# Dancing with the Stars (American TV series) season 28
Season 28 of *Dancing with the Stars* aired on ABC from September 16 to November 25, 2019, featuring twelve celebrities paired with professional ballroom dancers and won by former *Bachelorette* star [Hannah Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/hannah-brown) and her partner [Alan Bersten](https://www.edgepedia.org/alan-bersten).[1](https://d23.com/whos-coming-to-the-ballroom-on-dancing-with-the-stars/) • [2](https://www.tvline.com/news/dancing-with-the-stars-recap-hannah-brown-wins-season-28-finale-1128889/) The season introduced a judges' save format, was marked by the controversial casting of former White House press secretary [Sean Spicer](https://www.edgepedia.org/sean-spicer), and ended with the smallest finale audience in the show's history to that point.[3](https://www.tvline.com/news/dancing-with-the-stars-season-28-controversy-judges-save-1130213/) • [4](https://www.thewrap.com/dancing-with-the-stars-hannah-brown-season-28-finale-ratings-dwts/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Network and run | ABC, September 16 to November 25, 2019, 11 episodes[1](https://d23.com/whos-coming-to-the-ballroom-on-dancing-with-the-stars/) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/dancing-with-the-stars/season-28) |
| Cast size | 12 celebrity contestants; pairings kept secret until the premiere[1](https://d23.com/whos-coming-to-the-ballroom-on-dancing-with-the-stars/) |
| Judges | Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/dancing-with-the-stars/season-28) |
| Hosts | Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews, in their final season as hosts[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/dancing-with-the-stars/season-28) |
| Winner | Hannah Brown and Alan Bersten; Kel Mitchell and Witney Carson second, Ally Brooke and Sasha Farber third, Lauren Alaina and Gleb Savchenko fourth[2](https://www.tvline.com/news/dancing-with-the-stars-recap-hannah-brown-wins-season-28-finale-1128889/) |
| New format | Judges' save: the panel chose which of the bottom two couples went home each week[3](https://www.tvline.com/news/dancing-with-the-stars-season-28-controversy-judges-save-1130213/) |
| Ratings | Premiere: 8.1 million viewers, 1.0 rating; finale: 7.7 million viewers, the smallest finale audience to that date[6](https://www.tvline.com/news/dancing-with-the-stars-ratings-season-28-sean-spicer-1100149/) • [4](https://www.thewrap.com/dancing-with-the-stars-hannah-brown-season-28-finale-ratings-dwts/) |
## Cast and format changes
The cast was announced on *Good Morning America* on August 21, 2019, and included supermodel [Christie Brinkley](https://www.edgepedia.org/christie-brinkley), country singer [Lauren Alaina](https://www.edgepedia.org/lauren-alaina), actors [James Van Der Beek](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-van-der-beek) and Kel Mitchell, *The Office* star Kate Flannery, former NFL player Ray Lewis, NBA player Lamar Odom, *Queer Eye* star Karamo Brown, and former *Bachelorette* Hannah Brown.[1](https://d23.com/whos-coming-to-the-ballroom-on-dancing-with-the-stars/) • [7](https://time.com/5658591/sean-spicer-dancing-with-the-stars-2019/) For the first time in the show's history, the celebrity-professional pairings were not revealed until the season premiere.[1](https://d23.com/whos-coming-to-the-ballroom-on-dancing-with-the-stars/)
**The judges' save.** After Bobby Bones won season 27 despite consistently lower judge scores than other contestants, ABC introduced format changes for season 28, most prominently a judges' save that let [Len Goodman](https://www.edgepedia.org/len-goodman), Carrie Ann Inaba, and [Bruno Tonioli](https://www.edgepedia.org/bruno-tonioli) decide which of the bottom two couples was eliminated each week.[3](https://www.tvline.com/news/dancing-with-the-stars-season-28-controversy-judges-save-1130213/) • [8](https://www.tvinsider.com/1295836/dancing-with-the-stars-eliminations-votes-scores-method/) The season also used dance-off rounds in which two couples performed the same style to the same song simultaneously; the judges picked a winner from each match-up, who received two bonus points added to that night's total.[9](https://www.tvline.com/recaps/dancing-with-the-stars-recap-kate-flannery-eliminated-season-28-1120621/)
## The Sean Spicer controversy
The casting of Sean Spicer, President Trump's former press secretary, drew fierce debate before the season began. Longtime host [Tom Bergeron](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-bergeron) publicly said he had opposed any political figure appearing on the show during planning meetings, and some viewers called for a boycott under the hashtag #BoycottDWTS.[7](https://time.com/5658591/sean-spicer-dancing-with-the-stars-2019/) Spicer nonetheless survived for nine weeks and finished in sixth place, despite receiving some of the lowest judge scores of the season, a result TVLine described as the product of viewer votes outweighing dancing ability.[10](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/11/26/why-hannah-browns-win-dancing-with-stars-was-somehow-both-shocking-very-predictable/) • [3](https://www.tvline.com/news/dancing-with-the-stars-season-28-controversy-judges-save-1130213/) TVLine's post-season analysis argued the judges' save had failed in its purpose, since it assumed the weakest dancers would also receive the fewest votes, which did not happen.[3](https://www.tvline.com/news/dancing-with-the-stars-season-28-controversy-judges-save-1130213/)
## Competition and eliminations
The season's eliminations included several early exits for well-scored contestants. [Kate Flannery](https://www.edgepedia.org/kate-flannery) was eliminated on a dance-off episode in which couples competed head to head for bonus points, and Sailor Brinkley-Cook also left earlier than the judges would have liked.[9](https://www.tvline.com/recaps/dancing-with-the-stars-recap-kate-flannery-eliminated-season-28-1120621/) • [3](https://www.tvline.com/news/dancing-with-the-stars-season-28-controversy-judges-save-1130213/) The most emotional exit came in the semifinals, when front-runner James Van Der Beek was eliminated shortly after he had shared that he was going through a family tragedy.[11](https://www.tvline.com/recaps/dancing-with-the-stars-recap-james-van-der-beek-eliminated-season-28-1126110/) • [10](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/11/26/why-hannah-browns-win-dancing-with-stars-was-somehow-both-shocking-very-predictable/)
Hannah Brown's path to the trophy was not smooth. The judges, particularly [Carrie Ann Inaba](https://www.edgepedia.org/carrie-ann-inaba), held her to a high standard and gave her some of the harshest critiques of any contestant; in week three Inaba called her rumba "more like a cheerleading dance," and in week seven Brown had a tearful confrontation with Inaba over criticism she felt was overly tough.[10](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/11/26/why-hannah-browns-win-dancing-with-stars-was-somehow-both-shocking-very-predictable/) Her week 8 quickstep earned a near-perfect score of 29.[12](https://www.tvinsider.com/gallery/every-dancing-with-the-stars-winner/)
## Finale
The finale on November 25, 2019 came down to four celebrities: Lauren Alaina, Ally Brooke, Hannah Brown, and [Kel Mitchell](https://www.edgepedia.org/kel-mitchell).[2](https://www.tvline.com/news/dancing-with-the-stars-recap-hannah-brown-wins-season-28-finale-1128889/) Each couple performed an encore of an earlier dance and a freestyle. Brown and Bersten reprised their week 2 Viennese waltz to [Taylor Swift](https://www.edgepedia.org/taylor-swift)'s "Lover" for 28 out of 30, then earned their first perfect score of the season, 30 out of 30, for a freestyle set to "Girl on Fire" and "[Hollaback Girl](https://www.edgepedia.org/hollaback-girl)."[2](https://www.tvline.com/news/dancing-with-the-stars-recap-hannah-brown-wins-season-28-finale-1128889/) Inaba had pronounced Brown's final Viennese waltz her best dance of the season shortly before the victory was announced.[10](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/11/26/why-hannah-browns-win-dancing-with-stars-was-somehow-both-shocking-very-predictable/) Brown looked stunned as host Tom Bergeron announced her win over runner-up Kel Mitchell.[10](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/11/26/why-hannah-browns-win-dancing-with-stars-was-somehow-both-shocking-very-predictable/) • [2](https://www.tvline.com/news/dancing-with-the-stars-recap-hannah-brown-wins-season-28-finale-1128889/)
## Ratings
The season premiere drew 8.1 million total viewers and a 1.0 rating among adults 18-49, adding a few eyeballs over the previous fall's premiere while holding steady in the demo.[6](https://www.tvline.com/news/dancing-with-the-stars-ratings-season-28-sean-spicer-1100149/) The November 25 finale drew 7.7 million viewers, a new low in total viewers among the show's finales to that date and 3 percent below the season 27 closer; its 1.1 demo rating tied the previous two finales for lowest-rated and was expected to adjust down to a record low.[4](https://www.thewrap.com/dancing-with-the-stars-hannah-brown-season-28-finale-ratings-dwts/) Across the full season, *Dancing with the Stars* averaged a 1.1 rating with 7.998 million total viewers.[13](https://www.thewrap.com/dancing-with-the-stars-tom-bergeron-erin-andrews-exit-dwts-ratings/)
## Aftermath
Season 28 was the last season hosted by Tom Bergeron and [Erin Andrews](https://www.edgepedia.org/erin-andrews); both were replaced the following year.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/dancing-with-the-stars/season-28) TVLine judged the season perhaps even more polarizing than the one that preceded it, crediting the show for trying something new with the judges' save while concluding that a bigger change would be needed if the show wanted to reward the strongest dancers.[3](https://www.tvline.com/news/dancing-with-the-stars-season-28-controversy-judges-save-1130213/)
## References
1. [Who's Coming to the Ballroom on Dancing with the Stars? D23 (August 21, 2019)](https://d23.com/whos-coming-to-the-ballroom-on-dancing-with-the-stars/)
2. [Dancing With The Stars Finale Recap: Did The Right Couple Win Season 28? TVLine (November 25, 2019)](https://www.tvline.com/news/dancing-with-the-stars-recap-hannah-brown-wins-season-28-finale-1128889/)
3. [DWTS Still Has A Popularity Problem (And The Judges' Save Didn't Fix It), TVLine (November 30, 2019)](https://www.tvline.com/news/dancing-with-the-stars-season-28-controversy-judges-save-1130213/)
4. [Ratings: 'Dancing With the Stars' Settles for Its Smallest-Ever TV Audience for a Finale, TheWrap (November 26, 2019)](https://www.thewrap.com/dancing-with-the-stars-hannah-brown-season-28-finale-ratings-dwts/)
5. [Dancing with the Stars - Season 28 (2019), JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/dancing-with-the-stars/season-28)
6. [Ratings For "Dancing With The Stars" Season 28 With Sean Spicer, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/news/dancing-with-the-stars-ratings-season-28-sean-spicer-1100149/)
7. [What to Know About Sean Spicer and the Controversy Over His 'Dancing With the Stars' Casting, TIME (August 22, 2019)](https://time.com/5658591/sean-spicer-dancing-with-the-stars-2019/)
8. ['Dancing With the Stars' Eliminations: How Are Scores and Votes Counted? TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/1295836/dancing-with-the-stars-eliminations-votes-scores-method/)
9. ['Dancing With The Stars' Recap: Kate Flannery Eliminated — Season 28, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/recaps/dancing-with-the-stars-recap-kate-flannery-eliminated-season-28-1120621/)
10. [Why Hannah Brown's win on 'Dancing With the Stars' was somehow both shocking and very predictable, The Washington Post (November 26, 2019)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/11/26/why-hannah-browns-win-dancing-with-stars-was-somehow-both-shocking-very-predictable/)
11. ['Dancing With The Stars' Recap: James Van Der Beek Eliminated, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/recaps/dancing-with-the-stars-recap-james-van-der-beek-eliminated-season-28-1126110/)
12. [All 'Dancing with the Stars' Winners and Their Best Moments, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/gallery/every-dancing-with-the-stars-winner/)
13. [Time for 'Dancing With the Stars' to Look in the Mirror(ball) Over Ratings Decline, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/dancing-with-the-stars-tom-bergeron-erin-andrews-exit-dwts-ratings/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Seasons, episodes, and installments › Screen seasons › Dance competition seasons*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license