All 10 of JoJo Siwa’s incredible Dancing with the Stars performances, ranked – from Grease to Gaga
JoJo Siwa and her dancing partner, Jenna Johnson, perform a searing Argentine Tango to Britney Spears’ hit “… Baby One More Time” on Dancing With the Stars. (YouTube/Dancing With The Stars)
As JoJo Siwa dances her way into the Dancing with the Stars semi-finals, we rank all her performances so far.
Not content with making history as the series’ first same-sex couple, JoJo Siwa and her dance partner Jenna Johnson have also stunned the judges week in, week out with a string of stellar performances.
Siwa has constantly gushed about how much being on the show and dancing alongside Johnson has meant to her. One week she shared that Johnson “gave me the confidence and the courage to be more OK with myself”.
“When I cam here week one, I came here in full pants, a full hoodie, a full jean jacket,” Siwa recalled. “I was very self-conscious about myself.”
But in just a few short weeks, Siwa has gone from self-conscious to being one of the top performers on Dancing with the Stars, salsa-ing into the semi-finals with a near-perfect score.
Ahead of what is likely to be another phenomenal performance, PinkNews has compiled a definitive ranking of JoJo Siwa’s appearances on Dancing with the Stars thus far.
10. Debut: Quickstep
Siwa’s first performance was arguably her weakest to date, and you can tell she was nervous competing. Though their quickstep earned Siwa and Johnson one of the highest scores of the night, the dance lacked the spark and acrobatic moves that Siwa has consistently shown off in other performances later in the show.
Additionally, the costumes during the first week were some of the least spectacular looks that Siwa and Johnson would wear during their stint of Dancing with the Star.
9. Queen week: Tango
JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson dance the Tango to “Body Language” by Queen on Dancing with the Stars Queen Night! pic.twitter.com/WdvXCROtve
— Dancing with the Stars #DWTS (@DancingABC) November 2, 2021
Despite earning a near perfect score from the judges, Siwa’s dance during Queen week ultimately landed her in the bottom two. It goes without saying that Siwa was stunning during the tango, and her sparkly bodysuit was to die for.
But ultimately, this performance wasn’t as memorable as some of her other dances, which puts it lower on the list.
8. Disney villains: paso doble
JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson hit the floor for a paso doble to “Ways to Be Wicked” from the movie Descendants 2 for the second night of Disney week on Dancing with the Stars. The performance just felt a bit lacking, especially after an stunning display of showmanship earlier that same week which we’ll get to later in the list.
Even judge Carrie Ann Inaba admitted Siwa’s dance during Villains night wasn’t her best as it felt “a little hectic”.
7. Britney Spears week: Argentine tango
JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson perform an Argentine tango during Britney Spears week on Dancing with the Stars. (YouTube/Dancing With The Stars)
Yes, Siwa’s Argentine tango during Britney Spears week earned her one of the highest scores of that week, but it ranks among her lowest overall. Normally, anything Britney is amazing, and the judges could tell that Siwa tried her hardest to live up to the icon’s own dance legacy.
While the tango was technically wonderful, it just doesn’t include the passion Siwa displayed in other dances.
6. Lady Gaga week: Cha cha
Again, going by scoring on the night, this was another not-so-fantastic performance, but seeing an openly queer person dance to Lady Gaga is always a heartwarming moment.
Their “Rain on Me” cha-cha routine earned Siwa and Johnson a 31 out of 40 possible, making them the second highest-scoring couple of the evening. It was only Siwa’s second performance from the series, but you can tell that she grew over that week between dances.
5. Disney heroes: Viennese waltz
JoJo Siwa as Prince Charming for Dancing with the Stars’ Disney princes night (YouTube/Dancing With The Stars)
From the start, this dance was phenomenal. Siwa dressed up at the iconic Prince Charming in a gorgeous gold and white suit, and Johnson was just jaw-dropping as a Disney princess. As judge Bruno Tonioli said, their Viennese waltz was one “for the 21st century” and was truly “full of charm, grace” and “elegance”.
4. Janet Jackson week: Salsa
JoJo Siwa absolutely killed it during her two performances on Dancing with the Star’s Janet Jackson night. Siwa and Johnson stunned the judges with a near-perfect salsa routine to “Feedback” which included glitz, glam and acrobatics galore.
At one point, Siwa showed off her tremendous strength as she held and spun Johnson, who was in an upside-down spread-eagle position, which is just incredible.
3. Janet Jackson week: Rumba
JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson perform the rumba in the dance-off to “That’s The Way Love Goes” by Janet Jackson on Dancing with the Stars. (YouTube/Dancing with the Stars)
Siwa outdid herself on Janet Jackson night. After the stellar salsa, Siwa and Johnson faced another dancing pair for a spicy rumba head-to-head dance-off, and their chemistry was absolutely off the charts. There are no words, only queer excellence.
2. Horror night: Jazz
Dressing up as a killer clown monster and ripping your dance partner’s arm off might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but someone JoJo Siwa pulled it off. Siwa’s Pennywise costume was terrifyingly accurate, and she channelled the murderous clown’s aura through her creepy, puppet-like moves in the dramatic jazz routine.
Everything about this performance is iconic, and it will be remembered as one of Siwa’s most memorable moments on Dancing with the Stars.
1. Grease night: Foxtrot
If your chills weren’t multiplying after this stunning performance, are you even alive? Siwa truly embodied Olivia Newton-John’s classic character from Grease for the foxtrot to “Look At Me, I’m Sandra Dee (Reprise)” alongside Johnson’s Frenchie-inspired look.
The pair left judges and fans in awe with the gorgeous dance, which earned them the first perfect score of the season. Even notoriously hard to impress judge Len Goodman gave the same-sex duo a standing ovation, admitting they “affected my heart with the artistry you produced”.
