Don't ya just love Prince? The "Dancing With the Stars" Season 34 semifinals episode, which was themed around Prince, hit another season high with 7.22 million total viewers, according to the network, and a 1.5 rating among adults 18-49.
The Nov. 18 episode became the highest-watched semifinals episode in ratings in seven years (November 2018) and is up 28% in viewers compared to last season's penultimate. Among adults, it nearly doubled its rating, with last year's episode earning a 0.79; this year's episode is the show's best penultimate telecast in nine years (November 2016).
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The interest has also grown immensely with younger viewers, with a 1.68 rating among adults 18-34, the best delivery in the younger demo in 10 years and the strongest for a penultimate episode in 14 years. Additionally, fan voting rose to a new high of 55.9 million votes.
The episode also included Zac Efron in the audience for the first time, there to support his brother, Dylan Efron. In a shock to many, Whitney Leavitt Carson and Mark Ballas were eliminated, sending Dylan and partner Daniella Karagach to the finale along with Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy, Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten, Robert Irwin and Witney Carson, and Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sousa.
The finale of "Dancing With the Stars," produced by BBC Studios, will air on Tuesday, November 25, with the final five couples each dancingthreetimes for the first time ever. Each pair will perform a judges' choice dance, an instant dance and a freestyle routine.
This season has continued to see major success since it kicked off in September with the biggest premiere in five years and a 49% ratings bump from the year before. Plus, premiere voting rose 163% over last season's premiere episode — and has seen an increase each week.
"DWTS" airs on Tuesdays on ABC and Disney+ at 8 p.m. ET and streams the next day on Hulu.
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