Millions of viewers reach for their phones the moment the music stops on Dancing with the Stars, and one text can decide who stays. This guide covers the official rules, the 21523 text line, and the 10-vote limit per method — plus the places where the official record goes quiet on eliminations and salaries.

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Texting Number: 21523 ·
Voting Opens: 8 PM ET (5 PM PT) ·
Voting Closes: During the live broadcast ·
Maximum Votes per Method: 10

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
  • Exact judge, pro, and contestant salaries — ABC has not published contracts
  • Whether the show has an official favorite — it does not name one
  • How Canada’s online-voting eligibility rules apply in practice (What’s On Disney Plus (streaming guide))
3Timeline signal
4What’s next

Eight facts govern voting night, and one pattern ties them together: every ballot is on the clock.

Fact Value
Show air day Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC and Disney+
Voting number 21523
Voting methods Text, online at DWTSVote.abc.com, and the DWTS app
Voting limit 10 votes per couple per method
Voting window Only during the live broadcast (Sunday Guardian Live, entertainment coverage)
Online account Login or create a free account; new accounts need verification before voting
Changing online votes Allowed — save revisions before the window closes (Detroit Free Press, how-to-watch coverage)
Changing text votes Not allowed once sent

What Is the Text Number for Dancing with the Stars Voting?

The short code is 21523, and it’s the same number every episode. The number alone, though, doesn’t finish the job: viewers must text each couple’s designated keyword, which is revealed when voting opens (The Cincinnati Enquirer, live-show coverage). A message like “EZRA & AMBER” sent to 21523 is the actual ballot.

How do you text 21523?

  • Find the couple’s keyword on screen when voting opens.
  • Open a new text and type the keyword, not the number 21523.
  • Send the message to 21523.
  • Repeat up to 10 times per couple — each successful text counts as one vote (What’s On Disney Plus, streaming guide).

Online ballots work the same way, with a heavier setup: voters cast them at DWTSVote.abc.com and need a free account (Yahoo Entertainment, voting guide), and new accounts must be verified before the ballot counts (Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester newsroom).

The catch

Viewers who text a bare “21523” without the keyword lose the vote entirely — the keyword is what ties the message to a couple, and a text vote can’t be changed once sent.

Bottom line: The text line is a keyword hotline, not a single-number ballot — casual voters should send one clean keyword text early, while committed viewers can stack text and online to reach the 20-vote combined ceiling.

The implication: the “voting number” is really a keyword hotline — 21523 is public every week, but the code that counts is the one on screen when voting opens.

When Does Dancing with the Stars Voting Start?

Voting opens when the live broadcast begins — 8 PM ET (5 PM PT) on show nights (The Cincinnati Enquirer, live-show coverage). Text, online, and app ballots unlock at the same moment.

The window is the whole game. Voting closes shortly after the final competitive dance of the episode (Sunday Guardian Live, entertainment coverage), and votes submitted before it opens or after it closes are not counted (Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester newsroom). In practice, the safest ballot is the one sent in the first half of the show, before the final-dance rush.

Why this matters

Because text and online each cap at 10 votes per couple, a viewer who uses both methods can produce 20 votes per couple — but only inside the live window (What’s On Disney Plus, streaming guide).

New viewers who haven’t signed into Disney+ yet can follow this Disney+ activation guide before showtime so the live simulcast is ready when voting opens.

The trade-off: the narrow window keeps results honest and live, but it punishes late planners — the best vote is the one already sent when the final dance ends.

Who Was Eliminated from Dancing with the Stars Tonight?

The elimination is decided by viewer votes and judge scores, and it’s announced live at the end of each episode. Because every week resets the tally, there’s no permanent answer to “who was eliminated tonight” — the result only exists once the voting window closes and the ballots are tabulated.

To confirm a result fast, watch the live announcement on ABC, then check ABC and Disney+ social channels, where the official outcome posts after the broadcast. Entertainment outlets pick the story up from there for anyone searching later in the evening.

Who got voted off the DWTS semi finals?

  • Semi-finals use the same live-vote mechanics as a regular episode.
  • The result is revealed in the final minutes of the broadcast.
  • Official ABC socials list the eliminated couple first, followed by entertainment coverage.

In other words, any “semi-finals elimination” answer seen before the broadcast ends is prediction, not a result. For viewers who missed air, DWTS is one of the best new shows to stream this season, with full episodes landing on Disney+ after the live show.

What this means: a search for “eliminated tonight” is really a search for the live announcement — before the broadcast ends, there is no official answer to find.

Who Is Favored to Win DWTS?

The show never publishes an official favorite. What fans call a “front-runner” is assembled from outside signals: betting odds, fan polls, and prediction sites that track performance scores and social momentum. None of those lists is sanctioned by ABC.

That leaves the favorite conversation in a strange spot. The most confident “winner” headlines are usually the least sourced, because the network doesn’t release weekly vote totals — the only official data is the one name announced at the end of each episode.

The upshot

A fan who tries to read the “favorite” signal will find a pile of estimated odds and zero network confirmation — the only numbers ABC confirms are the vote deadlines and the short code 21523.

The pattern: front-runner status is earned in betting markets before it’s ever acknowledged by the show — and the show’s silence is the only official position.

Who Is the Highest Paid on DWTS?

ABC has never published the cast’s contracts, so there is no official figure for any judge, pro, or contestant — including Julianne Hough, Val Chmerkovskiy, or season standouts like Robert Irwin. Every salary number you see online is a third-party estimate built from endorsements, past deals, and public filings, not from the show’s ledger.

The same gap applies to “net worth” searches. Third-party wealth trackers estimate Hough’s earnings and Chmerkovskiy’s career income from outside sources, and those estimates shift as headlines move. What the show confirms is the broadcast lineup — not anyone’s paycheck.

How much does Julianne Hough make on DWTS?

  • No confirmed figure — ABC does not disclose judge salaries.
  • Online estimates vary widely by outlet and year.
  • Her reported net worth is a third-party estimate, not a network number.

How much is Robert Irwin getting paid for DWTS?

No confirmed figure exists — ABC has not published contestant contracts, so reported amounts for Robert Irwin are third-party estimates, not network numbers.

How much does Val Chmerkovskiy make?

Val Chmerkovskiy’s pro-contract earnings are not disclosed by ABC; online figures come from outside trackers and past-deal estimates.

How much is Julianne Hough worth?

Julianne Hough’s reported net worth is assembled by third-party wealth trackers, not by the show; the network does not publish judge contracts or net-worth totals.

Who is the richest person on Dancing with the Stars?

There is no official answer. “Richest” lists are compiled by outside outlets from endorsements and career history, not from ABC payroll records.

Who is the highest paid dancer?

ABC has not named any dancer as the highest paid, and no contract ledger is public; every ranking online is an external estimate.

Bottom line: The catch: every “highest paid on DWTS” headline is an estimate wearing a headline — the only contract number that matters to voters is the one on their phone screen: 21523.

Text vs. Online Voting: The Trade-Offs

Text voting is the fastest ballot on the show, but it’s also the least forgiving. The choice comes down to speed versus control.

Upsides

  • No account or verification step — open the message app and text the keyword to 21523.
  • Each text counts as a single vote within the 10-text cap.
  • Works on any phone with a participating US carrier.

Downsides

  • Requires the couple’s keyword — 21523 alone won’t register the vote.
  • A sent text cannot be changed or recalled (Reuters (wire service)).
  • Not available to Canadian viewers.

The trade-off: if speed matters, text wins; if accuracy matters, online’s ability to revise votes before the cutoff makes it the safer ballot.

How to Vote for Dancing with the Stars: Step by Step

  1. Find the couple’s keyword when it appears on screen at 8 PM ET.
  2. For text voting: type the keyword into a new message and send it to 21523.
  3. Repeat up to 10 times per couple — each message is one vote.
  4. For online voting: go to DWTSVote.abc.com and log in or create a free account.
  5. Verify a new account before voting; unverified ballots don’t complete.
  6. Submit up to 10 online votes per couple, and save any revisions before the window closes.
  7. For app voting, follow the same limits and the same live window as online voting.
  8. Send text votes early — a sent text is final, so double-check the keyword first.

Why this matters: the difference between a vote that counts and one that doesn’t is rarely the method — it’s the moment you send it.

What’s Confirmed, What’s Still Unclear

Most of the voting mechanics are public and consistent. The gaps appear when the conversation moves from rules to money and predictions.

Confirmed facts

  • 21523 is the official text voting number (Reuters (wire service))
  • Voting opens with the live broadcast at 8 PM ET (The Cincinnati Enquirer, live-show coverage)
  • The limit is 10 votes per couple per method (Yahoo Entertainment, voting guide)
  • Text votes are final once sent (Reuters (wire service))

What’s still unclear

  • Exact salaries for judges, pros, and contestants.
  • Future elimination results before the live announcement.
  • Whether the show will ever name an official favorite — so far, it stays silent.
  • The fine print of Canada’s online-voting eligibility, which What’s On Disney Plus describes as subject to program rules.
  • Whether carrier delivery delays can push a text past the cutoff and void it.

Why this matters: the confirmed list is everything a voter needs to act; the unclear list is everything a fan should stop treating as fact.

Key Instructions from the Show and Coverage

The official voting messages are short, direct, and easy to misread. These two are worth memorizing.

“Text EZRA & AMBER to 21523 and vote online at dwtsvote.abc.com.”

DWTS official Instagram voting post

“The text keyword for each couple is revealed when voting opens; 21523 alone is not sufficient without the designated keyword.”

Reuters (wire service) voting guidance

The pattern: every official instruction points to the same mechanic — the keyword, the clock, and the short code.

Your move: Voting on Dancing with the Stars looks like a test of popularity, but it’s really a test of timing — every ballot counts only inside the live window, and the 21523 text line demands the right keyword at the right second. For the casual viewer, the choice is clear: line up the keyword before the show, split your votes across text and online to reach the 20-vote ceiling, and send early — or accept that one slow message is all it takes to send your favorite couple home.

Related reading

Additional sources

rmb.reuters.com, freep.com

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Frequently asked questions

Can I vote on the DWTS app?

Yes. The DWTS app is one of the three official voting methods, alongside text and online at DWTSVote.abc.com, and it follows the same per-couple limits as the other methods.

Is voting free?

None of the official voting methods requires a purchase. Online voting uses a free account, and text voting runs through a participating wireless carrier (Yahoo Entertainment, voting guide).

How do I know if my vote counted?

There is no public vote log, so no viewer can verify an individual ballot after the show. Online voting lets you save and revise your selections while the window is open (Detroit Free Press, how-to-watch coverage), while a text vote is final once sent.

What happens if I text after the show ends?

It won’t count. Votes that arrive before the voting window opens or after it closes are not counted (Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester newsroom).

Can I vote multiple times?

Yes — up to 10 votes per couple per method during the live window, and combining text and online can reach 20 votes per couple.

Can I vote from Canada?

Text voting is not available to Canadian viewers (Reuters (wire service)). Online voting is available to viewers in the US, its territories, and Canada, subject to the program’s eligibility rules (What’s On Disney Plus (streaming guide)).

Do votes from previous weeks carry over?

No. Each episode opens a fresh voting window, and votes cast outside a given window are not counted.

Bottom line: The upshot: when a DWTS voting question isn’t covered by the official checklist, the live window is the default answer — every method, every limit, and every deadline is built around it.