Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas’ quickstep made them quite popular with the Dancing With the Stars judges, earning the first 10s of the season.
“I’m very grateful, but [it] also feels like a big reward,” Leavitt, 32, exclusively told Us Weekly after the Tuesday, October 21, live show. “Mark and I worked really hard on that dance.
Leavitt and Ballas, 39, danced a quickstep to “Popular” from Wicked during Tuesday’s broadcast, receiving 39 out of 40 — three 10s and one 9 — from the judges.
“That’s the most intimidating dance I’ve done so far,” the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star told Us. “It’s just, like, when we finished that last pose, I felt like I could breathe.”
Mark Ballas was not quite ready to say goodbye to the ballroom — and is ready to vie for the mirrorball trophy with Whitney Leavitt on Dancing With the Stars season 34. “I had some injury stuff clear up that was kind of slowing me down,” Mark, 39, exclusively told Us Weekly on Wednesday, September […]
Ballas was equally pleased that his choreography yielded the highest score of the night.
“I was very proud. This one was a hustle,” Ballas told Us. “It’s a lot of work [and] a lot of detail went into this. I just always say, like, ‘As long as you finish and you feel like you did the best and it felt good, that’s the goal.’ It’s nothing worse than finishing and being like, ‘Dang it, I could have done better.’”
After Leavitt and Ballas hit their final pose, the judges also lauded their routine. Derek Hough even gushed that the reality TV personality is clearly a bona fide star.
“It meant a lot. I feel like I’ve envisioned this [side] of Whitney, and I feel like she’s coming to light on this stage,” she said on Tuesday. “And so, hearing that, it meant a lot. [It was] so good.”
Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas perform a quickstep on ‘DWTS’ Wicked Night. Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty Images
Whitney and Ballas also have the full support of Whitney’s husband, Conner Leavitt, who made a splash in the ballroom himself by painting his full face green like Elphaba. (Conner, 31, who performed with his wife on Dedication Night earlier in October, has worn his own costumes in the ballroom each week, honoring the various theme nights.)
“He was like, ‘What should I do for Wicked?’ I was like, ‘Wouldn’t it be so funny if you painted yourself green?’” Whitney recalled. “He was like, ‘I’m not doing that. And then he showed up tonight, and he is green. It’s great [and] I love the commitment.”
She continued, “It’s funny because he called me and he was like, ‘I have a surprise for you.’ And I, like, thought it was gonna be a treat or something.”
With Wicked Night now in the rearview mirror, Whitney and Ballas are gearing up for Halloween Night on Tuesday, October 28. In addition to performing a spooky-themed number, all of the couples will also take part in the “Monster Night Monster-thon” dance relay.
“There will be some more green next week,” Ballas teased to Us how his Halloween plan could match the Wicked colors.
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
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