Whitney Leavitt & Mark Ballas Cancel ‘DWTS’ Giveaway, Cite Circumstances ‘Out of Our Hands

The Giveaway Cancellation

On Thursday, October 23, 2025, Whitney Leavitt—star of Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives—announced an exciting giveaway on TikTok. The prize package included two tickets to the live Dancing with the Stars show scheduled for Tuesday, October 28 (Halloween Night), along with travel and accommodations for the winner and a guest. To enter, fans simply needed to comment with their favorite meme featuring her dance partner Mark Ballas, the veteran DWTS pro who came out of retirement specifically to partner with Leavitt this season.

The TikTok quickly gained traction, accumulating views and thousands of excited comments from fans eager for the opportunity to see the ballroom competition in person. However, less than 24 hours later, the video mysteriously disappeared from Leavitt’s account, replaced by a new video delivering disappointing news.

“We have some bad news,” Leavitt said in the Friday video, standing alongside Ballas after their rehearsal. “We just got out of rehearsal, and we were both informed that we actually can’t do a giveaway for the Dancing with the Stars live show.”

Ballas clarified the source of the cancellation: “This has come directly from ABC and BBC and is completely out of our hands.” BBC Studios produces Dancing with the Stars for ABC, making both entities stakeholders in maintaining the show’s integrity and competition rules.

What Went Wrong

According to a source with direct knowledge who spoke to TheWrap, Leavitt and Ballas’ giveaway “was not authorized” before being announced on TikTok. This revelation suggests the duo announced their contest without obtaining proper clearance from network executives or the production company—a critical oversight given the legal complexities surrounding giveaways and competition shows.

Giveaways and contests involve strict legal regulations at both federal and state levels. Proper execution requires official rules, eligibility criteria, prize descriptions, timelines, tax documentation, and compliance with sweepstakes laws. ABC’s own official DWTS giveaways—such as those run through local ABC affiliates—include extensive legal documentation covering verification procedures, affidavits of eligibility, publicity releases, W-9 forms, and liability waivers.

Beyond legal requirements, the timing and nature of the giveaway raised ethical concerns regarding competition integrity. Dancing with the Stars relies heavily on audience voting to determine which couples advance and ultimately win the Mirrorball Trophy. Offering tickets to fans who engage with content specifically promoting one couple could theoretically be perceived as an attempt to influence voting patterns—creating what some observers called “bribing the audience.”

Several fans commenting on Reddit and TikTok pointed out this potential conflict of interest: “It would be like bribing the audience. Of course they aren’t allowed to do that. It’s a competition.” Another commenter noted, “I know there are very specific rules about how giveaways are (supposed) to be done. Also don’t think production would let them—or any couple—do their own giveaway.”

Fan Reactions and Speculation

The cancellation announcement generated mixed reactions from fans. While many expressed disappointment at losing the opportunity to attend the live show, others questioned why Leavitt and Ballas didn’t seek approval before making their public announcement.

“But I already packed my bag??” one disappointed fan joked on TikTok. Another wrote, “The way I thought I hallucinated that TikTok,” referencing the deleted original post.

However, criticism emerged regarding the lack of foresight: “Why would you not run this past ABC first?” one commenter asked. On Reddit’s r/dancingwiththestars subreddit, fans debated whether production was consulted beforehand. “There’s no way they didn’t ask production first. The video was up for quite a while before it was deleted. Maybe they had an issue with ABC execs or ran into legal issues with the giveaway,” one user speculated.

Other fans felt that Leavitt and Ballas benefited from engagement on the original post without delivering on their promise. “If it really was shut down by production (which makes sense—legally giveaways are tricky), I really wish they would just own it instead of getting all that engagement and then ghosting. It just makes it look worse than it is,” one Reddit user commented. The sentiment reflected frustration that the duo’s initial announcement generated significant social media interaction without ultimately providing the promised prize.

Some followers expressed understanding, acknowledging the complex legal landscape: “I believe it was likely a legal issue with doing a giveaway. There are so many regulations, and I doubt they would have had the time to ensure they met all the requirements.” This perspective recognized that even well-intentioned giveaways can run afoul of regulations if proper procedures aren’t followed.

Leavitt and Ballas’ Season 34 Journey

Despite the giveaway controversy, Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas have emerged as frontrunners in Season 34 of Dancing with the Stars. During Week 6’s “Wicked Night” on October 21, 2025, the duo delivered a spectacular quickstep to “Popular” from the musical Wicked, earning the season’s first perfect 10 scores from three of the four judges for a total of 39 out of 40 points.

Combined with their Dedication Night scores from the previous week, Leavitt and Ballas topped the leaderboard with 72 out of 80 total points—the highest cumulative score heading into Week 7. Their success represents a remarkable comeback for Ballas, who had retired from the show after winning Season 31 with social media star Charli D’Amelio but chose to return specifically to partner with Leavitt.

“It felt incredible—so many wonderful emotions, very thankful, but I’m also very proud of Whitney because it’s really hard,” Ballas told E! News exclusively after their Week 6 performance. “Whether we got 10s or not, it felt really good at the end. I was proud.”

Leavitt, 32, studied dance at Brigham Young University before becoming a social media personality, giving her a dance background that has served her well in the competition. Her partnership with Ballas—a three-time Mirrorball Trophy winner—combines her enthusiasm and growing technical skills with his extensive choreography expertise and performance experience.

The duo now faces Halloween Night on Tuesday, October 28, where they’ll compete against nine remaining couples including Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa (who also received three 10s during Wicked Night), Robert Irwin and Witney Carson, and Leavitt’s Secret Lives of Mormon Wives co-star Jen Affleck dancing with Jan Ravnik.

Moving Forward

In their cancellation announcement, both Leavitt and Ballas expressed genuine disappointment while promising to find alternative ways to thank their supporters. “It just really sucks because Mark and I just want to do something really special for all of you who have supported us and loved us and loved the show so much,” Leavitt explained in the TikTok video.

“We’re going to get creative and we’re going to find a way to make it up to you!” she promised enthusiastically, concluding with, “We love you guys!”

The incident serves as a reminder of the complex regulatory environment surrounding televised competitions, particularly those involving audience voting. While Leavitt and Ballas’ intentions were clearly to thank their fanbase for support, the execution ran into institutional guardrails designed to protect competition integrity and ensure legal compliance.

As the Season 34 finale approaches—scheduled for Tuesday, November 25, 2025—Leavitt and Ballas remain strong contenders for the Mirrorball Trophy based on their consistent high scores and growing popularity. Whether they’ll find a network-approved way to thank fans remains to be seen, but their focus now turns to maintaining their momentum through Halloween Night and the remaining weeks of competition.

The controversy hasn’t appeared to significantly damage their standing with fans, many of whom have rallied around the couple with messages of support and understanding about the situation being “out of their hands.” As one fan commented, “They meant well. Let’s just focus on their amazing dancing!”