"Don't be a sore loser": Dancing with the Stars fans divided over Whitney and Mark's Freestyle dance on the Call Her Daddy podcast

Dancing with the Stars season 34 alums Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas performed their Freestyle dance in a special episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, which was uploaded to YouTube on November 26, 2025. 

The pair got eliminated in the semi-final, a step before the finale, where they would have had to perform the Freestyle routine.

Their exit divided the fanbase into two contrasting factions. While one celebrated Whitney’s departure, others felt that the opportunity to perform the Freestyle at the finale was taken away from her. 

At the start of the video, Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper revealed that she received numerous messages requesting that she interview Whitney.

Consequently, she collaborated with Dancing with the Stars, providing Whitney and Mark not only the platform to speak about their journey and elimination but also to perform the Freestyle routine they could not on the show. 

The couple wore matching suits and danced to Frank Sinatra’s My Way. The entire choreography focused on the online hate and backlash they faced during their time on the dance competition. 

Dancing with the Stars fans were again divided over Whitney and Mark’s performance on the podcast.

While many applauded how well choreographed it was, others criticized it, saying it was disrespectful to the other contestants, especially those who were eliminated.

Fans took to X to share their thoughts, as one commented:

“I'm probs just a hater but I think Whitney and Mark performing their own freestyle outside of the show is in really poor taste. You lost, don't be a sore loser. I've never seen any other contestant so bitter to not make the final.”

Many Dancing with the Stars fans were impressed by the dance routine. 

“Full body CHILLS watching Mark and Whitney’s freestyle and I’m so glad they still got to have this moment and chose to share it with us this is so d*mn powerful,” a fan wrote.

“so i finally watch whitney & marks freestyle... jfc that was absolutely amazing & the message was BEAUTIFULLY executed.. mark i love u king,” another one commented.

“I will never forgive you [clowns] for robbing Mark & Whitney!! That freestyle was pure ART!! It should've been on live television!!” an X user reacted.

However, other viewers of the ABC show felt otherwise.

“Whitney and Mark performing their freestyle on Call Me Daddy is giving a participation award. Y’all were eliminated, others didn’t get to perform their freestyle either. Lmao it’s giving…,” a person wrote. 

“whitney and mark doing a “freestyle” dance in chd is so tasteless bc they’re basically saying that the finalists aren’t deserving of dancing in the finale which is just so disrespectful (especially disappointed in mark as a longtime dwts fan)” another netizen commented.

“Mark & Whitney freestyle should have been a week after the #DWTS finale - they aren’t helping Whitney’s attention seeker vibes…, now on the other hand if this’s fuel for whatever she’s auditioning for, then smart play and Godspeed,” a fan posted.

Dancing with the Stars: Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas’ Freestyle performance spoke about online backlash

The pair opened with a jazzy version of Frank Sinatra’s My Way. However, the mood of the routine changed quickly, as the stage lights changed to red from white. 

Whitney got surrounded by dancers who held up phones around her head and even flung her in the air before she collapsed on the floor. 

The dance took another grave turn as Whitney had fake blood dripping from her mouth. Meanwhile, the supporting dancers pretended to record her.

Shortly after, Mark arrived and embraced her, and with that, the lighting returned to its original, and the horror-like music changed to jazz.

In the background, a message was shown that read, ‘Social Media Is Bad for Your Mental Health.’

Earlier during their interview, Mark and Whitney discussed the hate comments they received from fans of the show. While Whitney said she had learned to become desensitised to them, Mark admitted he had never faced something so “intense.”

Stay tuned for more updates.