RULES OF THE BALLROOM

Before the premiere locks (Tuesday, Sept 15 at 7:00 PM CT) you pick 3 couples on the Trio page. Picks aren't exclusive, so if everyone wants Jenna Dewan, everyone gets her. Your trio pays you three ways:

Rank-based, so 30-point and 40-point nights score the same. Tied couples split the points for the places they share.

A couple that withdraws counts as eliminated that week. Even if your whole trio is gone by Halloween, you keep what they banked and still collect their placement payouts.

Everyone plays every week, whether or not your couples are still dancing. The Ballot locks at 7:00 PM CT every Tuesday, and you can change your picks right up until then. Picks stay secret until lock, then everyone's ballot is revealed.

No-elimination weeks: elimination picks push (no points, no penalty). Everything else still counts.

Guest-judge nights: a fourth judge means totals are out of 40, not 30, so the slider runs to 40 that week and any over/under line is set on that night's scale. The slider pays the same: exact 15, off by one 10, off by two 5. Everything else on the ballot scores the way it always does.

Playoff multiplier: semifinals and the finale score the whole ballot at 1.5×.

Miss the lock? You get the chalk: the league's most popular answer to each question (on a double elimination, the two couples the league named most), at half credit. You're never out of it, but showing up always beats not.

Filed before the premiere locks and paid at the finale, when the standings can still flip.

A typical winning total is roughly a third from your couples, a third from weekly ballots and a third from the season card. A hot September can't clinch it, a bad trio can be overcome by sharp Tuesdays, and first place on finale morning is not safe. See where you stand on Standings.

• Locks are locks. The site enforces 7:00 PM CT Tuesday, and not even the commissioner can reopen a ballot.
• On-screen facts only. If ABC's broadcast says it, it's true. If it's ambiguous, the pick pushes.
• Format surprises push. Twists, surprise saves and format changes never get re-scored after the fact.
• The commissioner plays too, and every score entry is visible to the league.
• The Couch Clause: anything not covered here is decided by a league vote in the chat, and the commissioner breaks ties.

1. Closest preseason prediction of the winning couple's finale judges' total
2. More correct elimination picks
3. More lone wolf hits
4. Still tied? A shared trophy, the tied players split the prize money for the places they share, and honestly, a great story

Entry is $10, paid to the commissioner. Every dollar goes in the pot, and the pot pays the top three in the final standings:

The pot grows with every member who joins. Your profile shows whether your $10 is in.

First place also takes the engraved mirrorball trophy and a full season of bragging rights. Last place learns the finale group dance, performs it at the watch party, and hosts it.