After announcing plans to send two lucky winners to the Dancing With the Stars ballroom, Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas had to retract the offer.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star, 32, and pro dancer, 39, shared in a Friday, October 24, TikTok video that they were informed by ABC and BBC that they could not give away tickets to the live show.
“So, we have some bad news,” Leavitt said in the clip. “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 explained that the decision “has come directly from ABC and BBC and is completely out of our hands.”
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“It just really sucks because Mark and I just want to do something really special for you guys that have shown us so much support and love, for us and the show,” Leavitt shared. “We’re gonna get creative.”
Ballas echoed Leavitt, noting that the pair are “gonna think of something else to give away.”
Users quickly took to the comments section to weigh in on the video. “No kidding… ‘vote for us and I’ll give you a gift’ that’s rigging the whole thing,” one user wrote, while another added, “It would be like bribing the audience. Of course they aren’t allowed to do that. It’s a competition. 😂.”
Some users, however, defended Leavitt and Ballas — who have already received backlash from fans primarily due to the reality star’s dance background.
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“If it was anyone else, these comments would not be half as hateful,” one user added. “I have NEVER seen ‘fans’ be this cruel to contestants and PROS and I’ve been watching since I was a child. Such gross behavior tbh… thank you for trying to do something nice for the people sending love your way!”
Another added, “I genuinely don’t understand why everyone always acts like she has bad intentions? Just wanting to do something nice… we love you Whitney!”
Leavitt and Ballas have been at the top of the leaderboard since the competition began in September, earning a near perfect score — and the first 10s of the season — during last week’s Wicked Night.
“I’m very grateful, but [it] also feels like a big reward,” Leavitt exclusively told Us Weekly after the live show. “Mark and I worked really hard on that dance. That’s the most intimidating dance I’ve done so far. It’s just, like, when we finished that last pose, I felt like I could breathe.”
Ballas, who choreographed the number, gushed that he was “very proud.”
“This one was a hustle,” Ballas told Us. “It’s a lot of work [and] a lot of detail went into this. I just always say, like, ‘As long as you finish and you feel like you did the best and it felt good, that’s the goal.’ It’s nothing worse than finishing and being like, ‘Dang it, I could have done better.’”
The pair are set to perform a jazz to Green Day’s “Brain Stew” for DWTS’ Halloween Night on Tuesday, October 28, while also competing in a “Monster Night Monster-thon” dance relay.
Dancing With the Stars premieres on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET, with new episodes streaming the next day on Hulu.
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