Oh my gosh, watching Lauren Jauregui talk about leaving Dancing With the Stars just *wrecked* me! I mean, she got so emotional reflecting on it all, and honestly, I totally get it. It was such a journey for her, and seeing her talk about saying goodbye… it was heartbreaking. I was practically crying with her! It’s just… ugh, so sad to see her go, but so proud of everything she accomplished!
The Fifth Harmony singer became emotional while discussing her and partner Brandon Armstrong‘s removal from the show during week three of the ABC competition series on September 30th. Their Cha-Cha-Cha performance received low scores, placing them at the bottom of the judges’ rankings.
Honestly, I was so upset when I heard the news,” Lauren shared, her voice cracking with emotion on the Oct. 2 episode of Dancing With the Stars‘ official podcast – it was recorded right after they announced who was leaving. “I just can’t help it, I’m a total crybaby, and I apologize for getting so emotional!”
I’m feeling a bit down and frustrated, continued the 29-year-old, who was wearing her yellow fringed dance outfit. “I’m just feeling a little stressed about doing this so soon after being eliminated. It’s strange, almost like I’m having a bit of a breakdown. But here I am anyway, hey everyone! Thanks for not voting.”
Fifth Harmony and Ty Dolla $ign’s “Work From Home” accompanied the dance routine performed by the “Worth It” singer and Brandon, earning them 18 out of 30 points. This score tied them for last place with Andy Richter and Emma Slater.
“The judges scored me the way that they did,” Lauren said, “and then the voting was the next part.”
To make things even worse, the singer announced her phone “broke today,” and explained, “So, I wasn’t able to remind anyone to vote.”
Despite her early exit from season 34, competing on Dancing With the Stars was worth it for Lauren.
I was so grateful for this chance to demonstrate my skills as a dancer, since most people recognize me primarily as a singer,” she said. “Singing and dancing simultaneously requires careful attention to breathing – and because the microphone is right there. I need to hit every note, so I pace myself with the choreography, conserving my energy. I don’t want to overexert myself on a move, you know?
The “Sledgehammer” performer explained, “This show allowed me to truly give my all as a dancer, something I hadn’t had the chance to do publicly before.” They continued, “It was a really wonderful and unique opportunity. I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to continue.”
Besides Andy and Emma, there are ten more couples still competing on season 34 of Dancing With the Stars. Before the October 7th episode-which is Disney Night-let’s take a look at some interesting facts about the show…
The “Sledgehammer” performer explained, “This show let me really give it my all as a dancer, something I hadn’t had the chance to do publicly before. It was a truly beautiful and special opportunity, and I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to continue.”
Besides Andy and Emma, there are ten more couples still competing on season 34 of Dancing With the Stars. Before the episode on October 7th, take a moment to learn some interesting facts about the show while you anticipate who will advance to the next round…
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 on the show, potentially reaching a maximum of $295,000.
However, Bobby Bones revealed he earned 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 the payment structure. “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, who also had a base salary of around $110,000, added that he ultimately made nearly $400,000 from the show.
ABC has not officially confirmed these numbers.
It’s also not widely known how much the professional dancers earn. However, like the celebrities competing, it appears they make more money the further they advance in the show.
Even if a pro dancer is eliminated early on, they still receive compensation.
“You’re guaranteed pay for a specific number of weeks,” Jenna Johnson explained on a June 2025 episode of Kelly Stafford and Hank Winchester‘s podcast The Morning After. “But contracts vary, so I can’t speak for everyone.”
It doesn’t seem that way.
Professional dancer Cheryl Johnson-who has won seasons 26 and 33 of Dancing with the Stars, partnering with Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon and The Bachelor‘s Joey Graziadei-explains that the pros don’t receive a bigger payment for winning the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. However, she points out there’s still a good reason to reach the finale (beyond just the prestige).
“Making it to the end means you’re paid for the entire season, which is fantastic, and you also get a bonus for reaching the finale,” she shared on The Morning After. “Winning doesn’t come with a $1 million prize to split with your partner-it’s mostly about getting 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 partnered with on the show.
“You have no input at all,” Lindsay explained on a May 2025 episode of Maggie Sellers‘ Hot Smart Rich podcast. “They just tell you, ‘Here’s your partner, now make it work.'”
Jenna added that the pairings are usually kept a surprise until the very last moment.
“They really want to preserve the surprise until you actually meet your partner,” Jenna said on The Morning After. “People often assume we know who we’re paired with and are keeping it secret, but that’s not true. They don’t tell us, and they don’t even want us to know who the other contestants are. It often leaks, but they try to keep everything very quiet until you meet your partner.”
What does the Dancing With the Stars team consider when making these pairings?
“They look at height, body type, personality, and how well people might get along,” former showrunner Rob Wade told TopMob News in 2015. “We avoid pairing people who are likely to clash. It’s a very intense experience, and unlike The Bachelor, we can’t afford to create a miserable situation for the celebrity, ourselves, or the audience. Nobody wants to watch two people who don’t like each other, and we’ve definitely made that mistake in the past.”
Let me tell you, being on Dancing with the Stars is a *huge* commitment!
As someone who’s been behind the scenes, I can confirm it’s incredibly demanding. Rylee Arnold, who danced with Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik on season 33, explained it perfectly on the Lightweights Podcast With Joe Vulpis back in September 2024. She said they’d have four-hour rehearsals, 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 honestly, the rehearsals are just the *start*. Rylee shared that after those long hours, she’d often have meetings with producers or the creative team, work on the choreography, or even study dance videos to refine her performance.
“Literally my whole life is devoted to it,” she said, and I completely get it! But she also emphasized that it’s her passion and what she truly loves, which makes all the hard work worthwhile. It really is a no-days-off kind of job.
She explained that they perform on Tuesdays, then it’s straight back into rehearsals from Wednesday to Sunday. Then on Monday, they do camera blocking before another show day on Tuesday. It’s a relentless schedule, but when you love what you do, it makes all the difference!
“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 fast-paced, 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 brainstorm ideas. We have a maximum of five days to create 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 work with a separate tailor shop. It’s a large operation.”
Actually, costume designer Steven Norman Lee shared that couples typically try on their costumes for the first time just hours before the show begins. While the department “might re-use a pair of pants for the male dancers,” he added, everything is usually made specifically for each week’s performances.
As Gschwendtner pointed out, “We will re-use items for group routines or promotional photos, but never for the competition itself. We only re-use something if there’s a good reason to. We aim to keep everyone looking fresh and new in different outfits each week, to keep things exciting.”
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2025-10-03 01:19