Plot Synopsis

American stars of entertainment, sports, fashion and pop culture are paired with professional dancers, and the dancing pairs compete against each other in weekly dancing elimination challenges. Each week the couple with the smallest number of points -- a combination of scores from a panel of judges and audience votes -- is sent home. Previous winners are: Kelly Monaco (Season 1); Drew Lachey (Season 2); Emmit Smith (Season 3); Apolo Anton Ohno (Season 4); Helio Castroneves (Season 5); Kristi Yamaguchi (Season 6); Brooke Burke (Season 7); Shawn Johnson (Season 8); Donny Osmond (Season 9); Nicole Scherzinger (Season 10); Jennifer Grey (Season 11); Hines Ward (Season 12); J.R. Martinez (Season 13); Donald Driver (Season 14: All-Stars); Melissa Rycroft (Season 15); Kellie Pickler (Season 16); Amber Riley (Season 17); Meryl Davis (Season 18); and Alfonso Ribeiro (Season 19); Rumer Willis (Season 20); Bindi Irwin (Season 21); Nyle DiMarco (Season 22); Laurie Hernandez (Season 23); Rashad Jennings (Season 24); Jordan Fisher (Season 25); Adam Rippon (Season 26).

Season 27 of DANCING WITH THE STARS kicks off with a two-night premiere, beginning Monday, September 24, 2018 from 8-10pm ET/PT on ABC and continuing Tuesday, september 25 from 8-10pm. This season's lineup of celebrity dancers includes an AMERICAN IDOL mentor, the first-ever blind contestant to take part in the show, an alumnus from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a Duke of Hazzard, an Olympic Gold medal-winning gymnast and a BACHELOR NATION favorite, among others. Hosted by two-time Emmy-winning host Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews, DANCING WITH THE STARS is the series in which celebrities perform choreographed dance routines that are judged by a panel of renowned ballroom experts, including head judge, Len Goodman, and dancers/choreographers Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba. The celebrities with their professional dance partners heading to the ballroom this season (in alphabetical order) are the following:

- Alexis Ren with Alan Bersten
- Bobby Bones with Sharna Burgess
- Danelle Umstead with Artem Chigvintsev
- DeMarcus Ware with Lindsay Arnold
- Evanna Lynch with Keo Motsepe
- Joe 'Grocery Store Joe' Amabile with Jenna Johnson
- John Schneider with Emma Slater
- Juan Pablo Di Pace with Cheryl Burke
- Mary Lou Retton with Sasha Farber
- Milo Manheim with Witney Carson
- Nancy McKeon with Val Chmerkovskiy
- Nikki Glaser with Gleb Savchenko
- Tinashe with Brandon Armstrong

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On Monday, November 19, 2018 from 8-10pm ET/PT, ABC premiered the Season 27 finale of DANCING WITH THE STARS. The remaining four couples have one last night of competitive dancing, vying to score extra judges' points and viewers votes. The first is a repeat performance in which the couples enhance one of their best dances from earlier in the season. And in the last element of competition, the couples perform the most anticipated dance of the season -- the fan-favorite, freestyle routine.

The two-hour Thanksgiving spectacular features special performances by Dan + Shay singing their hit single, "Speechless"; Lauren Daigle singing her single "You Say"; Avril Lavigne performing her latest single, "Head Above Water," alongside Alexis Ren and Alan Bersten; Season 27's John Schneider singing "Walk a Mile in My Shoes"; Milo Manheim and Witney Carson dancing to "Living in New York City," performed by Robin Thicke; and a big dance number featuring a performance by Tinashe. In addition, the night includes a sensational opening number as an epic parade complete with a marching band and floats rolls from the streets to the ballroom. The entire cast returns to celebrate the conclusion of the season.

For the Repeat Dance, each couple performs a tango, cha cha or Charleston. The Repeat Dance scores are combined with the Freestyle Dance scores for a judges' final tally. The judges' tally is combined with viewers' votes from the previous week. Additionally, viewers can participate in an online-only live vote for the remaining couples, where, at the end of the night, one of them will be crowned the DANCING WITH THE STARS champion.

Viewers are allowed to participate in an online-only live vote at http://DWTSLiveVote.com. Voting opens at the beginning of the live broadcast and close approximately five minutes after the last dance. The live vote is only be available during the live broadcast in the Eastern and Central time zones. However, any individuals with access to http://DWTSLiveVote.com is permitted to vote while the vote is open, regardless of their time zone (provided they are voting from within the U.S. and Puerto Rico).

Each couple dances to the following songs (in alphabetical order):

Alexis Ren and Alan Bersten
Repeat: Tango -- "Swan Lake" by Ray Chew Live
Freestyle: "Head Above Water" -- live performance by Avril Lavigne

Bobby Bones and Sharna Burgess
Repeat: cha cha -- "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer
Freestyle: Remix of "The Greatest Show" by Panic at the Disco

Evanna Lynch and Keo Motsepe
Repeat: Tango -- "Disturbia" by Rihanna
Freestyle: "It's Oh So Quiet" by Bjork

Milo Manheim and Witney Carson
Repeat: Charleston -- "Living in New York City" -- live performance by Robin Thicke
Freestyle: "Ain't No Sunshine" (Lido Remix) by Bill Withers

At the end of the night, one couple will be crowned the Mirrorball champion.