Tonioli locked in an 8 for &34;Secret Lives of Mormon Wives&34; star Whitney Leavitt, but raised his paddle and shouted out, &34;7!&34; DWTS judge Bruno Tonioli

Tonioli locked in an 8 for "Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" star Whitney Leavitt, but raised his paddle and shouted out, "7!"

DWTS judge Bruno Tonioli flubs score on season premiere: 'They should lock me up'

Tonioli locked in an 8 for "Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" star Whitney Leavitt, but raised his paddle and shouted out, "7!"

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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September 16, 2025 9:35 p.m. ET

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Bruno Tonioli may have presided over the *Dancing With the Stars* judging panel for two decades, but even he makes mistakes.

During the long-running reality competition series' season 34 premiere on Tuesday, Tonioli confidently shouted "7!" and turned up a corresponding score of 7 on his paddle when judging *Secret Lives of Mormon Wives* star Whitney Leavitt's first dance with pro Mark Ballas.

Fellow judge Derek Hough's also held up a paddle showing a 7 to reflect their verbal score.

But bafflingly, just as cohost Alfonso Ribeiro was turning the mic over to his co-mistress of ceremonies, Julianne Hough, the onscreen board under the judges showed a seven and an eight.

Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas react to their confusing score on 'Dancing With the Stars' season 34, episode 1.

"Oh actually, [it] just came through my ear right now, Bruno actually put in an eight, so we have to correct it," Julianne explained, noting that the couple earned the highest score of the night thus far, a 15.

"We love live television!" Julianne joked.**

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After the commercial break, Ribeiro ascended to the judging podium, which bore the notable absence of O.G. judge Carrie Ann Inaba, missed the premiere due to an illness.

Ribeiro checked in with Tonioli to clear up the scoring confusion. He explained that the judges lock in a score before they even speak to the dancers following their routines. No matter what number they hold up on their paddles, the previously locked score stands.

"Absolutely right, they should lock me up," Tonioli joked. "Yeah, we'll lock you up after," Ribeiro replied.**

Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas on 'Dancing With the Stars'.

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Leavitt isn't the only *Secret Lives of Mormon Wives *and MomTok veteran to try her luck on the ballroom this season. Her sister in the Utah-set reality series is competing for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy as well, alongside stars from across the worlds of sports, film, and TV, including Corey Feldman, Danielle Fishel, and Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles.

*Dancing With the Stars* airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+, and streams the next day on Hulu.

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