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Brandon Armstrong (dancer)

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Brandon Armstrong
Born
Brandon Kelly Armstrong

(1994-06-05) June 5, 1994 (age 30)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Dancer
  • choreographer
Years active2006–present
TelevisionDancing with the Stars
Spouse
Brylee Ivers
​
(m. 2022)​

Brandon Kelly Armstrong (born June 5, 1994)[1] is an American professional Latin and ballroom dancer best known for his appearances on the reality competition series Dancing with the Stars.[2]

Early life

[edit]

Brandon Kelly Armstrong was born on June 5, 1994, in San Francisco, California. He identifies as mixed race; he is half African American and half Polynesian.[3] Armstrong was adopted at birth by a white military family and was raised Mormon in Napa, California.[4] He moved to Lehi, Utah and began dancing when he was twelve years old;[5] he trained with Corky Ballas, Shirley Ballas, and Mark Ballas.[4][6] After graduating from high school, Armstrong served a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Little Rock, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee.[4]

Dancing with the Stars

[edit]

Armstrong started working on the reality competition series Dancing with the Stars as a troupe member on season 24, and remained in that role until season 26.[7] He was promoted to pro in season 27 and was partnered with singer-songwriter Tinashe.[8][9] Despite consistently receiving high scores and praise from the judges, they were eliminated during the fourth week of competition on October 15, 2018, finishing in 10th place.[10][11]

In season 28, Armstrong was partnered with Mary Wilson of the Supremes.[12] They were the first couple to be eliminated from the season, finishing in 12th place; Armstrong's lowest placement to date.[13]

In season 29, Armstrong was partnered with television host Jeannie Mai.[14] They withdrew from the competition on November 2, 2020, after Mai was hospitalized for epiglottitis.[15][16]

In season 30, Armstrong was partnered with actress Kenya Moore.[17] They were eliminated during the sixth week of competition on October 25, 2021, finishing in 10th place.[18]

In season 31, Armstrong was partnered with singer-songwriter and actress Jordin Sparks.[19] They were eliminated during the seventh week of competition on October 31, 2022, finishing in 9th place.[20]

For season 32, Armstrong was partnered with social media personality and singer Lele Pons.[21] They were eliminated during the seventh week of competition on November 7, 2023, finishing in 8th place.[22]

Armstrong had a breakthrough performance in season 33 with his partner, television actress and singer Chandler Kinney.[23] Despite inconsistent remarks from the judges,[24] especially from Carrie Ann Inaba and Derek Hough,[25] the couple earned both the highest cumulative points and the first perfect score, of the season.[26][27] Armstrong and Kinney are the first Black couple in Dancing with the Stars history to advance to the finale.[28][29] Their freestyle routine to "Hellzapoppin'" and "Move On Up" was the show's first performance to feature an ensemble cast of all-Black dancers.[30] Armstrong and Kinney ultimately finished in third place on November 26, 2024; Armstrong's highest placement to date.[31]

Season Partner Place
27 Tinashe 10th
28 Mary Wilson 12th
29 Jeannie Mai 9th
30 Kenya Moore 10th
31 Jordin Sparks 9th
32 Lele Pons 8th
33 Chandler Kinney 3rd

Season 27

[edit]

Celebrity partner: Tinashe

Week Dance / Song Judges' score Total Result
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1 Jive / "I'm a Lady" 8 7 8 23 No elimination
2 Argentine tango / "New Dorp. New York" 9 8 9 26 No elimination
Cha-cha / "Circus" 9 8 9 26 Safe
3 Rumba / "2 On" 9 9 9 27 Bottom two
4 Tango / "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" 9 8 9 26 Eliminated

Season 28

[edit]

Celebrity partner: Mary Wilson

Week Dance / Song Judges' score Total Result
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1 Foxtrot / "Baby Love" 6 5 6 17 No elimination
2 Cha-cha / "Think" 5 5 5 15 Eliminated[32]

Season 29

[edit]

Celebrity partner: Jeannie Mai

Week Dance / Song Judges' score Total Result
Inaba Hough Tonioli
1 Salsa / "Tell It to My Heart" 6 6 6 18 No elimination
2 Cha-cha / "Roses" 6 6 6 18 Safe
3 Viennese waltz / "Married Life" 7 7 8 22 Safe
4 Tango / "Seven Nation Army" 7 7 7 21 Safe
5 Jazz / "Like a Virgin" 8 8 8 24 Safe
6 Rumba / "You Gotta Be" 8 8 9 25 Safe
7 Paso doble / "Maneater" 8 9 8 25 Bottom two (later withdrew)[15]

Season 30

[edit]

Celebrity partner: Kenya Moore

Week Dance / Song Judges' score Total Result
Inaba Goodman Hough Tonioli
1 Foxtrot / "Kiss Me More" 7 6 6 7 26 No elimination
2 Cha-cha / "Hot Stuff" 6 6 6 6 24 Safe
3 Tango / "Womanizer" 7 7 N/A1 7 21 Bottom two
4 Contemporary / "How Far I'll Go" 7 7 8 7 29 No elimination
Viennese waltz / "Dangerous Woman" 7 7 8 8 30 Bottom three
5 Rumba / "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" 9 9 9 9 36 Safe
6 Argentine tango / "Take My Breath" 8 8 8 8 32 Eliminated

1 Derek Hough was absent so score was given out of 30.

Season 31

[edit]

Celebrity partner: Jordin Sparks

Week Dance / Song Judges' score Total Result
Inaba Goodman Hough Tonioli
1 Cha-cha / "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" 7 6 6 7 26 Safe
2 Quickstep / "Hound Dog" 7 6 7 7 27 Safe
3 Rumba / "Licence to Kill" 7 7 7 8 29 Safe
4 Jazz / "Remember Me" 9 8 8 9 34 Safe
5 (Night 1) Salsa / "Let's Get Married (ReMarquable Remix)" 8 8 8 9 33 Safe
5 (Night 2) Contemporary / "No Air"
Hustle & Lindy Hop Marathon / "Hot Stuff" & "Jump, Jive an' Wail" 		9
Awarded 		8
3 		9
Extra 		9
Points 		35
38 		Safe
6 Foxtrot / "You Make Me Feel So Young" 9 8 91 / 8 9 43 Safe
7 Tango / "Oogie Boogie's Song"
Team Freestyle / "The Witches Are Back" 		9
8 		9
8 		9
9 		9
8 		36
33 		Eliminated

1 Score given by guest judge Michael Buble.

Season 33

[edit]

Celebrity partner: Chandler Kinney

Week Dance / Song Theme Judges' score Total Result
Inaba Hough Tonioli Guest
1 Tango / "Hot to Go!" Premiere 8 7 8 23 No elimination
2 Rumba / "What Was I Made For?" Oscars 8 8 8 24 Safe
3 Cha-cha / "It's Tricky" Soul Train 9 9 9 91 36 No elimination
4 Jive / "We're Not Gonna Take It" Hair Metal 8 8 8 92 33 Safe
5 Contemporary / "I Hope You Dance" Dedication 8 8 8 83 32 Safe
6 Paso doble / "We Own the Night" Disney 9 9 9 27 Safe
Team Freestyle / "I 2 I" 9 9 9 27
7 Viennese waltz / "Secret" Halloween Nightmares 9 10 10 29 Safe
8 Argentine tango / "Para Te" 500th Episode Celebration 10 10 10 30 Safe
Instant Cha-cha / "Apple" 10 10 10 30
9 Salsa / "Spicy Margarita" Semifinals 10 9 10 29 No elimination
Foxtrot / "Too Sweet" 9 10 10 29
10 Jive / "APT" Finals 10 10 10 30 3rd place
Freestyle / "Hellzapoppin" & "Move On Up" 10 10 10 30

1 Score awarded by guest judge Rosie Perez
2 Score awarded by guest judge Gene Simmons
3 Score awarded by guest judge Mark Ballas

Personal life

[edit]

Armstrong began dating social media manager Brylee Ivers in 2021 after meeting through Instagram.[33] They got engaged on March 7, 2022,[34][35] and were married on July 30, 2022, in the mountains of Draper, Utah.[36][37]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Ivers, Brylee [@bryleebug6] (June 5, 2022). "Happy birthday to my love @brandonarmstrong 🫶🏼 The day I met him, my life changed forever! I feel like the luckiest girl in the world because I get to marry him & celebrate the rest of our birthdays together. I love you the most B!". Retrieved June 5, 2022 – via Instagram.
  2. ^ "Meet the new Dancing With the Stars pro dancer Brandon Armstrong". Good Morning America. September 11, 2018. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  3. ^ Kinney, Chandler [@chandlerkinney] (September 6, 2024). "TEAM CHAN & BRAN YAP SESH #1 👯🗣️". Retrieved December 3, 2024 – via Instagram.
  4. ^ a b c Vulpis, Joe (October 2, 2024). "Brandon Armstrong & Chandler Kinney of Dancing with the Stars! Weekly Recap, Wife, and Tabloids". Lightweights Podcast with Joe Vulpis (Podcast). YouTube. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  5. ^ Parkinson, Emily (January 22, 2013). "Celebrity dancers come to Provo's Covey Center". BYU Daily Universe. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  6. ^ Fernandes, Aurelia (September 20, 2021). "DWTS: Brandon Armstrong's track record and his training under show pro Mark Ballas". MEAWW. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  7. ^ Bobic, Chrissy (October 2, 2018). "Brandon Armstrong Is The New Pro On DWTS This Season". Romper. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  8. ^ Dugan Ramirez, Christina (September 12, 2018). "Dancing with the Stars Unveils Season 27 Cast — Find Out Who's Competing!". People. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  9. ^ Seemayer, Zee (September 23, 2018). "DWTS: Tinashe and Pro Brandon Armstrong on Their Competitive Drive to Win the Mirrorball Trophy (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  10. ^ Oliverius, Jacquie (October 16, 2018). "Dancing With the Stars: Tinashe shockingly eliminated". The Mercury News. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  11. ^ Seemayer, Zee (October 15, 2018). "Tinashe Reacts to Shocking Dancing With the Stars Elimination: 'We Did Our Best' (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  12. ^ Longeretta, Emily (September 17, 2019). "Dancing With the Stars Season 28 Partners Revealed". Us Weekly. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  13. ^ Feighan, Maureen (September 23, 2019). "Former Supreme Mary Wilson eliminated on Dancing With The Stars". The Detroit News. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  14. ^ Blackwelder, Carson (September 24, 2020). "Dancing with the Stars 2020: Pairs for season 29 revealed". Good Morning America. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  15. ^ a b McRady, Rachel (November 2, 2020). "Jeannie Mai's Dancing With the Stars Partner Brandon Armstrong Posts Sweet Message After Her Exit". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  16. ^ Carras, Christi (November 2, 2020). "The Real host Jeannie Mai exits Dancing With the Stars due to health scare". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  17. ^ Nocera, Gianna (September 24, 2021). "Dancing With The Stars Season 30: Full List Of Dancing Couples". ScreenRant. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  18. ^ Duncan, Gabrielle (October 25, 2021). "DWTS : Real Housewives Star Kenya Moore Eliminated from Season 30 on Horror Night". People. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  19. ^ Dugan Ramirez, Christina (September 8, 2022). "Dancing with the Stars: Teresa Giudice, Wayne Brady, Selma Blair and More Celebs Join Season 31". People. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  20. ^ Schepp, Calie (October 31, 2022). "Halloween night shakes up Dancing With the Stars leaderboard". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  21. ^ "Dancing with the Stars Cha Chas Back to the Ballroom for Season 32 with an All-New Celebrity Cast" (Press release). ABC. September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023 – via The Futon Critic.
  22. ^ Emily Longeretta (November 7, 2023). "Dancing With the Stars: Boy-Banders Crash Music Video Night — Plus, an Elimination Leaves the Judges Stunned". Variety. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  23. ^ Lenker, Maureen Lee (September 6, 2024). "See the first couple shots of the Dancing With the Stars season 33 duos". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  24. ^ Grebenyuk, Yana (October 16, 2024). "Chandler Kinney Questions What DWTS Judges Expect From Her". Us Weekly. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  25. ^ Olson, Samantha (October 31, 2024). "Chandler Kinney Is "A Little Frustrated" With Carrie Ann Inaba's Dancing With the Stars Critiques". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  26. ^ Knolle, Sharon (October 23, 2024). "Dancing With the Stars Week 6: Deadpool & Wolverine Fight-Inspired Routine Steals the Show on Disney Night". TheWrap. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  27. ^ "Chandler Kinney, Brandon Armstrong earn season's 1st perfect scores on 'Dancing with the Stars'". ABC30 Fresno. November 13, 2024. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  28. ^ Kinney, Chandler [@chandlerlkinney] (November 21, 2024). "this is exactly how I replay this moment in my head :,) WE MADE IT TO THE FINALE!!!!! truly feels UNREAL. not only is this Brandon's first time making it to the finale, but we're also the first ever black couple in 33 seasons to make it to the DWTS finale!!! so many special firsts that I'm beyond honored and proud to be a part of. 🖤 still pinching myself. let's go out with a bang, @brandonarmstrong :))". Retrieved November 23, 2024 – via Instagram.
  29. ^ LaCapria, Kim (November 23, 2024). "Chandler And Brandon Just Made DWTS History, And We're So Excited". TheThings. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  30. ^ Baker, Kamrin (November 27, 2024). "Dancing with the Stars finalists perform first-ever all-Black ensemble dance in show's history". Good Good Good. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  31. ^ Campione, Katie (November 26, 2024). "Dancing With The Stars Season 33 Finale Recap: Who Wins The Mirrorball Trophy?". Deadline. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  32. ^ "Supreme Mary Wilson Performs Cha-Cha, Eliminated from 'Dancing With the Stars': Watch". Billboard. September 24, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  33. ^ Dugan Ramirez, Christina (March 8, 2022). "DWTS Pro Brandon Armstrong Is Engaged to Girlfriend Brylee Ivers: 'I'm Excited for Our Future'". People. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  34. ^ Grebenyuk, Yana (March 9, 2022). "Dancing With the Stars Pro Brandon Armstrong Is Engaged to Girlfriend Brylee Ivers: Stars React". Us Weekly. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  35. ^ McRady, Rachel (March 9, 2022). "Dancing With the Stars Pro Brandon Armstrong Is Engaged to Girlfriend Brylee Ivers -- See the Ring!". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  36. ^ Dugan Ramirez, Christina (July 30, 2022). "DWTS Pro Brandon Armstrong Marries Brylee Ivers in Romantic Utah Wedding". People. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  37. ^ Heller, Corinne (July 31, 2022). "Dancing With the Stars Brandon Armstrong Marries Brylee Ivers". E! Online. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
Awards and achievements}
Preceded by Dancing with the Stars (US) third place contestant
Season 33 (Fall 2024 with Chandler Kinney) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Dancing with the Stars (US) last place
Season 28 (Fall 2019 with Mary Wilson) 		Succeeded by
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