# Dancing with the Stars (American TV series) season 26

Season twenty-six of Dancing with the Stars, titled Dancing with the Stars: Athletes, premiered on April 30, 2018, on the ABC network. The four-week season, the shortest ever, featured a cast of current and former athletes.
On May 21, Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon and Jenna Johnson were crowned the champions, while Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman and Sharna Burgess, and former Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding and Sasha Farber, were both announced as runners-up during the live finale. It was later revealed that Josh and Sharna had placed second, while Tonya and Sasha had placed third.

## Cast
### Couples

The professional dancers were announced on April 12, 2018. The eight professionals returning from last season were Lindsay Arnold, Alan Bersten, Sharna Burgess, Witney Carson, Artem Chigvintsev, Keo Motsepe, Gleb Savchenko, and Emma Slater. The two remaining professional dancers were both in the troupe last season, and had previously been professional dancers on the show: Sasha Farber and Jenna Johnson. The dance troupe for season 26 consisted of Artur Adamski, Brandon Armstrong, Hayley Erbert, and Britt Stewart. Additionally, professional dancer Morgan Larson, who performed on the Dancing with the Stars: Light Up the Night tour, joined the troupe for season 26.
The cast was announced on April 13 on Good Morning America.
| Celebrity | Notability | Professional partner | Status |
| Jamie Anderson | Olympic snowboarder | Artem Chigvintsev | Eliminated 1st & 2nd on April 30, 2018 |
| Johnny Damon | MLB outfielder | Emma Slater | Eliminated 1st & 2nd on April 30, 2018 |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | NBA center | Lindsay Arnold | Eliminated 3rd & 4th on May 7, 2018 |
| Arike Ogunbowale | Women's basketball player | Gleb Savchenko | Eliminated 3rd & 4th on May 7, 2018 |
| Jennie Finch Daigle | Olympic softball pitcher | Keo Motsepe | Eliminated 5th, 6th & 7th on May 14, 2018 |
| Chris Mazdzer | Olympic luger | Witney Carson | Eliminated 5th, 6th & 7th on May 14, 2018 |
| Mirai Nagasu | Olympic figure skater | Alan Bersten | Eliminated 5th, 6th & 7th on May 14, 2018 |
| Tonya Harding | Olympic figure skater | Sasha Farber | Third place on May 21, 2018 |
| Josh Norman | NFL cornerback | Sharna Burgess | Runners-up on May 21, 2018 |
| Adam Rippon | Olympic figure skater | Jenna Johnson | Winners on May 21, 2018 |

### Hosts and judges

Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews returned as hosts, while Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli returned as judges. On May 7, season 24 champion Rashad Jennings returned as a guest judge, and on May 14, runner-up David Ross did as well.

## Scoring chart

The highest score each week is indicated in bold green with a dagger (†), while the lowest score each week is indicated in italicized red with a double-dagger (‡).
Color key:
Dancing with the Stars (season 26) - Weekly scores :
| Couple | Pl. | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Couple | Pl. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Adam & Jenna | 1st | 24† | 37+37=74† | 39+2=41† | 30+28=58† |
| Josh & Sharna | 2nd | 24† | 30+33=63 | 36+2=38 | 27+30=57 |
| Tonya & Sasha | 3rd | 23 | 33+33=66 | 33+2=35 | 26+30=56‡ |
| Jennie & Keo | 4th | 21 | 26+37=63 | 29‡ | |
| Chris & Witney | 4th | 21 | 33+33=66 | 33 | |
| Mirai & Alan | 4th | 23 | 37+37=74† | 35 | |
| Kareem & Lindsay | 7th | 17‡ | 26+33=59‡ | | |
| Arike & Gleb | 7th | 20 | 33+37=70 | | |
| Jamie & Artem | 9th | 19 | | | |
| Johnny & Emma | 9th | 18 | | | |

### Notes

* 1 2 The couples were scored on a 40-point scale due to the presence of a guest judge.
* ↑ This couple finished in first place.
* ↑ This couple finished in second place.
* ↑ This couple finished in third place.
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 This couple was eliminated.

## Weekly scores

Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli.

### Week 1: First Dances

The couples danced the cha-cha-cha, foxtrot, salsa, or Viennese waltz. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
For the first time in the show's history, viewers were able to vote for the couples online so that the results of the vote could be used to determine the first two eliminations that same evening.
| Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Result |
| Chris & Witney | 21 (7, 7, 7) | Salsa | "Mr. Put It Down" — Ricky Martin, feat. Pitbull | Safe |
| Kareem & Lindsay | 17 (6, 5, 6) | Cha-cha-cha | "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" — Stevie Wonder | Safe |
| Jennie & Keo | 21 (7, 7, 7) | Foxtrot | "All-American Girl" — Carrie Underwood | Safe |
| Jamie & Artem | 19 (6, 7, 6) | Viennese waltz | "Feeling Good" — Avicii, feat. Audra Mae | Eliminated |
| Mirai & Alan | 23 (7, 8, 8) | Salsa | "No Excuses" — Meghan Trainor | Safe |
| Arike & Gleb | 20 (7, 6, 7) | Salsa | "Them Girls" — Whitney Myer | Safe |
| Adam & Jenna | 24 (8, 8, 8) | Cha-cha-cha | "Sissy That Walk" — RuPaul | Safe |
| Johnny & Emma | 18 (6, 6, 6) | Foxtrot | "Centerfield" — John Fogerty | Eliminated |
| Tonya & Sasha | 23 (8, 8, 7) | Foxtrot | "When You Believe" — Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey | Safe |
| Josh & Sharna | 24 (8, 8, 8) | Cha-cha-cha | "Finesse" — Bruno Mars | Safe |

### Week 2: Team Dance Night

Individual judges' scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Rashad Jennings, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli.
The couples performed one unlearned dance and a team dance celebrating an iconic decade in sports. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Result |
| Josh & Sharna | 30 (7, 7, 8, 8) | Paso doble | "The Plaza of Execution" — James Horner | Safe |
| Jennie & Keo | 26 (6, 7, 7, 6) | Cha-cha-cha | "Do It Like This" — Daphne Willis | Safe |
| Kareem & Lindsay | 26 (7, 7, 6, 6) | Salsa | "La malanga" — Eddie Palmieri | Eliminated |
| Chris & Witney | 33 (9, 8, 8, 8) | Viennese waltz | "Next to Me" — Imagine Dragons | Safe |
| Tonya & Sasha | 33 (8, 9, 8, 8) | Quickstep | "Redneck Woman" — Gretchen Wilson | Safe |
| Mirai & Alan | 37 (9, 10, 9, 9) | Foxtrot | "It's a Small World" — The O'Neill Brothers | Safe |
| Arike & Gleb | 33 (8, 9, 8, 8) | Foxtrot | "What About Us" — Pink | Eliminated |
| Adam & Jenna | 37 (9, 9, 9, 10) | Quickstep | "Make Way" — Aloe Blacc | Safe |
| Chris & Witney Josh & Sharna Kareem & Lindsay Tonya & Sasha | 33 (8, 9, 8, 8) | Freestyle (Team 1950s Tennis) | "...Baby One More Time" — The Baseballs | "...Baby One More Time" — The Baseballs |
| Adam & Jenna Arike & Gleb Jennie & Keo Mirai & Alan | 37 (9, 10, 9, 9) | Freestyle (Team 1970s Football) | "Instant Replay" — Dan Hartman | "Instant Replay" — Dan Hartman |

### Week 3: MVP Night (Semifinals)

Individual judges' scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, David Ross, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli.
The couples performed one unlearned dance dedicated to the "MVP" in their lives, and participated in paired dance-offs for extra points. Former contestants were brought in to mentor the couples for the dance-offs. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Result |
| Mirai & Alan | 35 (9, 9, 8, 9) | Quickstep | "BO$$" — Fifth Harmony | Eliminated |
| Jennie & Keo | 29 (7, 8, 7, 7) | Viennese waltz | "The Rest of Our Life" — Tim McGraw & Faith Hill | Eliminated |
| Chris & Witney | 33 (8, 9, 7, 9) | Foxtrot | "I Got Rhythm" — Ray Chew | Eliminated |
| Tonya & Sasha | 33 (8, 9, 8, 8) | Rumba | "See You Again" — Tyler Ward | Safe |
| Adam & Jenna | 39 (10, 10, 9, 10) | Contemporary | "O" — Coldplay | Safe |
| Josh & Sharna | 36 (9, 9, 9, 9) | Contemporary | "Stand by Me" — Bootstraps | Safe |
Dance-offs :
| Couple | Mentor | Dance | Music | Result |
| Tonya & Sasha | Nastia Liukin | Cha-cha-cha | "Dance" — DNCE | Winners |
| Jennie & Keo | Nastia Liukin | Cha-cha-cha | "Dance" — DNCE | Losers |
| Adam & Jenna | Meryl Davis | Jive | "Johnny B. Goode" — Chuck Berry | Winners |
| Mirai & Alan | Meryl Davis | Jive | "Johnny B. Goode" — Chuck Berry | Losers |
| Josh & Sharna | Von Miller | Salsa | "WTF (Where They From)" — Missy Elliott, feat. Pharrell Williams | Winners |
| Chris & Witney | Von Miller | Salsa | "WTF (Where They From)" — Missy Elliott, feat. Pharrell Williams | Losers |
* ↑ Tonya & Sasha received votes from Carrie Ann, Len, and Bruno.
* ↑ Jennie & Keo received a vote from guest judge David Ross, plus the public vote (60%).
* ↑ Adam & Jenna received votes from Carrie Ann and Bruno, plus the public vote (64%).
* ↑ Mirai & Alan received votes from David and Len.
* ↑ Josh & Sharna received votes from David, Len, and Bruno.
* ↑ Chris & Witney received a vote from Carrie Ann, plus the public vote (55%).

### Week 4: Finale

The final three couples performed one unlearned dance inspired by their journey on the show and their freestyle routine. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Result |
| Tonya & Sasha | 26 (8, 9, 9) | Viennese waltz | "The Time of My Life" — David Cook | Third Place |
| Tonya & Sasha | 30 (10, 10, 10) | Freestyle | "I Will Survive" — The Pussycat Dolls | Third Place |
| Josh & Sharna | 27 (9, 9, 9) | Foxtrot | "Conqueror" — from Empire, feat. Estelle & Jussie Smollett | Runners-up |
| Josh & Sharna | 30 (10, 10, 10) | Freestyle | "Walk on Water" — Thirty Seconds to Mars | Runners-up |
| Adam & Jenna | 30 (10, 10, 10) | Jazz | "Anything You Can Do" — Bernadette Peters & Tom Wopat | Winners |
| Adam & Jenna | 28 (9, 9, 10) | Freestyle | "Scooby Doo Pa Pa" — DJ Kass | Winners |

## Dance chart

The couples performed the following each week:
* Week 1: One unlearned dance
* Week 2: One unlearned dance & team dance
* Week 3: One unlearned dance & ballroom battles
* Week 4 (Finals): One unlearned dance & freestyle
Dancing with the Stars (season 26) - Dance chart :
| Couple | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Couple | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Adam & Jenna | Cha-cha-cha | Quickstep | Team Freestyle | Contemp. | Jive | Jazz | Freestyle |
| Josh & Sharna | Cha-cha-cha | Paso doble | Team Freestyle | Contemp. | Salsa | Foxtrot | Freestyle |
| Tonya & Sasha | Foxtrot | Quickstep | Team Freestyle | Rumba | Cha-cha-cha | Viennese waltz | Freestyle |
| Jennie & Keo | Foxtrot | Cha-cha-cha | Team Freestyle | Viennese waltz | Cha-cha-cha | | |
| Chris & Witney | Salsa | Viennese waltz | Team Freestyle | Foxtrot | Salsa | | |
| Mirai & Alan | Salsa | Foxtrot | Team Freestyle | Quickstep | Jive | | |
| Kareem & Lindsay | Cha-cha-cha | Salsa | Team Freestyle | | | | |
| Arike & Gleb | Salsa | Foxtrot | Team Freestyle | | | | |
| Jamie & Artem | Viennese waltz | | | | | | |
| Johnny & Emma | Foxtrot | | | | | | |

## Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of Dancing with the Stars (American TV series) season 26 :
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating/share (18–49) | Viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "Week 1: Premiere" | April 30, 2018 | 1.1/5 | 8.48 |
| 2 | "Week 2" | May 7, 2018 | 1.0/4 | 7.73 |
| 3 | "Week 3: MVP Night (Semifinals)" | May 14, 2018 | 1.0/4 | 7.68 |
| 4 | "Week 4: The Finals" | May 21, 2018 | 1.1/5 | 8.77 |