even with lower scores, a large number of votes could be enough to win against someone with higher scores. Conversely, she noted that even if you receive very high scores but don’t get many votes, those scores can still keep you in the competition. Essentially, both votes and scores matter.

For more on how DWTS works behind the scenes, read on.

According to Variety, Dancing With the Stars contestants earned $125,000 for rehearsals and the first two weeks of the show in 2019. The publication also reported that payouts increased weekly for those who continued. Sources indicated a potential maximum earning of $295,000.

However, Bobby Bones revealed he made more than that when he won season 27 with Sharna Burgess in 2018.

On a September 2025 episode of Jason Tartick‘s podcast Trading Secrets, the radio personality explained, “That show pays OK. Like, first episode, no money. Second episode, $10,000. I think it’s like, $10,000, $10,000, $20,000, $20,000. It ends up being $50,000 an episode if you last.”

Bones also mentioned a base salary of around $110,000, adding, “I ended up making close to $400,000 from that show.”

ABC has not officially confirmed these numbers.

It’s also unclear how much the professional dancers earn. However, like the contestants, it appears their earnings increase the further they progress in the competition.

Even if a pro dancer is eliminated early on, they still receive compensation.

“You’re guaranteed payment for a certain number of weeks,” Jenna Johnson explained on a June 2025 episode of Kelly Stafford and Hank Winchester‘s podcast The Morning After. “Contracts vary, though, so I can’t speak for everyone.”

It doesn’t seem that way.

According to Johnson-who previously won seasons 26 with Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon, and season 33 with The Bachelor‘s Joey Graziadei-professional dancers don’t receive a bigger payment for winning the trophy, now known as the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. However, she pointed out that reaching the finale still has its perks (beyond just being able to boast, naturally).

“Making it to the end means you’re paid for the entire season, which is great, and you also get a bonus just for getting to the finale,” she shared on The Morning After. “Winning doesn’t mean you and your partner split a $1 million prize-it’s more about sharing a nice trophy together.”

It doesn’t seem that’s what happened.

During a 2022 appearance on Trading Secrets, Lindsay Arnold shared that her pay was reduced by “more than half” after she moved from a professional dancer to a troupe member.

Professional dancers have very little say in who they’re paired with on the show.

“You have no control over it,” Lindsay explained on a May 2025 episode of Maggie Sellers‘ Hot Smart Rich podcast. “They simply tell you who your partner is and expect you to make it work.”

Jenna added that the pairings are usually kept secret until the very last moment.

“They want your first impression to be authentic,” Jenna said on The Morning After. “A lot of people assume we know who our partner will be beforehand, but that’s not true. They don’t tell us, and they prefer we don’t even know the full cast. It often leaks, but they try to keep everything very quiet until you meet your partner for the first time.”

What does the Dancing With the Stars team consider when making these pairings?

“We look at things like height, body type, personality, and how well the two people might get along,” former showrunner Rob Wade told TopMob News in 2015. “We avoid pairing people who we think won’t connect. The experience is too demanding for that. It’s not like The Bachelor – we couldn’t pull that off. It would be a terrible experience for the celebrity, for us, and for the audience. No one wants to watch two people who dislike each other, and we’ve definitely made that mistake in the past by pairing people who just didn’t click.”

In short, it’s a lot of work.

“We rehearse for four hours every day,” Rylee Arnold, who partnered with Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik on season 33, explained on a September 2024 episode of the Lightweights Podcast With Joe Vulpis. “Those sessions are either from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., or 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.”

But the work doesn’t end when rehearsal is over. Rylee mentioned she often then meets with producers or the creative team, works on dance routines, or studies videos of other performances.

“Basically, my entire life revolves around this,” she continued, “but it’s my passion and I truly love it, which makes me incredibly happy.”

It’s definitely a job that requires dedication and effort every single day.

“We perform on Tuesdays, and then it’s straight back to rehearsals from Wednesday to Sunday,” Rylee added. “Mondays are for camera blocking, and then it’s show day again on Tuesday.”

“Generally, yes,” Emma Slater and Britt Stewart shared in an Instagram video from September 2025, “but it’s being done together with the show’s producers.”

If you think the quickstep is speedy, you should see how quickly the costume department works!

“We collaborate with the set and lighting designers, the dancers, and the performers to develop a narrative [for each couple],” costume designer Daniela Gschwendtner explained to TV Insider in 2017. “Then we create sketches. We have a maximum of five days to make all the outfits – that’s half a day per costume, and that doesn’t even include adding the rhinestones! We do the final fitting and adjustments later. Our department has around 20 people, and we also have a separate tailor shop. It’s a large operation.”

Actually, costume designer Steven Norman Lee revealed that couples typically try on their costumes for the first time just hours before the show begins. And while the department “may reuse a pair of pants for the male dancers,” he added, everything is usually made specifically for each week’s performance.

As Gschwendtner pointed out, “We will reuse items for group routines or promotional photoshoots, but not for the competition itself. We only reuse something if there’s a good reason to. We aim to keep everyone looking fresh and new in different outfits each week, to maintain the excitement.”

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2025-10-02 20:18