The holiday cheer was alive and well during the inaugural ‘Dancing with the Holidays’ special from ‘Dancing with the Stars’. This festive event received a warm reception from viewers as they eagerly engaged in discussions on social media.
Last Tuesday, just a week following Robert Irwin and Witney Carson’s triumph in the DWTS Season 34 finale, the beloved show continued the party with delightful performances, holiday wishes, and some unexpected guest spots.
What really got everyone talking was a throwback moment from the spin-off series, ‘DWTS: Juniors’. Fans were thrilled to see a clip of Rylee Arnold and her partner Miles Brown dancing to ‘Sleigh Bells’. This nostalgic number had viewers buzzing about wanting the Juniors back on air permanently.
Social media lit up, with comments like, “BRING BACK DWTS: JUNIORS! WE WANT DWTS: JUNIORS!” and others reminiscing about how they’d love to see Rylee and Miles perform again as their own children grow.
One fan said they missed the Juniors and added, “STOP I MISS DWTS JUNIORS BAD THEY TOOK IT AWAY FROM ME TOO SOON.” Many viewers loved reliving Arnold and Brown’s performances but noted they felt there were too many old clips shown during the episode.
When it came to new routines, people seemed to appreciate the fresh content, yet some voiced their frustrations on Twitter about all the repeats. Comments rolled in expressing disappointment—especially when they just wanted brand new performances. “Is 60% of tonight’s performances a replay of past dances?” one queried on Reddit.
Interestingly, several viewers made the point that recycling previous performances might have been a strategic choice, hinting it could be a pilot test to gauge fan interest for possible future holidays specials. As one fan commented, “I hope they do make it a grand thing though!”
In addition to the dance numbers, the show featured former contestants sharing their favorite ‘DWTS’ moments. There were entertaining appearances from characters like Disney’s Stitch and the Jonas Brothers, adding a festive spirit to the atmosphere.
If you tuned in, you would have also seen married pros Valentin Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson’s heartfelt moment as they rocked through a performance while their son Rome just quietly sat with his lollipop—making social media swoon.
Fans could not hold back their excitement for Rome, with posts like, “Stopppp Rome in the ballroom, I’m gonna cry!” and discussions about his potential future as a pro dancer when he grows up.
