Season nine of Dancing with the Stars premiered on September 21, 2009. Executive producer Conrad Green confirmed to Entertainment Tonight that the season would start off with 16 celebrities, with 3 double-eliminations halfway through the season. Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay withdrew from the competition in week three; however, Debi Mazar was also eliminated on the same night, replacing the double elimination planned for week five. Some changes were added this season including a larger cast and relay dances. Four new dances were introduced to complement the large cast. Those dances were the bolero, lambada, two-step, and the Charleston. The cast was unveiled on the Monday, August 17, 2009, edition of Good Morning America, returning to the announcement format of most seasons past. Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris returned as the show's hosts. Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli, and Carrie Ann Inaba continue as the judges this season, with Baz Luhrmann appearing as a guest judge in week two, temporarily replacing Len Goodman. Pro pairings were officially announced on August 24, 2009. This was Samantha Harris' last season as co-host.
Donny Osmond, was the winner in the competition, with singer Mýa as runner-up, and reality star and singer, Kelly Osbourne in third place.
Red numbers indicate the lowest score for each week.
Green numbers indicate the highest score for each week.
indicates the couple (or couples) eliminated that week.
indicates the returning couple that finished in the bottom two (or bottom three).
indicates the returning couple that was the last to be called safe (they may or may have not been in the bottom two or three).
indicates the winning couple.
indicates the runner-up couple.
indicates the third-place couple.
indicates the couple withdrew.
indicates a couple that was eliminated in a dance-off.
This table only counts dances scored on the traditional 30-point scale.
The best and worst performances in each dance according to the judges' marks are as follows:
Chuck Liddell is the only one not on the list.
Weekly scores and songs
The following is a list of the dances and songs played. The song titles are followed by the artist who recorded the song.
Individual judges scores in charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli.
Running order (Night 1 — Men)
Running order (Night 2 — Women)
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Injuries and illnesses
Tom DeLay was reported with having a possible stress fracture in his foot on September 15, 2009, just one week before the competition. The injury did not keep him out of the competition. However, on the October 5 episode, Tom Bergeron stated that the slight fracture had become a full fracture, and DeLay later reported that he had stress fractures in both feet, but that he was not going to continue the competition because of his doctor's advice. On the October 6 results episode, DeLay formally announced that he would not continue as a contestant. He then accepted Bergeron's invitation to dance the Texas/country two-step on the season finale, health permitting. Despite his withdrawal, Debi Mazar was still eliminated because she had the lowest number of votes (normally when a contestant withdraws, no one is eliminated that particular week and then the judges' scores and votes would be combined for the next week).
Mýa had to go to the hospital for stitches for a deep cut on September 20, 2009, after a glass shattered in her hand. This injury did not affect her performance.
After the September 22 show, Debi Mazar was rushed to the hospital with a torn muscle in her neck and chest.
During rehearsal on September 28, Lacey Schwimmer "severely strained" her hip flexors and abductors. Her injuries required three weeks of physical therapy. She continued to dance on the show during her treatments.
After the October 19 show, Kelly Osbourne was rushed to the hospital with a foot injury sustained during her paso doble routine.
Beginning with this season, the producers are imposing a maximum five-hour limit on rehearsals as an attempt to reduce injuries, which have been on the rise in recent seasons. Also, contestants must take 30-minute breaks after every two hours and they must take one day off a week. However, in an interview with TV Guide, Maksim Chmerkovskiy said "nobody really follows it".
Prior to the October 19 show, Derek Hough was sidelined by a bout of flu. Maksim Chmerkovskiy stepped in to teach and dance with Derek's partner Joanna Krupa.
Prior to the November 2 show, Lacey Schwimmer was also sidelined by illness. Anna Trebunskaya stepped in to teach and dance with Lacey's partner Mark Dacascos.
Prior to the November 9 show, during week eight rehearsals, both Karina Smirnoff and Aaron Carter came down with the flu. Although this did not affect their ability to perform, they were eliminated that week.
In an interview on the finale, Mýa said that she was dancing on a sprained ankle for five weeks.
The celebrities and professional partners danced one of these routines for each corresponding week.
Week 1 Solo: Cha-cha-cha or foxtrot (males) & Salsa or Viennese Waltz (females)
Week 1 Relay: Salsa or Viennese Waltz (males) & cha-cha-cha or foxtrot (females)
Week 2: Jive, quickstep or tango
Week 3: Rumba or Samba
Week 4: Bolero, Charleston, Lambada or Two-step
Week 5: Paso doble or Argentine tango & Hustle group dance
Week 6: Jitterbug or Waltz & Mambo Marathon
Week 7: One unlearned Ballroom or Latin dance from weeks 1–6 & Team Tango or Paso doble
Week 8: One unlearned Ballroom and (decade-themed) Latin dance from weeks 1–6
Week 9: One unlearned Ballroom and Latin (with a 15-second solo) dance from weeks 1–6 & Knockout Dance
Week 10 (Night 1): Final unlearned Ballroom or Latin dance from weeks 1–6, Megamix (Viennese Waltz, Samba, and Jive) & Freestyle
Week 10 (Night 2): Favorite Dance of the Season
Highest Scoring Dance
Lowest Scoring Dance
Performed but not scored
For the November 10th "Design a Dance" performance, viewers had voted in the weeks beforehand about what style dance they wanted (Paso doble), what song they wanted the dance to ("Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor), what former celebrity they wanted to do the dance (Sabrina Bryan), and what professional they wanted to do the dance with the celebrity (Mark Ballas). Also, Dancing with the Stars held an online contest where viewers could submit their drawings for outfits for the performance. The viewers then also voted for a set of costumes picked by the show's designers. The winner was Zachary Fisher. His designs were turned into the outfits for Sabrina and Mark, and he won a trip to the show.
