Don’t you just love Prince? The Prince-themed Dancing with the Stars Season 34 semifinal episode had a season-high audience of 7.22 million viewers and a 1.5 rating among adults 18-49, the network said.
The November 18 episode became the most-watched semi-final episode in the past seven years (November 2018), with a 28% increase in viewers compared to last season’s penultimate episode. Ratings have nearly doubled among adults, with last year’s episode receiving a 0.79 rating. This year’s episode is the show’s penultimate and best telecast in the past nine years (November 2016).
Interest among younger viewers was also very strong, with a 1.68 rating among adults 18-34, the highest-selling show in the youth demo in 10 years, and the best-selling penultimate episode in 14 years. Furthermore, fan votes reached a record high of 55.9 million votes.
The episode also featured Zac Efron’s first appearance in the audience to support his brother Dylan Efron. To the shock of many, Whitney Leavitt Carson and Mark Ballas were eliminated and sent to the finale along with Dylan and partner Daniela Karagach, Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy, Elaine Hendricks and Alan Bersten, Robert Irwin and Witney Carson, Jordan Chiles and Ezra Souza.
The finale of Dancing with the Stars, produced by BBC Studios, will be broadcast on Tuesday 25 November, and for the first time ever, the final five couples will perform three dances each. Each pair will perform a dance, instant dance, or freestyle routine selected by the judges.
The season has continued to be a huge success since its debut in September, becoming the show’s biggest premiere in five years, with ratings up 49% year-over-year. Additionally, premiere voting is up 163% compared to last season’s premiere episode and is increasing weekly.
“DWTS” airs Tuesdays at 8pm ET on ABC and Disney+ and streams on Hulu the next day.
