“He never let me quit myself”- Elaine Hendrix credits Alan Bersten for pushing her on Dancing With the Stars

Dancing With the Stars closed out its Season 34 finale on November 25, 2025, with Elaine Hendrix ending the competition in fifth place after securing a spot in the finals.

In an exclusive interview with the Atlanta Journal on November 27, 2025, she talked through what the experience meant to her, how she worked with partner Alan Bersten, and why returning to dance carried personal weight.

Looking back at the long hours and the pressure of each week, she said, “He never let me quit myself,” describing the way Bersten kept her focused and steady.

Hendrix spent part of her adolescence in Atlanta and graduated from the Northside School of Performing Arts in 1989.

As a young adult, she expected to build a life in dance, but a bicycle accident at age 21 forced her to change direction.

She turned to acting instead and eventually moved back to Atlanta in 2019 for Dynasty.

Joining the show this year gave her a rare chance to reconnect with the work she once planned to pursue professionally.

Reaching the finals felt meaningful to her.

“The moment we made it in the finals, I felt like I won,” she said. “The only person I was really competing against was myself.”

Her freestyle routine, which reflected different parts of her life, earned 10s from all three judges.

Highlights from her journey in Dancing With the Stars

Throughout the season, Hendrix tried to approach each dance with steady effort and trust in Bersten’s guidance. She said their goal from the beginning was simple.

“It was our intention to dance with joy and have trust in one another,” she said.

Hendrix also pointed out that Bersten shaped the process around her growth, explaining, “He didn’t make it about him. He made it about me.”

Her finale freestyle included small snapshots of her life, such as a mock audition and a film reference.

The judges responded strongly, with Bruno Tonioli calling it “a deliciously crafted treat.” The perfect scores that followed marked one of her highest points in the competition.

Hendrix also talked about the rib injury she suffered while rehearsing a Halloween routine. The injury forced her to adjust how she trained, but it didn’t stop her from performing. “I was grateful it wasn’t worse,” she said.

She continued dancing despite the pain, managing it throughout the rest of the season. Staying in the competition mattered to her, and she pushed through to complete every week of the show.

Her next move after the show

After the Dancing With the Stars finale, Hendrix made it clear that her time onstage is not ending. Instead, she shared that she has new plans taking shape.

She told Good Morning America that she has her “sights set on Broadway,” adding, “I firmly expect to be dancing across the stage again soon.”

This hint quickly caught fans’ attention, and many reacted with excitement online. One commenter wrote, “Oh, she will 100% be on Broadway,” while another said, “She would be incredible on Broadway!!!!”

Others connected her freestyle performance to her stage potential, with one fan saying, “Her freestyle performance had me saying, ‘I can’t wait to see her on Broadway.’”

Fans also began suggesting roles they believe fit her, including major musical productions.

One person commented, “The next lead in Chicago!” showing how strongly viewers believe in her future in theater.

Before the finale, Hendrix shared that her journey on the show meant more than reaching the end. She told Entertainment Tonight, “I started out this competition to reclaim a dream that I lost, and now it’s become so much more.”

She said she felt she was representing people of all ages who want to pursue goals they once thought were out of reach.
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