Jordan Chiles impresses in intense Judges’ Round Performance on Dancing with the Stars season 34 finale

Jordan Chiles impressed in an intense Judges’ Round performance on the Dancing with the Stars season 34 finale, delivering a high-energy paso doble with partner Ezra Sosa that earned 29 out of 30 from the judging panel.

Guided in rehearsal by judge Carrie Ann Inaba, the Olympic gymnast leaned into the dramatic tone of “Breakin’ Dishes” by Rihanna and drew specific praise from all three judges for her power, precision, and determination on the ballroom floor.​

Judges’ Round on Dancing with the Stars Season 34

The Dancing with the Stars Season 34 finale featured a three‑round format that opened with the Judges’ Choice or Judges’ Round, where each finalist revisited a ballroom or Latin style under direct coaching from the panel.

Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa were assigned a paso doble to “Breakin’ Dishes” by Rihanna, with Carrie Ann Inaba joining them in the studio to help refine the Olympians’ intensity into ballroom‑ready dynamics.​​

During rehearsal footage used in coverage of the finale, Inaba described the paso doble as a fitting vehicle for Chiles’ athletic presence and worked with her on shaping lines, finishing movements, and maintaining character through the full track.

Carrie Ann Inaba’s critique

After the Judges’ Round performance, Carrie Ann Inaba framed her response by noting how Chiles’s approach to rehearsal influenced the final product on Dancing with the Stars.

Inaba told the gymnast, “You're a pleasure to work with because you're so intense,” acknowledging the same quality she had sought to shape in their paso doble coaching sessions.

She then added that Chiles’ strength “was a little too strong,” explaining that, in her view, that excess of power caused a brief loss of connection to the dance early in the routine.​

Coverage of the finale placed Inaba’s remarks within a season‑long pattern in which she frequently focused on musicality, emotional connection, and continuity of performance when scoring Dancing with the Stars Season 34 contestants.

Even with the critique about overpowering certain sections, Inaba’s scoring for the round remained high, contributing a 9 to the couple’s near‑perfect total.​​

Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli’s reactions

Derek Hough responded to the same Judges’ Round performance by highlighting the clarity and discipline in Chiles’ dancing.

Addressing her at the desk, he said, “Jordan, you did the dang thing,” and described the routine as “clean, precise,” signaling that from his perspective the couple delivered a technically polished paso doble under finale pressure.

That assessment aligned with broader commentary that has framed Chiles’ run on Dancing with the Stars as a demonstration of her ability to adapt her Olympic‑level focus to ballroom and Latin choreography.​​

Bruno Tonioli emphasized the character of the performance, invoking fiery imagery to situate Chiles’ presence in the ballroom.

He told her she was like “the queen of the Amazons ... with so much determination,” linking her posture, intensity and performance quality to a commanding stage persona in keeping with the dramatic tone of the paso doble.

Tonioli has often used such theatrical comparisons throughout the season when reacting to standout routines.​​

Scoring and impact on the finale

Numerically, the Judges’ Round placed Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa in a strong position at the start of the Dancing with the Stars Season 34 finale.

With Carrie Ann Inaba awarding a nine and both Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli scoring the routine as 10s, the paso doble earned 29 out of 30, matching the upper tier of scores given in that first competitive round.

That total contributed to an overall finale night card in which Chiles and Sosa added additional 30‑point performances later in the show.​

Jordan Chiles’ Season 34 trajectory

Jordan Chiles entered Dancing with the Stars Season 34 as an Olympic gymnast with previous international competition experience and quickly emerged as one of the season’s higher‑scoring celebrities.

Across the season, coverage documented her progress through themed nights where she and Ezra Sosa delivered dances such as a jive to “Raspberry Beret” and an Argentine tango in the semifinals, along with a widely discussed rumba on Wicked Night that drew a season‑high near‑perfect total of 39 points.​​

Chiles and Sosa reached the last night of Dancing with the Stars alongside couples including Robert Irwin and Witney Carson, Alix Earle and Valentin Chmerkovskiy, Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach and Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten, in what has been described as a tightly contested Season 34 lineup.

Stay tuned for more updates.