Dancing with the Stars Season 30 had a lot of great dancers, and it made the choices tough each and every week.
Great performances were met with eliminations, with performers like Mel C and Olivia Jade going home earlier than anyone expected.
However, through the season, there were some dances that exceeded all expectations.
While at least one competitor was a favorite through the season in JoJo Siwa, it was NBA star Iman Shumpert who took home the Mirrorball trophy and it all started with one of the best contemporary dances the show has ever seen.
However, Iman wasn’t alone as there were several great dances in this season.
Here is a look at the 10 best dances of Dancing with the Stars Season 30, ranked.
Cody Rigsby & Cheryl – Freestyle
If there was one dance that polarized the audience more than any other, it was Cody Rigsby and Cheryl’s freestyle in the finale.
After making it to the finals, despite low judges’ scores the entire season, they turned in their best performances of the season in the finale.
Of the two final dances, their freestyle to Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels (Just Dance Version) by Todrick Hall. It was something Dancing with the Stars fans had never seen before.
It started with Cody dancing on a pole with a glittery colorful outfit and finished with a dance that Carrie Ann called the “most flamboyant, fierce, and brilliant” she had ever seen in the ballroom.
Amanda Kloots & Alan – Jazz
On Janet Jackson Night, Amanda Kloots and Alan scored their first Perfect scores to the song Miss You Much.
This was a jazz dance with the two turning in their best performance of the season – to that point.
Derek Hough was impressed, saying that Amanda proved to be a leading lady through the song and Bruno Tonioli said that Amanda impressed him by slipping some Janet Jackson Easter eggs into the song.
This dance started the run that led Amanda directly into the finals.
JoJo Siwa & Jenna – Tango
JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson came into Queen Night and danced a tango to the song Body Language.
The two women dressed alike, in red bodysuits and matching ponytails, and then they went on to perform a tantalizing dance, only to shockingly find themselves in the Bottom 2 – and they needed the judges to save them.
However, fan votes mean nothing here because this is about the quality of the dancing, and JoJo and Jenna delivered an almost perfect tango.
This was the last time that JoJo was in the bottom of the voting, and she went on to come in second place on Dancing with the Stars Season 30.
Melora Hardin & Artem – Paso doble
Melora Hardin came into Dancing with the Stars as the only woman over 50 and then she delivered some of the most consistently great performances week in and week out.
During Janet Jackson Week, Melora and Artem performed the paso doble to the song If.
It was a perfect dance and Melora received her first perfect score of the season.
Despite getting a perfect score with one of the best dances of hte entire night, fans put her in the Bottom 2 and she needed the judges to save her.
Melora went home early after this, which Artem blamed on ageism when it comes to voters not wanting to vote for older dancing stars.
JoJo Siwa & Jenna – Freestyle
For the finale, JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson performed their freestyle dance to Lady Gaga’s Born This Way.
This dance also had a great moment halfway through, where the backup dancers broke up and moved into same-sex pairings in a fantastic move.
Len Goodman loved it the most, saying he loved how they morphed elements of salsa, cha cha, and samba all into one great dance.
This gave the two a perfect score and was enough to help them come in second place for the season at the end of the night.
Suni Lee & Sasha – Samba
Suni Lee seemed to struggle early on in the season. She seemed very shy and had little confidence in her dancing.
For an Olympic gold medal winner, she was not the most confident performer in the ballroom. However, after Suni Lee performed sick one week and managed to move on to the next round, something changed.
She came out the next week and performed a samba to Janet Jackson’s All for You. It was her best performance of the entire competition, earning her a perfect score.
Suni Lee changed her hairstyle, and was finally starting to find her footing on the dance floor when the fans voted her off in the semifinals. However, she had this samba to hang her hat on, one of the best dances of Dancing with the Stars Season 30.
Amanda Kloots & Alan – Contemporary
Amanda Kloots best performance on Dancing with the Stars Season 30 came when she performed her contemporary dance.
This was also Amanda’s hardest performance.
Amanda and Alan danced to the song Live Your Life. This was a song by her late husband Nick Cordero, who died just one year ago from COVID-19 at the age of 41, leaving Amanda as a single mother to a baby boy.
Amanda said after leaving Dancing with the Stars that she was surprised at how the competition allowed her to finally find closure in her life. A previous dance was the same song she and Nick danced to at their wedding.
However, with this contemporary, Amanda was able to put all her heart into the dance, delivering an emotional and beautiful performance.
JoJo Siwa & Jenna – Foxtrot
JoJo Siwa had more perfect scores than any other dancer in Dancing with the Stars Season 30, but the best of them all came on Grease Night.
JoJo and Jenna danced the foxtrot to Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee, and they scored the first perfect score of the entire season with their performance.
It was a great dance choice, especially for the people who refused to accept two women dancing. The song and dance number from Grease involved two women in the original version.
Jenna dressed as Frenchy and JoJo dressed as Sandy.
“You affected my brain with the quality of the technique, you affected my heart with the artistry that you produced,” judge Len Goodman said.
Iman Shumpert & Daniella – Contemporary
If there was one dance that turned Iman Shumpert from an also-ran into a true contender, it came on Horror Night.
Iman and Daniella performed a contemporary dance to the song I Got 5 On It (Tethered Mix from US) by Luniz ft. Michael Marshall. Their inspiration in the dance was the Jordan Peele movie Us.
Before this song, Iman seemed a little heavy-footed and earned mostly low scores. After this, he was safe every week until the finale, where he walked away and won it all.
What is most impressive is that, as brilliant as this dance was, it wasn’t the best dance that Iman performed on Dancing with the Stars Season 30.
Iman Shumpert & Daniella – Freestyle
Iman Shumpert had his eye-popping contemporary dance that he rode into the finals, but he needed one more big number to solidify his win.
He got that with his freestyle.
Iman Shumpert and Daniella did a Chicago dance – one that Daniella needed to bring in an expert to help teach her the moves!
That was perfect, though, because the high intensity of the dance allowed Daniella to allow Iman to shine and he stepped aside long enough to let her show her stuff as well.
This was the most energetic, exciting, and fun dance of the entire season – by far – and it allowed Iman and Daniella to walk out that night as the Mirrorball champions for Dancing with the Stars Season 30.
Dancing with the Stars is on hiatus. Season 31 should arrive later in 2022.