Fans of Dancing with the Stars have criticised Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas for performing their freestyle routine after being eliminated from the competition. The couple were voted off the ABC show one week before the finale, which saw Robert Irwin and Witney Carson win the Mirrorball trophy.
Leavitt, known for appearing on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, and Ballas performed the routine on an episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast. The dance began with Frank Sinatra's 'My Way' before transitioning into the theme song of Leavitt's reality show. They were joined by dancers in black ski caps holding iPhones as flashlights, and the performance included elements such as Leavitt being flung in the air and collapsing, followed by Ballas lifting a bleeding Leavitt as they applied clown makeup.
The dance ended with a flashing sign reading 'Social Media Is Bad for Your Mental Health.' While some viewers praised the choreography, others questioned its taste. One X user posted that the performance was 'in really poor taste' and accused Leavitt of being a 'sore loser.' Another said the routine was 'so tasteless' and disrespectful to finalists, while a third described it as a 'participation award.'
During the podcast episode, host Alex Cooper addressed backlash over Leavitt's dance background, including her BYU dance degree and past competitions against Carson. Some fans had also criticised Ballas throughout the season, citing perceived favouritism from judges.
