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Season twenty-one of the American television competition series Dancing with the Stars premiered on September 14, 2015.

On November 24, 2015, Bindi Irwin and her partner Derek Hough were crowned champions. Alexa PenaVega and Mark Ballas finished second, Alek Skarlatos and Lindsay Arnold placed third and Nick Carter and Sharna Burgess placed fourth. This season set records for the total number of perfect scores awarded (23) and the number of stars to receive at least one perfect score with 7 (Bindi Irwin, Alexa PenaVega, Alek Skarlatos), Nick Carter, Carlos PenaVega, Andy Grammer and Tamar Braxton. Irwin and Alexa PenaVega also set a record with 8 perfect scores, and Irwin became the second youngest winner of the show at 17 years old (second to season 8 winner Shawn Johnson, who was 3 days younger at the time of her win). This also marked Hough's sixth competitive win, extending his own record for the most wins for a professional dancer on the series.

Couples
On August 19, 2015, nine professional dancers were revealed during Good Morning America. Karina Smirnoff, who did not appear in season 20 returned for season 21. Anna Trebunskaya and Louis van Amstel would be returning after a five-season hiatus. Additionally, Lindsay Arnold would also be returning after spending the last four seasons in the troupe. While Peta Murgatroyd (who was to be paired with Andy Grammer) was originally announced as a professional, was sidelined for the season by an ankle injury, Allison Holker replaced her spot in the cast; Artem Chigvintsev and Kym Johnson also did not return. Bindi Irwin was the first celebrity revealed on August 24, on GMA; other celebrities were revealed at different dates through different media. The full cast of celebrities and professional dancers was revealed on September 2, 2015, on GMA.

During the show, Kim Zolciak-Biermann withdrew during the competition.

Hosts and judges
Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews returned as hosts, while judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough, and Bruno Tonioli all returned this season. After twenty seasons, Len Goodman did not return this season as a judge; in a video message during the finale, Goodman announced he would return for season 22. Season 19 champion Alfonso Ribeiro filled in for Tom Bergeron on October 5, 2015, when Bergeron went to be with his ailing father Raymond Bergeron, who subsequently died on October 12, 2015. Leah Remini filled in as co-host on October 19 and October 26, 2015, while Erin Andrews covered the 2015 World Series with Fox.

Scoring charts

 * Red numbers indicate the lowest score for each week
 * Green numbers indicate the highest score for each week
 * the couple eliminated that week
 * the returning couple that was the last to be called safe
 * this couple withdrew from the competition
 * the couple earned immunity, and could not be eliminated
 * the winning couple
 * the runner-up couple
 * the third-place couple

Average score chart
This table only counts dances scored on a 30-point scale; scores by guest judges are excluded. Extra points from the dance-offs are not included.

Highest and lowest scoring performances
The best and worst performances in each dance according to the judges' 30-point scale (scores by guest judges are excluded) are as follows:

Couples' highest and lowest scoring dances
Scores are based upon a potential 30-point maximum (scores by guest judges are excluded).

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

Week 1: First Dances
The couples danced the cha-cha-cha, foxtrot, jive, quickstep or salsa.
 * Running order

Week 2: Hometown Glory Week
Couples had to prepare two new dances to be performed on two consecutive nights. On Monday, the couples performed routines that celebrated the hometowns of the celebrities, with one couple being eliminated at the end of the show. On Tuesday, the remaining couples performed routines that celebrated the hometowns of the remaining pro partners, with another couple being eliminated. Charleston, contemporary, jazz, paso doble, rumba, tango, and waltz are introduced.
 * Running order (Night 1)
 * Running order (Night 2)

Week 3: TV Night
Individual judges scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Alfonso Ribeiro, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli.

Couples performed one unlearned dance to famous TV theme songs; samba and Viennese Waltz are introduced.

After suffering a mini-stroke, Kim Zolciak-Biermann was able to rehearse, but her doctors refused to clear her for air travel. As a result, she was unable to attend the dress rehearsal and the live show, which, according to the show's rules, meant she would have to withdraw from the competition. Had she not withdrawn from the competition, either Andy & Allison or Paula & Louis would have been eliminated that night. Her dance partner, Tony Dovolani, performed their routine during the live show with stand-in Jenna Johnson. There was no additional elimination.


 * Running order

Week 4: Most Memorable Year
Couples performed one unlearned dance to celebrate the most memorable year of their lives.

For the first time in the history of the program, Tom Bergeron did not appear as a host; he was absent to be with his ailing father. Alfonso Ribeiro filled in for Bergeron.

Pro dancer Allison Holker announced that she was pregnant with her second child. She continued to dance with Andy Grammer until their elimination several episodes later.


 * Running order

Week 5: Switch-Up Night
Individual judges scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Bruno Tonioli.

Couples performed one unlearned dance with a different partner selected by the general public; due to the nature of the week, no elimination took place. Argentine tango is introduced.

Tom Bergeron also returned to his hosting duties this week; the episode was dedicated to the memory of his father, Raymond, who died earlier in the day.


 * Running order

Week 6: Famous Dances Night
Individual judges scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough, Olivia Newton-John, Bruno Tonioli.

Couples performed one unlearned dance that paid tribute to iconic dance performances from films and music videos; Leah Remini filled in for Erin Andrews.


 * Running order

Week 7: Halloween Night
Couples performed one unlearned dance and a team dance to Halloween themes and songs; Leah Remini once again filled in for Erin Andrews.


 * Running order

Week 8: Icons Night
Couples performed one unlearned dance that paid tribute to a personal icon of the celebrity's; the couple with the highest score earned an immunity from elimination, while the rest of the couples participated in dance-offs for extra points. After a two-week absence covering the World Series for Fox, Erin Andrews returned as co-host.

For each dance-off, the couple with the highest remaining score picked the opponent against whom they wanted to dance; the chosen opponent was allowed to pick the dance style (cha-cha-cha, jive or samba). The winner of each dance-off earned two points. The couple who won immunity, Nick and Sharna, received a three-point bonus. For the first time, the general public helped to determine the winner of each dance-off via the show's official website.
 * Running order

Week 9: Showstoppers Night
Couples performed one unlearned dance and a musical theater-inspired team-up dance with another couple, which involved the celebrities dancing side-by-side to the same song and receiving the same set of scores from the judges for the routine.


 * Running order

Week 10: Semifinals
Couples performed one unlearned dance and a trio dance involving an eliminated pro or a pro from past seasons of the show.


 * Running order

Week 11: Finals
On the first night, couples danced a previously-learned style to a new song that was coached by one of the three judges, as well as a freestyle routine.

On the second night, the three remaining finalists performed a fusion challenge that was learned in only 24 hours.


 * Running order (Night 1)
 * Running order (Night 2)

Dance chart
The celebrities and professional partners will dance one of these routines for each corresponding week:
 * Week 1: Cha-cha-cha, foxtrot, jive, quickstep or salsa
 * Week 2: Two unlearned dances (Hometown Glory Week)
 * Week 3: One unlearned dance (TV Night)
 * Week 4: One unlearned dance (Most Memorable Year)
 * Week 5: One unlearned dance (Partner Switch-Up)
 * Week 6: One unlearned dance (Famous Dances Night)
 * Week 7: One unlearned dance & team dances (Halloween Night)
 * Week 8: One unlearned dance & dance-offs (Icons Night)
 * Week 9: One unlearned dance & team-up dances (Showstoppers Night)
 * Week 10: One unlearned dance, dance-off challenge & trio dance (Semifinals)
 * Week 11 (Night One): Judges' choice & freestyle (Top 4)
 * Week 11 (Night Two): 24-hour fusion challenge (Top 3)
 * Highest scoring dance
 * Lowest scoring dance
 * Not scored or danced by the celebrity
 * Gained bonus points for winning this dance-off
 * Gained no bonus points for losing this dance-off
 * Danced, but not scored