'Dancing with the Stars' Season 35 Kicks Off with an Early Elimination — and Viewers Are Divided Over What Really Went Wrong

 

"Dancing with the Stars" wasted no time raising the stakes in Season 35, as its two-night premiere put celebrities at risk from their very first dances.Season 35 opened with a different kind of premiere, splitting the celebrity cast across two nights while putting an elimination on the line each evening."Dancing with the Stars" (DWTS) returned September 15, 2026, with the male celebrities taking the ballroom first. The female contestants were scheduled to perform the following night, according to ABC News.

The split premiere also meant two early exits. One male celebrity would be eliminated on opening night, while one female celebrity would leave on September 16.

The First Scores Left Little Room for a Slow Start

Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson finished at the top of the first-night scoreboard with 21 out of 30, according to scores published by The Hollywood Reporter.Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach followed with 20 out of 30. Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess earned 17 out of 30, while Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold tied Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart with 16 out of 30. Jackson Olson and Emma Slater received 15 out of 30.

One couple landed further down the leaderboard with 12 out of 30. Only Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson, who received 10 out of 30, had a lower judges' score.Viewer votes are combined with the judges' scores to determine which couples advance, meaning the leaderboard did not tell the whole story.

One Salsa Became Their Only Dance of the Season

Conner Leavitt and professional partner Adele Zaikman were the first couple eliminated from Season 35.

The pair performed a salsa to Tag Team's "Whoomp! (There It Is)" and received 12 points out of 30, placing them second from the bottom among the male celebrity contestants.

Their exit came after just one competitive routine. But the result quickly became about more than their position on the scoreboard.

Viewers Questioned After leaving the competition, Leavitt and Zaikman had an opportunity to give their own perspective.

Leavitt Responded to the Voting Issue

In a post-elimination interview with Entertainment Tonight's Denny Directo, Leavitt acknowledged how difficult the result was after the work he and Zaikman had put into their routine.

"I mean, I'm feeling all of them. I was upset. We felt like we were vulnerable. We left it out on the dance floor. Dancing's hard," he said.

After leaving the competition, Leavitt and Zaikman had an opportunity to give their own perspective.

Leavitt Responded to the Voting Issue

In a post-elimination interview with Entertainment Tonight's Denny Directo, Leavitt acknowledged how difficult the result was after the work he and Zaikman had put into their routine.

"I mean, I'm feeling all of them. I was upset. We felt like we were vulnerable. We left it out on the dance floor. Dancing's hard," he said.

After leaving the competition, Leavitt and Zaikman had an opportunity to give their own perspective.

Leavitt Responded to the Voting Issue

In a post-elimination interview with Entertainment Tonight's Denny Directo, Leavitt acknowledged how difficult the result was after the work he and Zaikman had put into their routine.

"I mean, I'm feeling all of them. I was upset. We felt like we were vulnerable. We left it out on the dance floor. Dancing's hard," he said.

"For anyone who doesn't know, dancing is hard. So to go out there, perform all out and then to get that kind of a disappointing result like that, it's sad, but I could not be more thrilled to be a part of such a wonderful cast and to have such a wonderful dance partner."Zaikman, who was making her debut as a professional partner on the show, also acknowledged the disappointment.

"This experience is a dream come true. I was so happy and so blessed to be partnered with Conner. He's the best partner. I loved working with him. I do feel, of course, disappointed because I'm very competitive," she said.

At the same time, Zaikman recognized that an early exit was always possible."But that's what it is about. It's a competition. Someone had to go home. This is a part of the game. When you're going into this, you know that you might be the first one to go or you might be the one to win. You never know, and you need to be prepared for that."

The premiere had also been affected by an online voting glitch. Online voting was unavailable, forcing viewers to rely on text voting, while the online votes were tossed out.

"But that's what it is about. It's a competition. Someone had to go home. This is a part of the game. When you're going into this, you know that you might be the first one to go or you might be the one to win. You never know, and you need to be prepared for that."

The premiere had also been affected by an online voting glitch. Online voting was unavailable, forcing viewers to rely on text voting, while the online votes were tossed out.

Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson finished at the top of the first-night scoreboard with 21 out of 30, according to scores published by The Hollywood Reporter.Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach followed with 20 out of 30. Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess earned 17 out of 30, while Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold tied Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart with 16 out of 30. Jackson Olson and Emma Slater received 15 out of 30.

One couple landed further down the leaderboard with 12 out of 30. Only Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson, who received 10 out of 30, had a lower judges' score.Viewer votes are combined with the judges' scores to determine which couples advance, meaning the leaderboard did not tell the whole story.

One Salsa Became Their Only Dance of the Season

Conner Leavitt and professional partner Adele Zaikman were the first couple eliminated from Season 35.

The pair performed a salsa to Tag Team's "Whoomp! (There It Is)" and received 12 points out of 30, placing them second from the bottom among the male celebrity contestants.

Their exit came after just one competitive routine. But the result quickly became about more than their position on the scoreboard.

Viewers Questioned After leaving the competition, Leavitt and Zaikman had an opportunity to give their own perspective.

Leavitt Responded to the Voting Issue

In a post-elimination interview with Entertainment Tonight's Denny Directo, Leavitt acknowledged how difficult the result was after the work he and Zaikman had put into their routine.

"I mean, I'm feeling all of them. I was upset. We felt like we were vulnerable. We left it out on the dance floor. Dancing's hard," he said.

After leaving the competition, Leavitt and Zaikman had an opportunity to give their own perspective.

Leavitt Responded to the Voting Issue

In a post-elimination interview with Entertainment Tonight's Denny Directo, Leavitt acknowledged how difficult the result was after the work he and Zaikman had put into their routine.

"I mean, I'm feeling all of them. I was upset. We felt like we were vulnerable. We left it out on the dance floor. Dancing's hard," he said.

After leaving the competition, Leavitt and Zaikman had an opportunity to give their own perspective.

Leavitt Responded to the Voting Issue

Directo asked Leavitt whether he thought the problem had worked against him and Zaikman.

"You know, I'm not sure what happened, but at the end of the day, I'm a mathematician by trade. That's not my background, I don't know. So, as long as the texting was a large enough number, it should be a fair representation," Leavitt said.

In a post-elimination interview with Entertainment Tonight's Denny Directo, Leavitt acknowledged how difficult the result was after the work he and Zaikman had put into their routine.

"I mean, I'm feeling all of them. I was upset. We felt like we were vulnerable. We left it out on the dance floor. Dancing's hard," he said.

"For anyone who doesn't know, dancing is hard. So to go out there, perform all out and then to get that kind of a disappointing result like that, it's sad, but I could not be more thrilled to be a part of such aDirecto asked Leavitt whether he thought the problem had worked against him and Zaikman.

"You know, I'm not sure what happened, but at the end of the day, I'm a mathematician by trade. That's not my background, I doDirecto asked Leavitt whether he thought the problem had worked against him and Zaikman.

"You know, I'm not sure what happened, but at the end of the day, I'm a mathematician by trade. That's not my background, I don't know. So, as long as the texting was a large enough number, it should be a fair representation," Leavitt said.

"This experience is a dream come true. I was so happy and so blessed to be partnered with Conner. He's the best partner. I loved working with him. I do feel, of course, disappointed because I'm very competitive," she said.

At the same time, Zaikman recognized that an early exit was always possible."But that's what it is about. It's a competition. Someone had to go home. This is a part of the game. When you're going into this, you know that you might be the first one to go or you might be the one to win. You never know, and you need to be prepared for that."

The premiere had also been affected by an online voting glitch. Online voting was unavailable, forcing viewers to rely on text voting, while the online votes were tossed out.

"But that's what it is about. It's a competition. Someone had to go home. This is a part of the game. When you're going into this, you know that you might be the first one to go or you might be the one to win. You never know, and you need to be prepared for that."

The premiere had also been affected by an online voting glitch. Online voting was unavailable, forcing viewers to rely on text voting, while the online votes were tossed out.