By Lydia PatrickShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberWhitney Leavitt’s appearance on Call Her Daddy has ignited heated debate online after the former Dancing With the Stars contestant performed the freestyle routine she never got to showcase on the series.
Leavitt, 32, best known from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and a founding member of “MomTok,” competed on Season 34 of DWTS alongside professional dancer Mark Ballas, 39. The couple came under a lot of viral scrutiny as the popular show earned a comeback thanks to the online explosion of the latest series.
Her background in modern dance—which she studied at Brigham Young University—had already divided viewers, with some arguing she had an unfair advantage over less-experienced contestants.
...Despite the criticism, Leavitt delivered standout performances throughout the season. By Week 8, she and Ballas topped the leaderboard and earned immunity during the team dance relay. But their momentum wasn’t enough to carry them to the finale: the pair were voted off during the semifinals on November 18, 2025, finishing in sixth place.
The final aired on November 25, with Robert Irwin and Witney Carson crowned winners.
Newsweek reached out to representatives for Whitney Leavitt, Mark Ballas, Call Her Daddy and Dancing With The Stars.
A Freestyle Beyond the Ballroom
On Wednesday's episode of Call Her Daddy, host Alex Cooper interviewed Leavitt live at Hollywood’s Avalon Theater. In a surprise twist—and a first for the podcast—Leavitt returned to the stage after the sit-down for a full performance of the freestyle she and Ballas had prepared for the DWTS finale, dancing to Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.”
Fans Say the Freestyle Broke Unwritten DWTS Etiquette
On social media longtime DWTS fans clashed over whether it was appropriate for Leavitt to unveil a freestyle after elimination.
“Is anyone bothered by Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas doing their freestyle on Call Her Daddy?” wrote Kristen Hainkel. “In almost 20 years of watching the show, I’ve never seen anyone perform a freestyle elsewhere if they didn’t make the final. You didn’t get to do it. That’s how it works.”
Others argued the move wasn’t unprecedented, citing past finalists and fan favorites who have performed unreleased routines on other platforms.
“It’s been done before,” one user noted, pointing to Olivia Jade and Val Chmerkovskiy. “But I wish they’d waited a day or two—it wasn’t even 24 hours after Robert was announced winner. It took attention away from him.”
Leavitt and Ballas Break Down Their Elimination
Ballas joined the second half of the Call Her Daddy interview, where he and Leavitt spoke candidly about their shock at being eliminated despite two near-perfect scores
Cooper asked the question many fans had been debating: Why did America send them home?
Leavitt offered a theory rooted in her polarizing presence on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
“If I was speculating, I’d say maybe Secret Lives,” she said. “It was such a huge divide — you either really loved me for that or you really hated me. So maybe it swayed some people.”
Ballas refrained from placing blame.
“Sometimes, this s*** happens,” he said.
However, both acknowledged a voting tactic circulating among some online communities: encouraging viewers to vote for every other couple in order to indirectly push Leavitt and Ballas out.
“This isn’t the first time an amazing performer has been eliminated early,” Ballas added. “But this is the first time I feel like it’s happened with the new TikTok and Instagram hype.”
Addressing the Ticket Giveaway Scandal
The pair also revisited the recent controversy surrounding a now-deleted TikTok in which they offered fans a chance to win two live show tickets in exchange for engagement on the post. ABC and the BBC requested the video be removed over concerns it could be interpreted as incentivized voting.
Ballas admitted he should have cleared the idea first.
“In hindsight, I probably should’ve checked,” he said. “We’ve given away tickets before. It was two seats—just meant to be fun. There was no ‘prove you voted for us.’ It got blown up way bigger than we expected.”
Supporters Push Back Against 'Hate'
Amid criticism, others expressed sympathy for the pair and frustration over the intensity of online vitriol.
“The sheer hatred these two have endured this season is disgusting,” wrote viewer Anam. “Whether it’s Whitney or Alix or Jordan or Robert—this kind of hate is unforgivable.”
Another fan, McKay Findlay, added:
“I love Whitney even more. Her ambition is inspiring. So much of the hate she receives seeps misogyny.”
Leavitt addressed the double-standard and misogyny on the show. She told Cooper: "If I was a man then, yeah, I think it would have been fine. I think they would have would have said, 'F*** yeah, you go after that."
Leavitt Confronts Her 'Villain' Label
During the interview, Leavitt also addressed her reputation on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. The series has frequently portrayed her as one of the franchise’s leading “villains,” particularly amid tensions with fellow cast member Jen Affleck, who appeared alongside her as a DWTS competitor.
Leavitt reiterated that she returned to the show for a strategic reason: to increase her chances of being cast on Dancing With the Stars.
“I was very clear about why I came back,” she explained. “Some people respected the honesty; others hated it.”
She also discussed the breakdown of friendships within the cast, saying she no longer felt welcome during filming.
“There was an effort to rebuild after Season 1, but it didn’t feel reciprocated. Going back for Season 3, I was honest about my mindset—and that was controversial.”
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