DANCING WITH THE STARS SEASON 35 NEWSROOM

Horror Movie Night Songs and Dances Revealed: Three Argentine Tangos, a Sinners Paso Doble and Val Chmerkovskiy Back With Jenna Dewan

All ten assignments are out: Former contestant Andy Richter revealed the October 27 Horror Movie Night lineup on the official Dancing with the Stars podcast on October 22, Us Weekly reported. Every couple has a dance style, a song and a horror film or genre behind it. Listed alphabetically by celebrity; this is not the performance order.

Val Chmerkovskiy is listed with Jenna Dewan: The lineup pairs Dewan with Chmerkovskiy for an Argentine tango to “Uninvited,” inspired by zombie movies, their first scheduled routine since his one-episode suspension. It is a scheduled routine, not a performed result. Alan Bersten’s October 20 Viennese waltz with Dewan (37/40) stays credited to Bersten.

DMM Dance Lens — three tangos on one night: The Argentine tango appears three times: Amber Glenn, who led Dedication Night at 38/40, Jenna Dewan and Julia Stiles. When couples share a style in the same episode, the judges compare them directly, so leg actions, kicks and a steady hold will separate routines built on the same dramatic vocabulary. Four of the ten routines are contemporary, including those of Jackson Olson and Connor Wood, two of the four couples tied at 32. Tatyana Ali, also at 32, draws the paso doble, a dance of posture and attack that can carry a horror character if the shaping stays clean. Mark Ballas and Maura Higgins dance their contemporary in front of his mother, guest judge Shirley Ballas. With Dedication Night’s scores and votes carried over, October 27 is the last chance for every couple to move the combined result.

Sources: Us Weekly via AOL, October 22 (official DWTS podcast, Andy Richter) · Just Jared, October 22 (song artists and films). Annie Lennox’s song is officially titled “Love Song for a Vampire.” DMM context: Horror Movie Night guide · Guest judge and Val’s return · Dedication Night result. Media: No unlicensed photo or untested video added.

Shirley Ballas Will Judge Horror Movie Night; Val Chmerkovskiy Is Back in Rehearsals With Jenna Dewan

A ballroom authority joins the panel: At the end of Dedication Night, co-host Alfonso Ribeiro announced that next Tuesday’s special guest judge is “our dancers’ worst nightmare — Shirley Ballas!” Ballas is the mother of professional Mark Ballas, who partners Maura Higgins this season. Parade reports it will be the first time she judges her son’s dancing on a competition show.

How the double elimination works, as announced: No couple went home on October 20. The hosts said Dedication Night’s judges’ scores and viewer votes carry over to Horror Movie Night on October 27, when two couples will be eliminated, leaving eight. ABC has not published how the two weeks will be combined, so DMM will not project a bottom two from an unconfirmed formula.

Val Chmerkovskiy is back with Jenna Dewan: The Hollywood Reporter reported October 21 that Chmerkovskiy has resumed rehearsals with Dewan after his one-episode suspension and will return to the ballroom for the horror-themed episode; Page Six also reported the suspension lifted. Dewan’s October 20 Viennese waltz (37/40) stays credited to her substitute partner, Alan Bersten. ABC has not yet released the October 27 songs and dance styles. Follow the Horror Movie Night guide →

DMM Dance Lens — a costume cannot carry the footwork: Ballas built her name in competitive Latin, where frame, foot placement and timing are judged before character. A horror theme invites heavy staging, so the test for every couple is whether the character sits on top of clean technique rather than hiding it. Her score for her son’s couple will draw attention; DMM has not seen any announcement about how that will be handled and will report it only if ABC addresses it.

Update, October 22, 4:45 PM ET: All ten Horror Movie Night songs and dance styles were revealed later on October 22, and the lineup lists Jenna Dewan with Val Chmerkovskiy. See the Week 7 lineup →

Sources: Parade, October 21 (Ribeiro’s on-air announcement) · E! News, October 21 (scores and votes carry over) · The Hollywood Reporter, October 21 (rehearsal return) · Page Six, October 21. DMM context: Dedication Night result · Val Chmerkovskiy suspension report.

Tyler Cameron Reveals a Baby Girl on the Way During Dedication Night

A family announcement inside a tribute week: Tyler Cameron and his fiancée revealed during the October 20 broadcast that they are expecting a baby girl, with the gender reveal happening live in the ballroom, ABC7 Los Angeles reported. Cameron and Sharna Burgess danced a contemporary to “Supermarket Flowers” that night and scored 32/40, tied with three other couples for the lowest judges’ score.

DMM Dance Lens — good news does not change the scorecard: Cameron enters the October 27 double elimination at the bottom of the judges’ leaderboard, where viewer votes decide as much as the scores. He has also described shoulder, hip, thumb and wrist problems that make some lifts painful. The open question for Burgess is how she builds a horror-night routine that shows his improvement without loading those joints.

Sources: ABC7 Los Angeles, Dedication Night recap (scores and live reveal). DMM context: Dedication Night result. Media: No unlicensed photo or untested video added.

Dedication Night Saves All Ten Couples; Horror Movie Night Brings a Double Elimination

No one went home on October 20: At the end of Dedication Night, co-host Alfonso Ribeiro announced that all ten couples were safe. Co-host Julianne Hough then told viewers that, in keeping with Horror Movie Night, two couples will be eliminated on October 27. Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov led the night with 38/40, while Tatyana Ali, Tyler Cameron, Jackson Olson and Connor Wood tied for the lowest judges’ score at 32/40. Ten couples remain.

What is still unconfirmed: ABC has not yet released the Horror Movie Night songs or dance styles. The Hollywood Reporter and E! News reported October 21 that Val Chmerkovskiy is returning after his one-episode suspension; ABC and BBC Studios have not announced Jenna Dewan’s partner for October 27. DMM’s new guide lists all ten couples, the Dedication Night leaderboard and each song and dance as it is officially announced. Read the Horror Movie Night guide →

DMM Dance Lens — a low score is not a verdict: Judges’ scores are combined with viewer votes, so the four couples tied at 32 enter the double elimination at the bottom of the leaderboard, not already in danger. For Ali, 32 was her best score of the season. A horror theme also changes the test: after a week that rewarded sincerity, the celebrities must play a character without letting it excuse broken frame, footwork or timing.

Update, October 22, 4:45 PM ET: All ten Horror Movie Night songs and dance styles were revealed later on October 22, and the lineup lists Jenna Dewan with Val Chmerkovskiy. See the Week 7 lineup →

Sources: Deseret News, October 21 (scores, no elimination, double elimination) · The Big Lead, October 21 (on-air announcement) · ABC News elimination tracker · The Hollywood Reporter, October 21 · E! News, October 21. DMM context: Dedication Night songs and tributes. No unlicensed photo or unverified embed added.

Julia Stiles Says Heath Ledger Tribute Rehearsals Are Bringing Unexpected Emotion to DWTS

A new rehearsal account, not a new dance assignment: In a first-person interview published by People on October 19 at 4:33 PM ET, Julia Stiles described being surprised by how emotional preparations have become for the October 20 contemporary honoring her late 10 Things I Hate About You costar Heath Ledger. Looking at footage, photographs and memories from the 1999 film has made the tribute feel closer than she expected. Stiles and professional Ezra Sosa remain scheduled to perform to Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” This extends what she first told Entertainment Weekly and Variety on October 16, when she said the rehearsals had already brought her to tears. Read the October 16 entry →

DMM Dance Lens — when a memory becomes movement: Contemporary dance creates room for breath, suspended timing, shifting weight and expressive connection, but the choreography must communicate through movement rather than rely only on the audience’s recognition of a film. The test for Stiles and Sosa is how personal remembrance finds a physical shape on the ballroom floor. That is an editorial question, not a claim that the completed routine or its score is known. Stiles’s prior Save the Last Dance reflection concerns her October 13 jazz performance; this new interview concerns the upcoming Ledger dedication.

Sources: People, October 19, 4:33 PM ET (original interview). DMM context: Stiles on her earlier screen-dance recreation · October 20 song and dance guide. Media: No unlicensed photo or unverified embed added.

Gleb Savchenko Disputes Carrie Ann Inaba’s Samba Lift Call — The Troupe-Assisted Movement Debate Deepens

A professional interpretation, not an official ruling: Former Dancing with the Stars professional Gleb Savchenko challenged judge Carrie Ann Inaba’s critique of a troupe-assisted movement in Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson’s October 13 Super Bowl Night samba. In an October 18 TikTok video described by Us Weekly on October 19, Savchenko argued that the assisted moment was a trick rather than a prohibited lift between the competing couple. He praised the performance’s entertainment value while calling it “a bit flat-footed” and “like a hip-hop samba” rather than a traditional one. He also said he was “Team Val on this one,” siding with Val Chmerkovskiy, Johnson’s husband, whose post about Inaba led to his one-episode suspension.

DMM Dance Lens — who provides the lift, and what is being judged? Savchenko’s distinction draws attention to the role of additional performers in a partner-dance category: a troupe member may supply elevation that neither partner creates. Original professional Louis van Amstel previously argued Inaba was justified in questioning the movement while requesting clearer treatment of ensemble assistance. These are different expert opinions, not conflicting official rules. ABC has announced no revised score, judging penalty, choreography-rule amendment or competition outcome resulting from either comment. The question worth watching is whether DWTS clarifies how its judging framework treats troupe-created moments within traditional ballroom and Latin categories.

Sources: Us Weekly, October 19 (reports original TikTok statements) · Parade, October 19, 12:56 PM ET · Savchenko’s original TikTok video (direct link; playback not independently tested). DMM context: Louis van Amstel’s interpretation · Related professional-dancer controversy. No unverified embed or unlicensed photograph added.

Jackson Olson’s Mother Laura Will Join His DWTS Quickstep — Emma Slater Rehearses a Family Guest

A newly confirmed participant, not a new competing couple: Laura Olson told CT Insider in an original interview published October 19 that she will appear in part of her son Jackson Olson's October 20 Dedication Night quickstep with professional Emma Slater. ABC/Disney's October 14 episode release had already confirmed the couple's quickstep to Nat King Cole's “L-O-V-E” and its dedication to Laura, but did not specify that she would dance in the routine. Laura said she had completed three days of rehearsals as of Sunday, October 18, and had no formal dance experience before joining this number.

DMM Dance Lens — choreographing a meaningful cameo without losing the quickstep: The challenge for Slater is to make a first-time guest's brief participation feel integrated while keeping Jackson's footwork, traveling movement, frame and musical timing legible to the judges. A short, clearly staged family interaction can deepen the dedication without implying that Laura must execute the full competitive quickstep vocabulary. Her precise steps and placement are not yet public, and the October 20 performance has not aired. This is not a score prediction or an official choreography breakdown.

Sources: CT Insider original Laura Olson interview, October 19 · ABC/Disney Television Press, October 14 official songs and dance styles. No unlicensed photograph or untested video embed has been added.

Julia Stiles Reflects on Recreating Save the Last Dance With Ezra Sosa: 25 Years of Growth

New first-person reflection on an already completed dance: In an exclusive interview published by People on October 18 at 7:30 PM ET, Julia Stiles reflected on the October 13 jazz number in which she and professional Ezra Sosa reinterpreted the audition sequence from the 2001 film Save the Last Dance. Sean Patrick Thomas, her co-star in that film, made a surprise appearance during the routine. Stiles said she wanted the recreation to surpass what she had done on film and spoke about feeling more confident in herself twenty-five years later. Sosa described how focused she appeared immediately before their performance.

DMM Dance Lens — revisiting a screen-dance role with the body and confidence of today: The original film required Stiles to portray a highly trained dancer; she has previously explained that a double performed its more complex dance sequences even as she completed substantial movement training and rehearsals. That body-double information is not a new October 19 revelation. The new story is her reflection on returning to the material in a live, judged television routine, with Sosa shaping a contemporary reinterpretation rather than an exact shot-for-shot copy. DMM is watching how this confidence and choreographic clarity carry into Stiles and Sosa's October 20 contemporary tribute to Heath Ledger, set to Frankie Valli's “Can't Take My Eyes Off You.” That future routine has not yet aired.

Sources: People original Stiles/Sosa interview, October 18 · ABC/Disney October 20 dance assignment. The interview reports the October 13 routine; no new broadcast video or photo rights are claimed.

Val Chmerkovskiy Accepts His DWTS Benching: “I Won’t Be in the Ballroom This Week”

Val Chmerkovskiy has accepted the producer’s decision rather than contesting it. In an Instagram Story statement posted after BBC Studios announced that he would miss the October 20 episode, he wrote: “As you may have seen in the news, I won’t be in the ballroom this week.” He said that “in a moment where my instinct was to defend my wife,” Jenna Johnson, he “made a poor decision to reference a meme” without thinking through what else it could imply, and that Carrie Ann Inaba “certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment.”

Chmerkovskiy said he did not want to become “a distraction from an important week or from the incredible work my dance partner Jenna Dewan is putting in,” asked fans to send “Carrie Ann, Jenna, and the whole DWTS family lots of love during Dedication Night,” and said he will be watching. What the statement confirms: he accepts the one-episode absence. What it does not do: it does not announce his status for later weeks or add any new production decision. Alan Bersten still partners Dewan for the Viennese waltz to “Unchained Melody,” dedicated to her mother, Nancy. DMM has not verified a public response from Inaba to this statement.

Further DMM coverage: Full Val Chmerkovskiy report · all ten Dedication Night dances · October 17 partner-change entry.

Sources: Reality Blurb, October 19 (full Instagram Story statement) · Cosmopolitan via AOL, October 19 · BANG Showbiz, October 18, citing Us Weekly · ABC/Disney Television Press, October 14. No new photograph or video embed added.

Alfonso Ribeiro Joins Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik for DWTS James Avery Tribute; Ali Plans Recorded Vocal

A confirmed guest-participant reveal: A rehearsal video posted by the official Dancing with the Stars TikTok account shows Tatyana Ali and professional partner Jan Ravnik welcoming cohost and former Mirrorball champion Alfonso Ribeiro into their planned October 20 James Avery dedication. Ribeiro says he will dance with them as they honor the late actor who portrayed Philip “Uncle Phil” Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Ali and Ribeiro played Avery's television children. The original October 15 dedication reveal identified Avery, but had not established Ribeiro's participation; that earlier uncertainty is now resolved. Read DMM's complete Ali/Avery dance-legacy feature →

Ali also says she plans to prerecord herself singing “(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am.” ABC/Disney Television Press originally announced the Viennese waltz to Nancy Wilson's recording; the preview describes Ali's own recorded vocals but does not yet establish the final broadcast mix or how the singing will be integrated. Ribeiro's exact staging, the duration of his participation and any effect on the judged couple's technical content likewise remain unconfirmed. The ten-couple field, Tuesday airtime and guest judge Kym Johnson are unchanged.

In an earlier Good Morning America interview, Ali said she hoped to remain in the competition long enough to involve Ribeiro in a routine. That ambition now has a specific setting: a tribute to an actor she has described as a teacher and mentor. An October 16 rehearsal visit reported by Yahoo Entertainment also documented Ali describing sore ribs from the previous week and Ravnik explaining that their new waltz has no dips or lifts; this is first-person rehearsal context, not an independently verified injury diagnosis or withdrawal.

Official video: DWTS official TikTok rehearsal announcement → (original clip linked by Parade; playback not independently tested). Further DMM coverage: Ali/Avery legacy feature · all ten Dedication Night dances · Season 35 Live Dashboard. No new photograph or third-party video embed has been introduced.

Sources: official DWTS rehearsal post, October 18 · Parade, October 18, 5:22 PM ET · ABC/Disney Television Press, October 14 · ABC/Good Morning America, September 18 · Yahoo Entertainment rehearsal interview, October 16.

Emma Slater Defends Alan Bersten’s DWTS Return — He Replaced Val Chmerkovskiy in 2022, Too

A working professional's perspective: In reporting published October 18, Us Weekly described Emma Slater responding to a TikTok user who questioned why an already eliminated professional could return to partner Jenna Dewan. Slater defended Alan Bersten's temporary role, saying, “we all step in for each other.” Her comment addresses the practical culture of professional substitution, not a newly announced ABC casting policy. It follows former professional Gleb Savchenko's separate public criticism of Bersten's dance technique, which remains an attributed opinion rather than a verified assessment.

The overlooked historical connection: This is not the first time Bersten has replaced Val Chmerkovskiy. On October 31, 2022, Bersten partnered Gabby Windey for a Dancing with the Stars Argentine tango when Chmerkovskiy missed Halloween Night after testing positive for COVID-19. Contemporary reporting from TV Insider and TheWrap documented the substitution. The 2022 absence was health-related; the October 2026 absence follows BBC Studios' disciplinary decision. These are different circumstances, even though the replacement professional is the same.

For Tuesday, October 20, 2026, Dewan and Bersten are scheduled to perform a Viennese waltz to the Righteous Brothers' “Unchained Melody,” dedicated to Dewan's mother, Nancy. ABC/Disney Television Press announced the song and style on October 14; the subsequently confirmed partner substitution does not establish a changed routine, rehearsal result, score or judging standard. See DMM's Val Chmerkovskiy suspension report and Season 35 Live Dashboard for the confirmed competitive context.

Sources: Us Weekly, October 18 (Slater's reported TikTok reply); TV Insider, October 31, 2022 (Bersten substituted for Chmerkovskiy); TheWrap, October 28, 2022 (contemporaneous substitute announcement); ABC/Disney Television Press, October 14 (official Dedication Night song and dance). Media: Slater's underlying TikTok reply was reported but an authenticated, stable embeddable post was not verified; no new video or unlicensed photograph has been inserted.

Tyler Cameron Describes Shoulder, Hip and Hand Injuries as DWTS Rehearsal Demands Continue

Newly verified for DMM; original report published October 16. Tyler Cameron has described a history of shoulder and hip injuries, plus more recent thumb and wrist problems, in a video shared during Dancing with the Stars rehearsals. Bachelor Nation, which published its account on October 16, relayed Cameron’s first-person description: he said one shoulder problem dates to high school, described repeated trouble in the other shoulder and longstanding hip issues, and said he had aggravated an earlier thumb injury and hurt his wrist. He said the accumulated problems make flexibility work and certain partnered lifts painful. These are the contestant’s own statements; DMM has not independently verified a diagnosis, imaging, the precise anatomy involved or any medical restriction.

Cameron continues to be listed with professional partner Sharna Burgess for the October 20 contemporary to Ed Sheeran’s “Supermarket Flowers,” dedicated to mothers, in ABC/Disney Television Press’s October 14 lineup. The lineup is a scheduling confirmation, not a medical clearance. No verified withdrawal, revised dance assignment or producer-announced substitution was found at this reporting checkpoint. Earlier DMM reporting on a separate rehearsal mishap involving Burgess remains part of the historical record; it should not be conflated with Cameron’s newly reviewed self-report.

Sources: Bachelor Nation, October 16 (Cameron’s first-person video summarized); ABC/Disney Television Press, October 14 (official scheduled song, style and partnership). Video: Cameron’s TikTok is linked by the first source; playback/embedding was not independently verified, so no embed has been inserted. Media: No new unlicensed photograph or unverified video has been added.

Jenna Dewan and Alan Bersten Appear Together in Official DWTS Preview Ahead of Their Viennese Waltz

First joint preview after the partner switch: On Sunday, October 18, the official Dancing with the Stars Instagram account shared a short Story featuring Jenna Dewan alongside substitute professional Alan Bersten. Dewan identified their October 20 Viennese waltz to the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” and said she was excited for the performance. Parade reported the clip at 4:53 PM ET; Us Weekly separately described the official-account footage. The clip establishes that the newly paired performers are publicly preparing together; it is not evidence of a completed dance, an assessed rehearsal or a new casting decision.

BBC Studios’ previously announced one-episode absence for Val Chmerkovskiy remains the reason Bersten is stepping in. The song, dance style and dedication to Dewan’s mother, Nancy, are unchanged. ABC has not announced a revised score, judging rule or second replacement. For the full chronology, see DMM’s verified suspension and partner-change feature and Dedication Night guide.

Sources: Parade, October 18, 4:53 PM ET (official-account Story); Us Weekly, October 18 (independent report of official Story); ABC/Disney Television Press, October 14 (original dance/song/dedication). Official video: Instagram Story reported by two outlets; no verified permanent, embeddable official URL was identified. Media: No unlicensed photograph or unverified video embed has been added.

Maura Higgins Seen Returning to DWTS Rehearsals After Neck-Pain Scare; Paso Doble Remains Scheduled

Training-status follow-up, with a verification limit: A report published on October 18 by The Sun shows Maura Higgins arriving for Dancing with the Stars rehearsals after the neck pain she disclosed during Super Bowl Night preparations. The report describes her return to the training location, not a physician’s clearance, a complete pain-free rehearsal or proof that the condition has resolved. No official ABC injury-status bulletin or diagnosis was found in this check.

Higgins previously told viewers that her neck discomfort had persisted for weeks; she and professional Mark Ballas nevertheless completed their October 13 tango and earned 33/40. ABC’s current October 20 assignment lists their Paso Doble to Dropkick Murphys’ “I’m Shipping Up to Boston”, dedicated to Ireland. That assignment remains announced, but any choreography adjustments, movement limitations or medical restrictions are unverified.

Sources: The Sun, October 18, 23:07 UK / 6:07 PM ET (arrival at rehearsal; photographic report); RTÉ, October 14 (Higgins’s own account of persistent discomfort); ABC/Disney Television Press, October 14 (official Paso Doble and song). Media: No unlicensed photograph or unverified video embed has been added.

Gleb Savchenko Questions Alan Bersten’s Technique as DWTS Dedication Night Substitution Draws Debate

A new professional-dancer response, not a casting change: Former Dancing with the Stars pro Gleb Savchenko criticized Alan Bersten’s dance quality and technique in a TikTok livestream circulated in a fan recording. In October 18 reporting, Us Weekly quoted Savchenko questioning Bersten’s artistic level and asking why production selected him rather than another available professional or troupe member. Just Jared separately reported the remarks. These are Savchenko’s opinions, not independently established assessments of Bersten’s technical ability.

The confirmed October 20 arrangement remains unchanged: Bersten will partner Jenna Dewan for a Viennese waltz to the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody,” dedicated to her mother, Nancy, while Val Chmerkovskiy sits out one episode under BBC Studios’ announced decision. Neither Bersten nor Dewan had publicly responded to Savchenko’s remarks in the reporting reviewed. No official replacement reversal, judging decision or revised choreography has been announced.

Sources: Us Weekly, October 18 (reported fan-recorded livestream); Just Jared, October 18 (independent reporting); ABC News (confirmed substitution). Media: the circulating TikTok recording was not independently authenticated for official embedding or cleared for reuse; no new photograph or video has been added.

Questions About Val Chmerkovskiy’s Absence Keep Building Before Dedication Night; His Status Is Unchanged

Public interest, not a new suspension: By Sunday morning, October 18, two questions kept surfacing online: what Val Chmerkovskiy said about Carrie Ann Inaba, and whether he has been suspended from Dancing with the Stars. The answers had not changed since the producers’ decision the day before.

The verified competition position is unchanged: BBC Studios said Val Chmerkovskiy would sit out the October 20 episode following his inappropriate social-media post; Alan Bersten is the announced substitute professional partner for Jenna Dewan on her Viennese waltz to “Unchained Melody.” The episode has not yet aired. There is no newly confirmed additional suspension, permanent departure, replacement change, score adjustment or lift-rule amendment in this check.

Revised October 22, 2026: headline and wording edited for clarity; detailed audience-interest figures moved to DMM’s internal records. The reporting, dates and sources are unchanged.

Sources: ABC News / Good Morning America (producer decision and Bersten replacement, published October 17). Media: no new official usable performance video or rights-cleared photograph was identified for this update.

Louis van Amstel Backs Carrie Ann Inaba’s Lift Call but Urges Clearer DWTS Rules for Troupe-Assisted Choreography

A technical perspective from an original Dancing with the Stars professional: Louis van Amstel said in an October 17 Instagram video that he agreed with judge Carrie Ann Inaba’s criticism of a lift during Jenna Johnson and Harry Shum Jr.’s October 13 samba. He also argued that the show should clarify how lift restrictions apply when backup or troupe dancers, rather than the competing partner, provide the assistance. His comments were reported October 18 by Us Weekly and Parade.

Van Amstel questioned whether lifts are being called consistently across different routines. He proposed that a revised rule explicitly address lifts performed with help from either the partner or additional dancers. This is his suggested clarification, not an announced rulebook amendment or official determination of a new violation. The October 13 score for Shum Jr. and Johnson remains 33/40; no revised score or deduction has been confirmed. The separate one-episode absence of Val Chmerkovskiy, and Alan Bersten’s announced substitution with Jenna Dewan on October 20, remain unchanged.

Sources: Us Weekly, October 18 (reporting on van Amstel’s October 17 Instagram video); Parade, October 18, 5:28 AM ET (additional on-record context); ABC News, October 17 (unchanged production decision). Media: no official new video embed or rights-cleared image was verified for this update; van Amstel’s statements are attributed to the reported Instagram video.

Val Chmerkovskiy Remains Out for DWTS Dedication Night as Questions About His Absence Continue

The verified production decision has not changed: Val Chmerkovskiy is scheduled to miss the October 20 Dancing with the Stars episode, and Alan Bersten will partner Jenna Dewan for her Viennese waltz honoring her mother Nancy. An ABC News report appearing early October 18 repeats the producer's previously announced action; it does not establish a new suspension, permanent departure or further change to the competition. What was new in this check was public attention, not a new decision: online questions centered on what Chmerkovskiy said about Carrie Ann Inaba and whether he had been suspended.

Revised October 22, 2026: headline and wording edited for clarity; detailed audience-interest figures moved to DMM’s internal records. The reporting, dates and sources are unchanged.

Sources: ABC News report carried October 18, 12:44 AM ET; ABC News original October 17 confirmation; ABC/Disney announced song and dance. Media: no newly verified licensed image or official replacement-dance video was added.

ABC Confirms Jenna Dewan and Alan Bersten Pairing for Dedication Night as Val Chmerkovskiy Sits Out

ABC News has now independently confirmed the October 20 professional-partner switch: Jenna Dewan will perform with Alan Bersten while Val Chmerkovskiy sits out Dedication Night following the producer's response to his social-media post. ABC's October 17 report, published at 6:35 PM ET, quotes BBC Studios and says Dewan is aware of the change and has remained professional and respectful of the process. The original decision and Bersten's identity were already reported earlier Saturday; this is a new first-party confirmation, not a second suspension or an additional casting change.

The upcoming Viennese waltz to the Righteous Brothers' “Unchained Melody,” dedicated to Dewan's mother Nancy, remains the announced assignment. The revised partnership makes the practical work of rebuilding ballroom connection, timing and rotation the dance story to watch on October 20. Neither ABC nor BBC Studios has reported a new score, elimination, lift-rule amendment or permanent removal of Chmerkovskiy.

Revised October 22, 2026: headline and wording edited for clarity; detailed audience-interest figures moved to DMM’s internal records. The reporting, dates and sources are unchanged.

Sources: ABC News / Good Morning America, October 17, 6:35 PM ET (producer statement, Bersten and Dewan); ABC/Disney, October 14, original song/style/dedication. Media: ABC's report includes Disney photographs but no new licensed image or verified replacement-dance video was added.

Val Chmerkovskiy Sits Out DWTS Dedication Night; Alan Bersten Steps In With Jenna Dewan

Dancing with the Stars professional Val Chmerkovskiy will not participate in the October 20 Dedication Night episode, following his social-media remark about judge Carrie Ann Inaba. Producer BBC Studios confirmed the decision in an October 17 statement reported by Deadline, Variety and Us Weekly. The Hollywood Reporter reports that Alan Bersten will partner Jenna Dewan for Tuesday's scheduled Viennese waltz. This is a temporary professional-partner change, not Dewan's elimination.

BBC Studios described Chmerkovskiy's post as inappropriate and said he would not take part in next week's show. The response follows his October 15 apology to Inaba after a deleted reference widely interpreted as alluding to Will Smith's 2022 Oscars confrontation. The underlying October 13 dispute concerned Inaba's criticism of Jenna Johnson and Harry Shum Jr.'s samba. No new ABC lift-rule clarification or revision to the couple's 33/40 has been announced. The production statement does not establish any sanction beyond the upcoming episode.

October 20 assignment: Jenna Dewan with substitute pro Alan Bersten · Viennese waltz · “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers · tribute to Dewan's mother Nancy. ABC's October 14 preview originally named Chmerkovskiy; the October 17 producer statement and subsequent reporting supersede that partnership listing for this episode. The ten remaining celebrities and guest judge Kym Johnson are unchanged in the verified reports.

Read DMM's complete breaking-news report and dance analysis →   Updated Dedication Night guide →   October 15 apology report → (forthcoming)

Sources: BBC Studios statement quoted by Us Weekly, October 17; Deadline, October 17, producer action; The Hollywood Reporter, October 17, Alan Bersten replacement; ABC/Disney, October 14, original song/style/honoree. Media: No independently verified official video of the partner change or unreleased October 20 dance; no new photo or unlicensed embed added.

Amber Glenn's Sister Brooke Will Join Her and Pasha Pashkov on the DWTS Dedication Night Dance Floor

Amber Glenn's October 20 contemporary tribute is becoming a family performance, not simply a dance about a family member. In an original interview published by Parade on October 16 at 3:46 PM ET, professional partner Pasha Pashkov confirmed that Glenn's sister Brooke will appear in the number and is learning choreography for a substantial portion of it. ABC had already announced that Glenn and Pashkov would dance contemporary to Sia's “Breathe Me”, dedicated to Brooke; the sister's planned participation is the newly reported staging detail.

Glenn described Brooke as a source of support during a difficult period in her life and said the dance is her way of expressing gratitude. Pashkov told Parade that the sisters have been working together in rehearsal. His account establishes an intended onstage role for Brooke, but neither the final choreography nor its execution can be assessed before the live broadcast. Glenn's personal account should not be turned into an unverified medical claim.

The report does not announce a new contestant, a score change, an injury or a competition-format revision. Ten celebrity-pro couples remain. See DMM's complete October 20 songs, dances and dedications guide →

Sources: Parade, Mike Bloom, October 16, 3:46 PM ET — original Glenn/Pashkov interview; ABC/Disney Television Press, October 14 — official song, style, honoree and episode date. Media: No footage of the unreleased performance is available to verify; no third-party photograph is reproduced or hotlinked. Existing newsroom media and credits remain intact.

DWTS Super Bowl Night Draws 6.59 Million Viewers and Over 70 Million Votes as Key-Demo Rating Hits Nine-Year Non-Finale High

ABC's October 16 ratings release confirms that the October 13 Dancing with the Stars Super Bowl Night attracted 6.59 million viewers and earned a 1.56 rating among adults 18–49. The network identifies the demographic result as Season 35's highest to date and its strongest non-finale episode in that age group since May 1, 2017. The episode drew over 70 million fan votes and 2.9 million social interactions, according to the same official release.

The Nielsen Live+Same Day figures show total viewership increasing 2% from 6.44 million the previous week, while the adults 18–49 rating increased 11% from 1.41. ABC also reports that the show led Tuesday television overall in audience and ranked first in broadcast/cable social interactions. These are three different measures: television viewing, social activity and ballots cast. The voting figure does not reveal how many individuals voted, how votes were distributed among couples or whether a specific routine caused the increase. Earlier this season, Yacht Rock Night drew 7.12 million viewers, so the new milestone is specifically the 18–49 rating, not an all-season total-viewer record.

The episode also ended with the elimination of Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson after their season-best 22/40 salsa. Ten couples advance to Dedication Night. The new ratings announcement does not alter competition scores, placements or the October 20 lineup. Read DMM's complete ratings and voting analysis → (forthcoming) · Week 5 scores and elimination.

Official sources: ABC/Disney Television Press, October 16, ratings and voting; ABC/Disney Television Press, October 1, prior audience benchmark; ABC/Disney, October 8, official Super Bowl Night repertoire. Media: Official release links to Disney editorial photos; none are rehosted or embedded without verified reuse rights. No video is necessary to document Nielsen data; existing credited videos and images remain unchanged.

Harry Shum Jr. Calls for Joy and Respect After DWTS Samba Controversy

Harry Shum Jr. has offered a public response to a difficult week in the Dancing with the Stars ballroom, asking viewers to remember the joy of dance and recognize the people behind the competition. In a Friday, October 16 Instagram message reported by Entertainment Weekly at 6:11 p.m. ET, Shum praised fellow contestants and reflected on the experience following the October 13 samba dispute involving professional partner Jenna Johnson and judge Carrie Ann Inaba.

Rather than relitigate the judges’ ruling, Shum highlighted the distinctive contributions of the cast. He celebrated Guillermo Rodriguez’s exuberance following his elimination, Tatyana Ali’s representation and commitment, Julia Stiles’ connection to her film-dance history, and Jenna Dewan’s generosity toward him when he was a younger creative. He also acknowledged his own determination to keep performing with confidence. These are Shum’s personal reflections, not an ABC statement or an official resolution of the judging debate.

The context remains important: Johnson and Shum’s October 13 samba to Usher’s “Yeah!” received 33/40. Inaba questioned both recognizable samba content and a troupe-assisted lift; Johnson subsequently said she would take the feedback. Professional dancers have since expressed differing views on how the lift rule should apply to additional performers. No revised score, formal lift-rule clarification or change in the October 20 Dedication Night lineup has been announced.

Sources: Entertainment Weekly, October 16, 6:11 PM ET (quotes and reports Shum’s public statement); Shum’s Instagram post (linked by EW; direct playback not independently tested); Entertainment Weekly, October 13 (samba scoring and critique). No newly verified official video embed or licensed still is available for this response; previously credited DMM media remain unchanged.

Julia Stiles Says Heath Ledger Tribute Rehearsals Brought Unexpected Tears — The Challenge for Ezra Sosa

Julia Stiles says she became emotional while rehearsing her October 20 tribute to the late Heath Ledger. In a first-person interview given October 15 at the InStyle Imagemaker Awards and reported by Entertainment Weekly on October 16 at 2:14 p.m. ET, Stiles said that revisiting scenes and voices from 10 Things I Hate About You stirred memories she had not expected to feel so intensely. The reaction was described as occurring during rehearsal, not during a completed televised performance.

Stiles and professional partner Ezra Sosa are scheduled to perform contemporary to Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” on Tuesday, October 20. The song recalls Ledger’s serenade in the 1999 film. Stiles and Sosa have said they want the choreography to balance grief with the joyful energy of the original scene. No Dedication Night score or final routine has been broadcast. ABC has confirmed the assignment and the 10-couple field.

Sources: Entertainment Weekly, October 16, 2:14 PM ET (Stiles first-person interview); ABC / Good Morning America, October 15 (official assignment); ABC/Disney Television Press, October 14 (episode release). No newly verified official video embed or newly licensed image was available for this development; existing DMM media and credits remain unchanged.

Sharna Burgess Explains DWTS Lift Rules and Calls for Clearer Guidance on Troupe-Assisted Moves

Sharna Burgess has offered a technical explanation of which Dancing with the Stars dance styles permit lifts. In an October 15 social-media video and comment documented by Us Weekly on October 16, the Season 35 professional said that the five standard ballroom dances and five standard Latin dances do not permit lifts, while jazz, salsa, contemporary, Argentine tango and Charleston can include them. She also distinguished a lift, where a dancer is supported off the floor, from a directional or timing assist during a leap.

Responding to the October 13 samba performed by Jenna Johnson and Harry Shum Jr., Burgess said she could understand both Johnson’s troupe-assisted interpretation and Carrie Ann Inaba’s concern. She described the ensemble question as a possible loophole and argued that guidance should be clearer. This is Burgess’s professional interpretation, not a newly issued ABC rule or an official reversal of the judging decision. Johnson and Shum’s 33/40 remains unchanged.

Sources: Us Weekly, October 16 (Burgess video/comment account); ABC/Disney Television Press, October 14 (unchanged Week 6 field). No newly verified official video embed or newly licensed image was available for this development; existing DMM media and credits remain unchanged.

Kim Kardashian Revisits Her DWTS Dance Anxiety and Says She Would Consider Returning

In an October 15 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kim Kardashian revisited her 2008 Dancing with the Stars experience with professional partner Mark Ballas. She said she was so self-conscious about dancing that she cried in her trailer and hoped to be eliminated. Kardashian and Ballas exited Season 7 after three weeks. Her comments were reported on October 16 by Us Weekly, and the original interview is identified in the official Jimmy Kimmel Live! video listings.

Kardashian also described watching old ballroom footage with her family and recognizing movements she still remembered. With greater confidence now, she said she would be willing to return and floated the idea of a Kardashian-Jenner family competition. This was a hypothetical conversation, not an ABC casting announcement, a confirmed new season format or a Season 35 contestant change.

Season 35 context: The current competition remains at 10 couples after the October 13 elimination. ABC’s October 14 release confirms Dedication Night on Tuesday, October 20, with Kym Johnson as guest judge. Kardashian has not been announced as a contestant or guest judge, and no change to the broadcast or voting format has been verified.

Sources: Us Weekly, October 16 (interview report); Jimmy Kimmel Live! October 15 guest listing; ABC/Disney Television Press, October 14 (current competition). The original Kimmel interview video was identified in official-channel listings, but its direct playable embed URL was not independently verified; no unverified embed or unlicensed photograph has been inserted.

Val Chmerkovskiy Apologizes to Carrie Ann Inaba as DWTS Samba Debate Turns to Professional Respect

Val Chmerkovskiy has publicly apologized to Dancing with the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba for a since-deleted social-media remark that many interpreted as an allusion to Will Smith striking Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards. In an October 15 Instagram Story reported by Us Weekly and The Hollywood Reporter, the competing professional dancer said he had reached out to Inaba privately, regretted the reference and would take greater care with his platform. Inaba had earlier responded to coverage of his comment on Instagram; no response to the apology itself was verified by this check.

The dispute followed Inaba’s October 13 critique of Jenna Johnson and Harry Shum Jr.’s samba to Usher’s “Yeah!” Inaba questioned the amount of samba content and identified a lift. Johnson has explained why she did not expect the troupe-assisted moment to be judged as a partner lift. The couple’s 33/40 score stands. ABC has announced no new lift-rule interpretation, score revision or disciplinary action connected with the exchange.

What happens next: Johnson and Shum are scheduled for an October 20 Dedication Night foxtrot to John Mayer’s “Stop This Train.” Chmerkovskiy and celebrity partner Jenna Dewan are scheduled for a Viennese waltz to “Unchained Melody.” Both assignments come from ABC/Disney’s October 14 release; no next-week score or result is known.

Read: DMM’s complete apology, choreography and professional-conduct analysis → (forthcoming)

Sources: Us Weekly, Oct. 15 (first-person apology transcribed); The Hollywood Reporter, Oct. 15; People, Oct. 15 (Inaba’s earlier response); ABC/Disney Television Press, Oct. 14 (upcoming dances). No official apology video or newly licensed image was verified for embedding.

Witney Carson Reflects on Dancing Through Pregnancy After DWTS Exit: The Work Behind Five Weeks

Witney Carson is adding a firsthand account of the professional work behind her five-week partnership with Guillermo Rodriguez. In an E! News interview published October 15 at 5:45 PM ET, the two-time Mirrorball champion said she and Rodriguez were at peace with their October 13 elimination. She described being physically tired after performing while pregnant with her third child and spoke about the difficulty of adjusting to bodily changes on live television.

Carson also reported back pain after the competition and said she was ready for rest. These are her own descriptions; the interview does not establish a medical diagnosis, a DWTS production decision about her health, or that her pregnancy affected the viewer vote. Rodriguez and Carson finished with their season-best 22/40 salsa to Bad Bunny’s “Tití Me Preguntó.” The elimination stands, and the ten remaining couples continue toward October 20 Dedication Night.

Related DMM coverage: Carson and Rodriguez’s post-elimination television dance; Week 5 results and scores. Media: The publisher’s original interview is linked below. No unverified clip, third-party photograph or new image is embedded.

Sources: E! News, October 15, 5:45 PM ET — Carson’s firsthand interview; ABC/Disney Television Press, October 14 — ten couples and next broadcast.

Tatyana Ali Reveals James Avery Tribute for DWTS Dedication Night: A Fresh Prince Legacy in Waltz

The final previously undisclosed Dedication Night honoree has been identified. On October 15, Tatyana Ali revealed that she will honor her late Fresh Prince of Bel-Air co-star James Avery, who played her television father Philip “Uncle Phil” Banks. Her professional partner Jan Ravnik will dance a Viennese waltz with her to Nancy Wilson’s “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am” on Tuesday, October 20. The revelation followed the planned Thursday announcement on the Dancing with the Stars Official Podcast; ABC’s October 14 press release had confirmed the song and style but withheld her dedication.

Ali has also shared a public remembrance of Avery as a formative teacher and supporter. The official podcast’s October 15 episode lists Ali and Ravnik among its guests. A reported surprise element remains unannounced; DMM is not naming a guest performer, on-floor appearance or choreographic role before confirmation. No October 20 performance, score or elimination has occurred.

Read the full DMM feature: Tatyana Ali’s James Avery tribute — the Fresh Prince connection and what the Viennese waltz demands →. Official media: Listen to ABC/Disney’s October 15 official podcast episode; Ali’s public tribute post. No unverified video, guest appearance or new photograph is embedded.

Sources: ABC/Disney Television Press, Oct. 14 — confirmed dance and song; ABC/Disney official podcast, Oct. 15 — Ali/Ravnik guests; Tatyana Ali, public tribute, Oct. 15; October 15 report of Ali’s podcast announcement.

Witney Carson and Guillermo Rodriguez Reunite for a Final Dance After Their DWTS Elimination

Elimination ended their scored competition, but not their televised dance partnership. On the October 14 broadcast of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, professional dancer Witney Carson joined Guillermo Rodriguez and host Jimmy Kimmel for a short, lighthearted farewell dance. Entertainment Weekly documented the reunion in a report published October 15 at 10:27 AM ET. Carson turned with both men on the studio floor, extending a partnership that had ended on Tuesday's Dancing with the Stars Super Bowl Night.

Rodriguez and Carson were eliminated on October 13 after their salsa to Bad Bunny's “Tití Me Preguntó” earned 22/40, their best judges' score of the season. The new studio dance was not a return to DWTS competition, was not judged and did not change the elimination or the remaining ten-couple field. Kimmel's tribute also revisited the training journey of a novice dancer whose growing confidence had become part of the season's story.

Related DMM reporting: Kimmel praises Carson's coaching after elimination; Week 5 scores and elimination. Media: Entertainment Weekly identifies the original Jimmy Kimmel Live! broadcast and accompanying YouTube footage. A direct official segment embed was not independently verified at this check, so no video or unlicensed photograph is inserted.

Sources: Entertainment Weekly, October 15, 10:27 AM ET — original October 14 studio-dance report; ABC/Disney Television Press, October 14 — ten remaining couples and next episode.

Harry Shum Jr. Details the Samba Steps He Learned as DWTS Choreography Debate Continues

Harry Shum Jr. has responded directly to criticism that his October 13 samba with Jenna Johnson contained too little samba. In comments beneath an official Dancing with the Stars Instagram post, reported by Cosmopolitan on October 15 at 8:26 AM ET, Shum identified slingshots, promenade runs and whisks as steps he had worked to learn. He described the movement vocabulary as unfamiliar to his body and defended the work behind a routine set to Usher’s “Yeah!” His response followed Carrie Ann Inaba’s criticism of the samba content and a separate disagreement about a troupe-assisted lift.

Shum also distinguished the couple’s earlier tango and jive assignments, arguing that he and Johnson have tried to honor each week’s dance form while interpreting the music and production theme. This is the contestant’s account of the material he practiced, not independent proof that every figure was executed correctly or that the choreography met the judges’ desired samba-content threshold. The 33/40 score has not changed; no official ABC lift-rule revision or scoring appeal has been established.

Related DMM coverage: Maks and Peta on the samba/lift distinction; Jenna Johnson’s explanation; lift-rule precedent. Media: official DWTS Instagram discussion (post linked by the reporting; comment access may require Instagram login). No new image or video is embedded because an independently verifiable licensed asset or working official embed was not established.

Sources: Cosmopolitan, October 15, 8:26 AM ET — Shum’s first-person Instagram comments and listed samba figures; DWTS official Instagram post — referenced primary discussion, access not independently confirmed; ABC/Disney Television Press — official Super Bowl Night schedule.

Maks Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd Question DWTS Troupe-Lift Ruling but Agree Samba Content Matters

Two former Dancing with the Stars professionals have added a new technical distinction to the debate over Jenna Johnson and Harry Shum Jr.’s October 13 samba. On the October 15 episode of The Viall Files, Maks Chmerkovskiy argued that the lift definition read by judge Carrie Ann Inaba concerns a dancing partnership and does not clearly address a celebrity lifted by additional troupe performers. Peta Murgatroyd said she also understood why Johnson was confused by the ruling. The episode is listed by the podcast publisher, and their comments are reported by Us Weekly.

Crucially, Chmerkovskiy did not reject the technical criticism altogether. He agreed that Johnson and Shum’s Usher-inspired routine needed more recognizable samba content, while questioning whether the ensemble-assisted aerial movement should have been treated as a prohibited partner lift. His position separates two issues that can be conflated in coverage: the quantity and quality of samba movement and the scope of a lift restriction when troupe dancers enter a competitive couple’s number. Johnson and Shum received 33/40; that score is unchanged. Neither the interview nor ABC’s published materials establish a new rule, overturned score or formal adjudication.

Earlier DMM coverage: Val Chmerkovskiy’s response; 2019 lift-rule precedent; Johnson’s postshow explanation. No new image or video has been embedded; an official clip of the podcast’s relevant passage was not independently verified.

Sources: The Viall Files, Episode 1204, released October 15 — publisher listing confirming Maks and Peta’s DWTS lift discussion; Us Weekly, October 15 — reported remarks and samba-content distinction; ABC/Disney Television Press, October 8 — official Super Bowl Night assignment.

Alfonso Ribeiro Helped Bring Sean Patrick Thomas Onstage for Julia Stiles’ DWTS Dance-Film Tribute

Sean Patrick Thomas did more than watch Julia Stiles’ Save the Last Dance tribute from the audience. In a firsthand account published by Entertainment Weekly at 11:38 p.m. ET on October 14, professional dancer Ezra Sosa explained how cohost Alfonso Ribeiro suggested bringing Thomas into the staging during rehearsal. Production accommodated the idea: the camera cut to Thomas standing beside Sosa as Stiles performed a solo passage, recreating the supportive visual relationship between Derek and Sara in the 2001 film. Thomas was an onstage cameo participant, not a credited competing dance partner.

The October 13 jazz to Jennifer Lopez’s “Jenny from the Block [Track Masters Remix]” earned Stiles and Sosa 33/40, their highest total to that point. Stiles told the interviewers that costumes, props, lighting cues and camera placement made rehearsal complicated. The additional detail clarifies earlier descriptions of Thomas as an audience guest: he attended the show and appeared in the televised stage composition. It does not alter the judges’ result or the previously reported dance style.

Where to read and watch: DMM’s updated full dance-history feature, official performance video and credits (forthcoming); Week 5 scores and elimination. No new image is used and no unverified external video embed has been added.

Sources: Entertainment Weekly, October 14, 11:38 p.m. ET — original Sosa/Stiles account of Ribeiro’s staging suggestion; ABC/Disney Television Press, October 8 — official jazz assignment.

Connor Wood Questions His DWTS Samba Score but Defends the Judges; Rylee Arnold Faces a Technique Test

Connor Wood thought his October 13 samba with professional partner Rylee Arnold might mark a breakthrough. The judges saw a different technical picture. The pair earned 25/40 for their Dancing with the Stars Super Bowl Night samba to Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie.” In an Entertainment Weekly backstage interview published October 14 at 4:24 p.m. ET, Wood said he had expected stronger scores after completing the routine. The four marks were 6, 6, 7 and 6; the couple advanced while Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson were eliminated.

Bruno Tonioli identified problems with hip-and-foot action and timing; Derek Hough also highlighted weight transfer as an area for improvement. The criticism was about recognizable samba technique, not whether the performance entertained the room. In a separate October 14 interview with Us Weekly, Wood said he did not fully agree with his score but also considered audience booing of the judges excessive. Arnold praised his effort, while both described the challenge of preparing this samba.

What is and is not established: The 25/40 judges’ score, their criticism and the couple’s survival are documented. Neither Wood’s remarks nor the audience reaction establishes an ABC scoring error, a rules change or the number of viewer votes the couple received. Read DMM’s complete Week 5 results and the October 20 songs-and-dances guide.

Sources: Entertainment Weekly, Oct. 14, 4:24 PM ET — original backstage interview and technical feedback; Us Weekly, Oct. 14 — original Wood/Arnold interview; ABC/Disney Television Press, Oct. 8 — official Super Bowl Night samba assignment; ABC/Disney Television Press, Oct. 14 — confirmed Dedication Night Viennese waltz. No unlicensed photo or unverified video embed has been introduced.

Val Chmerkovskiy Defends Jenna Johnson After DWTS Lift Critique; the Samba Rule Debate Continues

Professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy has publicly challenged the tone of Carrie Ann Inaba’s critique of his wife and fellow pro Jenna Johnson. In a TikTok comment documented by Entertainment Weekly on October 14 at 4:47 p.m. ET, Chmerkovskiy urged the judge to “put some respect” on Johnson after the October 13 Dancing with the Stars broadcast. Us Weekly and Parade independently reported his response. It follows Inaba’s objection to an ensemble-assisted lift during Johnson and Harry Shum Jr.’s samba to Usher’s “Yeah!” The couple received 33/40 and advanced.

Inaba had distinguished the routine’s halftime-show spectacle from the samba content she wanted to see and read aloud a definition of a lift. Johnson said afterward that she had understood the restriction as applying when one partner lifts the other; the movement in question involved troupe members lifting Shum. She also said she respected the judge’s role and would take the feedback. The public comments by Chmerkovskiy concern the manner of the critique; they do not change the published score, establish a new lift rule or prove an inconsistent adjudication.

The dispute has generated additional social commentary, including reports of a separate, subsequently deleted post by Chmerkovskiy. DMM has not independently authenticated that deleted post and is not treating online interpretations as evidence of a threat, disciplinary proceeding or action by ABC.

Related DMM reporting: Johnson’s firsthand explanation →  ·  The 2019 lift-definition precedent  ·  Full Week 5 scores.

Sources: Entertainment Weekly, Oct. 14, 4:47 PM ET — original report and captured social response; Us Weekly, Oct. 14 — Val and Jenna’s comments; ABC/Disney Television Press — official Super Bowl Night programming. No new unlicensed image or unverified video embed has been added.

Tyler Cameron Says DWTS Is About Growth, Not Only the Best Dancer, After Guillermo Rodriguez’s Exit

Tyler Cameron is challenging the idea that the strongest technician must always advance. In remarks reported by Entertainment Weekly on October 14 at 9:28 p.m. ET, the Season 35 contestant reflected on Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson’s elimination after their highest-scoring routine, a 22/40 salsa on October 13. Cameron argued that the competition also gives viewers a way to recognize progress, personal transformation and the experience of learning to dance.

Cameron, partnered with professional dancer Sharna Burgess, described their weekly work as an evolving partnership and acknowledged that viewer support matters to his own place in the competition. His comments were made in a post-show social-video recap and subsequently reported by Entertainment Weekly; they are his perspective on the competition, not an announcement of a change to ABC’s voting or judging rules.

Related DMM coverage: Week 5 results and all scores →  ·  DMM Watching: scoring, growth and audience response  ·  Week 6 Dedication Night guide.

Source: Entertainment Weekly, October 14, 2026, 9:28 PM ET — report of Cameron’s first-person social-video remarks. ABC’s October 14 episode release confirms the existing viewer-vote and judges’-score combination. No newly verified official performance video or image accompanies this follow-up.

ABC Adds Four Dedication Night Showcase Numbers, Including Two Pro-and-Troupe Routines

An October 14 ABC/Disney Television Press release now independently confirms the ten October 20 couple assignments and reveals four additional musical numbers. Two are explicitly billed as professional-dancer and troupe routines, expanding Dedication Night beyond the celebrity competition and providing a new showcase for the dancers who sustain the broadcast between scored performances.

Updated DMM guide: All 10 couple assignments plus ABC's additional pro/troupe showcases →. Earlier ten-couple announcement.

Primary source: ABC/Disney Television Press, October 14, 2026 — Dedication Night official episode release. The release confirms Kym Johnson's guest-judge appearance, all ten song/style assignments and the additional music. No October 20 performance video or individual ensemble credits are yet verified.

DWTS Dedication Night 2026: All 10 Songs and Dances Revealed; Julia Stiles to Honor Heath Ledger

All ten October 20 dance styles and song selections are now public through a People exclusive published October 14 at 6:36 p.m. ET. Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa will perform contemporary to Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” in memory of Stiles’ 10 Things I Hate About You co-star Heath Ledger. It follows their October 13 Save the Last Dance jazz and turns two successive episodes into an unusual screen-to-stage dance-history sequence.

Other newly reported pairings include Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach (contemporary, “Bloodline” for Frech’s mother), Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov (contemporary, “Breathe Me” for Glenn’s sister), and Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas (paso doble, “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” for Ireland). Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik have a Viennese waltz to Nancy Wilson, but the honoree is scheduled to be revealed October 15 on the official DWTS podcast. This is a reported preview, not a claim that ABC has issued a separate written song list.

Read the complete guide: All 10 couples, songs, styles, dedications and DMM analysis →. Related: Julia Stiles’ film-to-ballroom story (forthcoming).

Source: People, October 14, 2026, 6:36 PM ET — exclusive Week 6 assignments. DMM’s movement observations are original editorial analysis. No October 20 performance video is yet available.

Kym Johnson Returns as DWTS Dedication Night Guest Judge — A Pro Dancer Back at the Table

Two-time Mirrorball champion Kym Johnson-Herjavec is set to join the Dancing with the Stars judging panel for Dedication Night on Tuesday, October 20. Host Alfonso Ribeiro announced her return during the October 13 Super Bowl Night broadcast, according to October 14 reporting by the Deseret News and USA TODAY Network. Ten celebrity-pro couples remain after Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson’s elimination.

Johnson won the U.S. competition with Donny Osmond in Season 9 and Hines Ward in Season 12. She returned as a Dedication Night guest judge in 2025, and ABC officially identified her as a guest judge for the August 24, 2026 semifinal of Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro. Her return to the main competition adds the perspective of a former professional partner and dance teacher to a week built around personal storytelling.

What remains unconfirmed: ABC’s episode-specific press release for October 20 had not appeared in its accessible Season 35 press listings at this check. Individual Dedication Night songs, dance styles and honorees have not been officially released. DMM is reporting the on-air announcement as corroborated by the two news accounts, not attributing a new written press release to ABC.

Sources: Deseret News, Oct. 14 — Ribeiro’s announcement · USA TODAY Network, Oct. 14 — Dedication Night guest judge · ABC/Disney Television Press — Johnson’s Aug. 24 guest-judge credit.

Read the latest lift-rule analysis →  ·  Season 35 Live Dashboard →

A 2019 DWTS Clip Resurfaces: Carrie Ann Inaba Gave Jenna Johnson the Same Lift Definition

The October 13 lift discussion has a documented television precedent. Entertainment Weekly reported on October 14 that a resurfaced Season 28 clip shows Carrie Ann Inaba reading essentially the same lift definition to professional dancer Jenna Johnson in 2019, when Johnson was partnered with Karamo Brown. In that earlier exchange, Johnson questioned whether a starting position counted as a lift; guest judge Leah Remini also joined the discussion.

Seven years later, Inaba again cited the rule after Johnson and Harry Shum Jr. performed a Super Bowl-themed samba to Usher’s “Yeah!” The October 13 routine featured two ensemble dancers supporting and lifting Shum. Johnson subsequently explained that she had not expected a lift performed by additional dancers, rather than by her, to be assessed the same way. Shum and Johnson received 33/40; no later scoring change has been reported.

Verification boundary: The 2019 clip and exchange are described by Entertainment Weekly; DMM has not independently authenticated an official ABC-hosted version of the archival footage. Neither ABC nor the competition has announced a new rule or changed the October 13 score.

Sources: Entertainment Weekly — resurfaced 2019 exchange (October 14) · TV Insider — which dance styles allow lifts (October 14) · Entertainment Weekly — Johnson’s post-show response. No third-party video has been embedded without verified playback permission.

Read Johnson’s post-show explanation →  ·  Original October 13 judging report →  ·  Week 5 scores →

Jenna Johnson Explains the Ensemble Lift Behind Carrie Ann Inaba’s Samba Critique

Jenna Johnson has clarified what she understood about the lift called out during Harry Shum Jr.’s October 13 samba. In a post-show interview with Extra, subsequently reported by Us Weekly and Entertainment Weekly on October 14, Johnson said she had not expected a movement in which two additional male dancers supported and lifted Shum to trigger the same criticism as a conventional partner lift. She said she respected Carrie Ann Inaba’s feedback and had spoken with the judge afterward.

During the broadcast, Inaba had questioned the amount of recognizable samba content and read a definition of a lift that refers to both feet leaving the floor with assistance or support. Johnson’s explanation narrows the disagreement to how an ensemble-supported move was understood within the competition’s dance rules; it does not establish that ABC changed or waived a rule. Johnson and Shum scored 33/40 and remain in the competition.

What is not established: No official ABC announcement confirms a new lift rule, an additional disciplinary sanction, or a change to the reported 33/40 score. The exact application of the broadcast definition to ensemble dancers has not been independently clarified by ABC in a written ruling.

Sources: Us Weekly — Johnson’s post-show Extra interview · Entertainment Weekly — October 14 follow-up · E! News — separate post-show interview with Johnson and Shum. These interviews are linked, not embedded; playback permissions were not independently confirmed.

Read the original October 13 judging report →  ·  Week 5 scores →  ·  DMM Watching →

Ezra Sosa Says Julia Stiles’ Save the Last Dance Tribute Was a Choreography Pivot, Not the Original Plan

New firsthand reporting explains why the October 13 routine looked different from a conventional ballroom jazz. In an Entertainment Weekly interview published October 14 at 12:10 p.m. ET, Julia Stiles and professional partner Ezra Sosa said the Save the Last Dance homage was not their original plan. Sosa urged a full commitment to the film reference even though they were uncertain how judges would respond. The pair earned 33/40, Stiles’ highest score to date, for jazz to Jennifer Lopez’s “Jenny from the Block.”

Stiles told EW that she now feels more comfortable in her own skin than she did when the film was made. Sean Patrick Thomas, her co-star in the 2001 film, attended the broadcast. Read DMM’s full film-history and choreography feature → (forthcoming)

Watch: Official Dancing with the Stars performance clip →

Source: Entertainment Weekly — direct Stiles/Sosa interview, October 14, 12:10 PM ET.

Pasha Pashkov Explains the Family and Touring Workload Behind His 2027 DWTS Tour Break

Pasha Pashkov has added his own account to the previously reported Daniella Karagach tour decision. Speaking to Us Weekly after the October 13 broadcast, he said years of consecutive DWTS seasons and travel with their daughter, Nikita, made a pause necessary. The official 2027 Dancing with the Stars: Live! cast does not currently list Pashkov or Karagach. Both have left open the possibility of occasional appearances; no specific guest dates have been announced.

The official 2027 tour roster → lists the announced cast and notes that the lineup is subject to change.

Sources: Us Weekly, October 14 — direct Pashkov interview; official 2027 cast. No confirmed cancellation or replacement of their Season 35 television roles.

Jimmy Kimmel Praises Witney Carson’s Choreography After Guillermo Rodriguez’s DWTS Elimination

Witney Carson’s teaching work became the focus of a new post-elimination exchange. During the October 13 broadcast of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Jimmy Kimmel spoke remotely with Carson and Guillermo Rodriguez after their exit from Dancing with the Stars. Kimmel joked that the result was an “outrage,” but he also singled out Carson’s choreography and the range of situations she created for a beginner performer. Rodriguez and Carson had just earned 22/40 for their salsa to Bad Bunny’s “Tití Me Preguntó” — their highest judges’ score of the season — and were eliminated.

Kimmel and the pair joked about taking legal action; the exchange was comic, not an announced legal challenge. A graphic discussed in subsequent coverage compared their YouTube views with another couple’s views. Those figures were presented on Kimmel’s show, not independently audited here, and video views are not DWTS votes. ABC has not released the viewer-vote totals, so DMM does not infer that the elimination contradicted the combined scoring result.

Watch / verified official video: October 13 Jimmy Kimmel Live! monologue and backstage interview on the program’s YouTube channel → (the full segment includes other topics). Full Week 5 scoreboard and DMM analysis →

Sources: Entertainment Weekly, October 14, 11:26 AM ET — Kimmel/Carson interview and elimination; TheWrap, October 14 — original broadcast account; ABC/Disney press gallery — official photograph. No new result, medical diagnosis or voting-policy change is reported.

Brandon Armstrong Explains the DWTS Work That Continues After Elimination

For a Dancing with the Stars professional, leaving the celebrity competition does not necessarily mean leaving the production. In a People interview published October 14, Brandon Armstrong described returning to opening-number rehearsals, short on-air dance segments ("bumpers"), ensemble work and preparation around tour announcements after his Week 4 elimination with Ciara Miller. He said that, without the celebrity-partner rehearsal schedule, the work can sometimes become even busier.

Armstrong also said celebrity rehearsal hours are capped. That is his description of the production process, not a separately published ABC labor policy. His remarks do not establish a specific new choreography credit, a confirmed 2027 tour booking for him or any change to the Season 35 results. His earlier comments about Miller’s unperformed Dedication Night concept remain a separate, already documented story.

Source: People, October 14 — direct Brandon Armstrong interview. The interview also discusses a lighthearted costume-color superstition; DMM’s news value here is Armstrong’s description of the continuing professional workload, not the superstition. DMM Watching →

Maura Higgins Says Neck Pain Has Persisted for Weeks; DWTS Tango Draws Specific Technique Critique

Maura Higgins has given a more specific account of the neck discomfort that was first visible during Super Bowl Night rehearsals. Following her October 13 tango with Mark Ballas to Rihanna’s “Only Girl (In the World),” Higgins said her neck had been troubling her for weeks and credited the show’s physiotherapist, Dr. Gina Minchella, with helping her. The pair earned 33/40 and advanced to October 20’s Dedication Night. Ireland’s RTÉ reported the remarks on October 14.

Judge Derek Hough praised the tango’s topline but said Higgins’s head and neck traveled too far backward during a contra check, interrupting the line of the spine. Carrie Ann Inaba separately asked for more sharply completed movement, while Bruno Tonioli praised the couple’s ease and elegance. These are assessments of the performed movement; they do not establish that a particular step caused or worsened Higgins’s reported discomfort.

Status: Higgins remains in the ten-couple field. No diagnosis, formal medical restriction, withdrawal or revised Week 6 assignment has been confirmed. DMM will not label her condition a specific injury or predict whether it will affect Dedication Night.

Sources and watch: RTÉ — October 14 first-person remarks and judges’ comments · TV Insider — score and rehearsal context · ABC/Disney official photo identification. No new independently verified official performance embed was identified in this check.

Read all Week 5 results and DMM’s choreography analysis →

Julia Stiles Revisits Save the Last Dance on DWTS as Sean Patrick Thomas Watches

Twenty-five years after Save the Last Dance, Julia Stiles returned to its movement vocabulary on a live ballroom stage. On October 13, Stiles and pro Ezra Sosa performed a jazz routine to Jennifer Lopez’s “Jenny from the Block [Track Masters Remix],” drawing on hip-hop and ballet references from the 2001 film. Her former co-star Sean Patrick Thomas watched from the audience. The routine scored 33/40; the film reunion is newly drawing national search attention.

Official Dancing with the Stars performance video. Watch on YouTube →

The official ABC/Disney Super Bowl Night press gallery identifies both Stiles and Sosa (183835_L1004134.jpg) and Thomas (183835_L1004166.jpg). Images are not hotlinked; DMM will use rehosted files only after editorial-use rights are confirmed. The official DWTS Instagram video also includes Thomas reflecting on the reunion.

Sources: ABC/Disney Press photographs · ABC News, September 2 cast reunion · TV Insider, October 13 performance and cameo · TheWrap, choreography and score.

Read DMM’s full dance-history and choreography analysis → (forthcoming)

DWTS Week 5 Results: Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson Eliminated on Super Bowl Night; Dewan and Frech Tie at 36/40

Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson were eliminated on October 13. Their salsa to Bad Bunny’s “Tití Me Preguntó” scored 22/40 (Inaba 6, Hough 5, Buck 6, Tonioli 5), the lowest total of the night but Rodriguez’s best of the season on a percentage basis. Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess, 30/40 for a Dirty Dancing-inspired jazz, were the other couple in the final group. Ten couples remain.

Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy (paso doble, “Bad Romance”) and Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach (salsa, “Hot in Herre”) tied for first at 36/40. Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov were next at 34/40. Guest judge Joe Buck joined Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli, and former contestants Emmitt Smith, Donald Driver, DeMarcus Ware and Danny Amendola returned for the theme.

DMM Dance Lens: The judges tracked real growth in Rodriguez, from a 10/30 cha-cha in Week 1 to a salsa Inaba said “brought the joy back.” His exit came on his strongest night because the field rose faster: seven couples scored 33/40 or higher. Stiles’s Save the Last Dance callback, which Tonioli called her best dance, and Higgins completing her tango through neck pain were the night’s other technique stories.

Sources: Just Jared — all Week 5 scores; TV Insider — elimination; TheWrap — judges’ comments; LateNighter — Rodriguez scores and farewell; MEAWW — final group; photographs: ABC/Disney Television Press.

Full Week 5 results and analysis →  ·  Live Dashboard →

Jenna Johnson and Carrie Ann Inaba Disagree Over Lift and Samba Content in Harry Shum Jr.’s DWTS Routine

A ballroom-rule disagreement became one of Super Bowl Night’s most revealing technical exchanges. Harry Shum Jr. and professional partner Jenna Johnson earned 33/40 for their samba to USHER’s “Yeah!” featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris on October 13. After the performance, judges Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba praised the production’s energy but called for clearer traditional samba content. Inaba also identified what she considered a lift, prompting Johnson to question the interpretation.

Inaba read a lift definition describing a moment when a dancer’s feet leave the floor with assistance or support from the partner. Johnson subsequently said she understood the critique and had been working with a different definition. Derek Hough praised the performance while identifying a separate heel-lead issue. Neither the reported exchange nor the 33/40 score establishes that an official point deduction was imposed for the disputed movement. Shum and Johnson advanced; the episode’s eliminated partnership remained Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson.

What remains unverified: ABC has not announced a new lift policy or a formal disciplinary finding in connection with this routine. DMM is not treating the televised disagreement as proof of favoritism, altered scoring, or any effect on the viewer vote. The four-judge total of 33/40 is the published result.

Watch and verify: ABC’s official Dancing with the Stars episode page (episode playback availability varies by posting and location). A verified, separately embeddable official clip of this particular samba was not available at this check, so DMM is not embedding an unverified third-party upload.

Sources: ABC/Disney Television Press — official Super Bowl Night samba assignment and four-judge format; Entertainment Weekly — October 13, 10:42 PM ET, reported on-air dialogue and 33/40 score; Entertainment Weekly — complete Week 5 results context.

Week 5 scores and choreography record →  ·  DMM’s judging analysis →  ·  DMM Watching →

DWTS Super Bowl Night Live: Amber Glenn Scores 34/40; Maura Higgins Performs Through Neck Pain

Super Bowl Night is in progress. In the October 13 live episode, Amber Glenn and professional partner Pasha Pashkov received 34/40 for their samba to J Balvin and Willy William’s “Mi Gente.” Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas received 33/40 for their tango to Rihanna’s “Only Girl (In the World)” after Higgins described increasing neck discomfort during rehearsal. The couple performed; the available reporting does not establish a diagnosed injury, a withdrawal, or a medical prognosis.

DMM Dance Lens — what the scores mean: Glenn’s samba drew praise for rhythmic confidence, body movement and greater variation in interpretation. Cameron and Burgess’s jazz included a prominent overhead lift; judges acknowledged improved timing and lines. Wood and Arnold’s samba received critiques for timing and missing bounce action. These are distinct technical judgments, not interchangeable measures of showmanship. Higgins’ neck discomfort adds a rehearsal-safety question: posture and head placement are fundamental to tango, but no clinical diagnosis should be inferred from a televised rehearsal segment.

The episode also marks a cross-media experiment: Joe Buck joins the three regular judges while the couples perform songs associated with past Super Bowl halftime shows. ABC’s official October 8 release confirms the guest judge and format. Buck’s appearance should not be confused with a permanent judging-panel change.

Official media: The DWTS account has published Amber Glenn’s performance post and Maura Higgins’ performance post, linked in contemporaneous coverage. These are external links, not rehosted footage; direct playback was not independently verified. No third-party photo is hotlinked.

Sources: ABC/Disney Television Press — official Super Bowl Night format and guest judge; People — October 13 live performance reporting; TV Insider — live scores and technical critiques.

DMM Watching →  ·  Live Dashboard →

Britt Stewart Addresses the “Justice for Britt” Movement and the Work Behind a DWTS Partnership

Professional dancer Britt Stewart has given a substantial first-person account of what followed her Week 3 elimination with Taylor Hanson. In a new interview with Glamour published October 13, Stewart discusses the “Justice for Britt” fan campaign, the emotional weight of repeated early exits, what makes a celebrity partner competitive, and the professional experience that viewers do not see in the weekly results.

The competitive record has not changed: Stewart and Hanson earned 18/30 for their September 29 foxtrot to the Doobie Brothers’ “What a Fool Believes” and were eliminated that night. Stewart describes the difficult moment of believing she had let her partner down, even as she emphasizes the relationship, training and progress they had developed. The interview is a new reflection on a past elimination, not a new DWTS result, a reinstatement or a confirmed future casting decision.

The interview also documents Stewart’s path from concert, screen and commercial dance into ballroom, and her leadership with Share the Movement, which supports young BIPOC dancers. Her significance as the show’s first Black female professional dancer is not reducible to whether she has reached a finale. That larger history makes this story worth preserving beyond this week’s episode.

Read DMM’s full analysis: Britt Stewart, the “Justice for Britt” campaign, and the professional work behind DWTS →. This companion page examines her career, teaching method, representation and the limits of the “ringer” argument without repeating the original interview.

Sources: Glamour — Perrie Samotin’s original October 13 interview; ABC News / GMA — verified elimination record; ABC — official Stewart cast biography; ABC News / GMA — original September 30 elimination video. No Glamour photograph or unlicensed broadcast footage is reproduced.

DMM Watching →  ·  Live Dashboard →

Dylan Efron Joins Rylee Arnold and Connor Wood for a Super Bowl Night Samba-Roll Rehearsal

A former DWTS finalist has returned to the rehearsal room — this time as a playful movement partner, not a contestant. In a video shared by professional dancer Rylee Arnold and reported October 13 by Parade and EntertainmentNow, Season 34 finalist Dylan Efron joins Arnold and Season 35 celebrity partner Connor Wood to work through a three-person version of the samba roll. Arnold's video presents the cameo humorously, with Efron stepping in to demonstrate the movement as the couple prepares for tonight's samba.

The scheduled competition routine is unchanged: Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold are set to perform a samba to “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean on ABC's October 13 Super Bowl Night. Efron is not listed among the 11 competing couples, and the social clip does not establish that he has joined the show's professional roster or will appear in the televised dance. ABC/Disney's official lineup confirms the pairing, dance style and music.

Sources: Rylee Arnold's original Instagram video; Parade, Oct. 13, 6:41 a.m. ET; EntertainmentNow, Oct. 13, 10:48 a.m. update; ABC/Disney Television Press, Oct. 8 official songs and dances.

DMM Watching →  ·  Season 35 Live Dashboard →

Brandon Armstrong Reveals the Ciara Miller DWTS Dedication Night Dance Viewers Never Saw

A performance that never reached the ballroom now has a documented creative history. In an original interview published by People on October 13 at 3:02 p.m. ET, professional dancer Brandon Armstrong described the Dedication Night concept he and former partner Ciara Miller had been developing before their October 6 elimination. Miller had worked as a nurse in New York, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their proposed routine would have honored nurses and the people who cared for patients during that period.

Armstrong said their idea drew on Florence Nightingale’s association with a lamp: a small light motif would have helped carry the story, and the team considered inviting other nurses into the performance. Those details are an unrealized concept, not a filmed, rehearsed-to-completion or officially scheduled routine. The interview did not establish a song, dance style, final casting, music clearance or completed choreography. Miller and Armstrong were eliminated on Mariah Carey Night after their jazz to “Emotions” received 21/30; their competition status has not changed.

Armstrong also described the guilt he felt that Miller’s improvement and storytelling opportunity ended early. DMM distinguishes his personal response from any claim that the vote was manipulated: no new scoring error, voting malfunction or production ruling is established by this interview. The official October 13 Super Bowl Night lineup still features 11 competing couples, without Miller and Armstrong.

Sources and verification: People — Tabitha Parent’s October 13 original interview with Armstrong; ABC/Disney Television Press — official October 13 lineup and 11 remaining couples. No image or video of the unperformed dance exists in these verified sources; DMM has not invented an embed or reused restricted press photographs.

DMM Watching →  ·  Ciara Miller’s elimination →  ·  Live Dashboard →

Ezra Frech Details the Prosthetic Choices Behind His DWTS Dance Training

Paralympic champion Ezra Frech is explaining what it takes to turn prosthetic movement into ballroom technique. In a new first-person interview published by People on October 13 at 2:48 p.m. ET, Frech described the repeated experimentation involved in preparing each routine with professional partner Daniella Karagach, including choosing between a walking prosthesis and a running blade. The interview also addresses his experience of disability representation and his commitment to making sport more accessible through Angel City Sports.

The mechanical-knee and prosthetic-choice details are not newly discovered technology. Frech and Karagach previously explained the running blade’s rebound and stability trade-offs in September. What is new is Frech’s October 13 account of the continuing process and why visibility matters to him. His Week 4 rumba scored 24/30; ABC’s confirmed October 13 assignment remains a salsa to “Hot in Herre” by Nelly. No new score, medical injury or competition withdrawal is reported.

Frech has spoken publicly about the importance of seeing disabled performers in mainstream entertainment. His continued collaboration with Karagach places that representation alongside a practical account of musicality, partner communication and technical problem-solving. DMM will watch how their salsa handles changes of direction, grounded rhythm and partner connection under tonight’s faster musical demands.

Sources: People, October 13, 2:48 p.m. ET — original Frech interview; Entertainment Weekly, September 23 — prior blade mechanics explanation; ABC/Disney Television Press, October 8 — official Super Bowl Night assignment. No third-party interview photograph or video is reproduced without confirmed rights.

DMM Watching →  ·  Season 35 Live Dashboard →

Brian Austin Green Explains His DWTS Audience Absence as Sharna Burgess Returns to the Ballroom

Brian Austin Green says childcare logistics, rather than a lack of support, help explain why he has not been in the Dancing with the Stars audience for every performance by his fiancée, professional dancer Sharna Burgess. In an interview published October 13 by Us Weekly, Green said it has become harder to bring young children to the studio and that the family now coordinates which nights he can attend. That account is Green’s description of attendance restrictions, not an independently announced ABC policy change.

Burgess returned to the professional lineup for Season 35 after five years away. Green said he supports her whether he is watching in the ballroom or at home, and acknowledged that the intensive rehearsal and production schedule has required the family to adjust. His new comments provide firsthand context amid earlier public discussion of the couple’s time apart. They do not establish a problem between Burgess and her celebrity partner, Tyler Cameron, or a change to the competition.

Competition status: ABC’s October 8 official lineup still lists Burgess and Cameron for an October 13 jazz to “The Time (Dirty Bit)” by Black Eyed Peas. No new injury, withdrawal, score or elimination is confirmed. The prior October 13 DMM rehearsal-safety update remains a separate record.

Sources: Us Weekly, October 13 — original Brian Austin Green interview; Us Weekly, October 9 — earlier account of supporting Burgess’s return; ABC/Disney Television Press, October 8 — official Super Bowl Night assignment. No unlicensed interview image or unverified video has been added.

DMM Watching →  ·  Season 35 Live Dashboard →

Sharna Burgess Says She Is Okay After Tyler Cameron Rehearsal Stunt Goes Wrong

Sharna Burgess has reassured viewers that she is okay after a rehearsal stunt with Season 35 partner Tyler Cameron went wrong. According to a report published by Parade on October 12 at 10:41 p.m. ET, Cameron had shared the older rehearsal footage on October 9. During an attempted turning maneuver, Burgess was struck by Cameron’s arm and fell to the floor. She later responded to concern in the comments, saying she was okay. No new injury diagnosis, competition withdrawal or change to the pair’s scheduled October 13 performance has been announced.

The footage is a flashback, not an accident that occurred on October 12 or 13. Parade reports that the video predates Burgess’s September 25 hair-color change. The rehearsal exchange included a suggestion to use gym mats before attempting the movement again. DMM is not treating social-media concern as medical evidence, and the available reporting does not establish that the stunt is part of the pair’s upcoming competition choreography.

Next verified competition assignment: ABC/Disney lists Cameron and Burgess for a jazz to the Black Eyed Peas’ “The Time (Dirty Bit)” on Super Bowl Night, Tuesday, October 13, at 8 p.m. ET. Their latest completed competition score remains 21/30 from the October 6 foxtrot. The rehearsal footage does not change the standings.

Sources: Parade, October 12 — report on Cameron’s October 9 post and Burgess’s reassurance; ABC/Disney Television Press, October 8 — official Super Bowl Night assignment. The original social clip was not independently retrievable for embed verification; no copied footage or unlicensed image is inserted.

DMM Watching →  ·  Season 35 Live Dashboard →

Val Chmerkovskiy Says He Would Welcome a Male DWTS Partner — a New Choreography Challenge

Val Chmerkovskiy says he would welcome the chance to dance with a male celebrity on a future season of Dancing with the Stars. In an original interview published by RadarOnline on Monday, October 12, at 6:30 a.m. ET, the two-time Mirrorball champion said he wants to challenge himself creatively after many seasons in the ballroom. This is a stated professional ambition, not an ABC casting announcement or confirmation of a new partnership.

The discussion builds on the show’s established history. ABC documented Jenna Johnson’s landmark partnership with JoJo Siwa in Season 30, Gleb Savchenko’s partnership with Shangela in Season 31, and Hailey Bills’ Season 35 pairing with Sarah Jane Nader. Chmerkovskiy currently competes with Jenna Dewan; their October 13 assignment remains a paso doble to Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.” Neither the present partnership nor the published competition record has changed.

What is confirmed: Chmerkovskiy’s quoted interest, prior same-sex partnerships and the upcoming official Week 5 assignment. What remains unconfirmed: any future male celebrity, production approval, season, choreography plan or change to DWTS pairing policy. DMM will update this record if ABC makes an official announcement.

Verified sources: RadarOnline, October 12 — original attributed interview; ABC News — historical same-sex DWTS partnerships; ABC/Disney Television Press — October 13 official lineup. No interview image or video has been copied or embedded without verified reuse rights.

DMM Watching →  ·  Season 35 Live Dashboard →

Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson Plan More Glee References in DWTS Choreography

Harry Shum Jr. and his professional partner Jenna Johnson want to weave more Glee references into their future Dancing with the Stars performances. In an exclusive People interview published Sunday, October 11, at 1:30 p.m. ET, the pair described the possibility of including recognizable details from the musical series in their routines. The comments describe an intention, not a confirmed theme, song choice or staging plan for a particular future episode.

The partnership has already tested the approach. During its September 29 Yacht Rock Night jive to Daryl Hall & John Oates’ “You Make My Dreams (Come True),” Shum wore a mustache recalling his Glee character Mike Chang in the series’ use of the same song. Former castmates Amber Riley and Chris Colfer attended that episode. Shum and Johnson earned 24/30 for the jive; the score is a past result, not a prediction of future performances.

Next test: ABC’s official October 13 Super Bowl Night lineup assigns Shum and Johnson a samba to “Yeah!” by Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris. No Glee reference has been officially announced for that routine. DMM will watch the samba’s bounce action, rhythm and partnering rather than infer an unconfirmed Easter egg.

Verified sources and official media: People, October 11, 2026 — original Shum/Johnson interview; ABC/Disney Television Press — official Super Bowl Night lineup. The original interview includes the September 29 routine video link; no third-party image is rehosted or embedded without verified rights.

DMM Watching →  ·  Season 35 Live Dashboard →

Emma Slater Explains Her DWTS Waltz Footwork — The Lift Rule Behind a Viral Detail

Professional dancer Emma Slater says an unusual-looking foot position during her October 6 waltz with Jackson Olson was a deliberate attempt to keep contact with the floor, not a careless approach to ballroom technique. In an October 10 comment on a viewer’s TikTok, reported by Us Weekly on October 11, Slater responded to criticism that her foot appeared sickled while Olson pulled her backward. She explained that she was trying to prevent an unintended lift that might cost the partnership a judging point.

Slater did not confirm that the foot was actually sickled, and the account does not establish that a point was deducted. The pair earned 21/30 for their waltz to Mariah Carey’s “Without You” and remain among the 11 couples scheduled to compete on October 13. Their result and the upcoming dance assignment are independently consistent with ABC’s official episode records.

What comes next: ABC confirms that Olson and Slater are assigned a salsa to “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars for Super Bowl Night on Tuesday, October 13. DMM will watch how their frame, timing and footwork translate from the slower waltz into salsa without presuming a future score.

Sources and official media: Us Weekly, October 11 — Slater’s October 10 first-person TikTok explanation and waltz context; ABC/Disney Television Press, October 1 — official Week 4 waltz assignment; ABC/Disney Television Press, October 8 — official October 13 salsa assignment. The original social post is not re-hosted or embedded without verified usage rights.

DMM Watching →  ·  Season 35 live dashboard →  ·  All Newsroom updates →

Jackson Olson and DWTS Pros Reach the Banana Bowl — Dance Moves Beyond the Ballroom

The first Banana Bowl took place at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, October 10, with Dancing with the Stars participants among the event’s featured guests. An October 9 Good Morning America segment previewed the Savannah Bananas’ collaboration with DWTS professionals. In post-event reporting published October 11, Us Weekly confirmed that DWTS cast members appeared at the event and described a ninth-inning choreographed sequence featuring all six Banana Ball teams and the Jonas Brothers. Season 35 contestant Jackson Olson performed with the Bananas; the Texas Tailgaters won the championship.

The available reporting does not establish which individual DWTS professionals performed in which segments, or provide a verified full choreographic credit list. DMM will not attribute the Jonas Brothers sequence to specific DWTS choreographers without primary footage or credits. The confirmed crossover nevertheless documents how television-trained performers and a sports-entertainment ensemble can share a national stage.

Verified sources and official media: ABC News / Good Morning America, October 9 — official pre-event video about the DWTS-pro crossover; Us Weekly, October 11 — post-event reporting on appearances and the Jonas Brothers sequence; ABC/Disney Television Press, October 8 — official Olson/Slater October 13 salsa assignment. No unverified post-event clip is embedded; the original ABC News segment is linked rather than re-hosted.

DMM Watching →  ·  Season 35 live dashboard →  ·  All Newsroom updates →

Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov Explain Their Viral DWTS Split — and Why the Movement Requires Caution

Amber Glenn and professional partner Pasha Pashkov say viewers began recreating their upside-down split almost immediately after the October 6 performance. In an original Extra rehearsal interview published October 9, Pashkov said their first reaction was concern about people getting hurt. Glenn said an earlier attempt at the movement had gone badly for her, and both cautioned viewers about attempting it without proper preparation.

The reaction reveals how quickly a difficult television movement can circulate outside the rehearsal room. A figure skater may bring unusual flexibility and body awareness to the ballroom, but a partnered inverted position is not a casual challenge: it depends on practiced support, alignment, timing and safe entry and exit. DMM is reporting the dancers’ warning, not providing instructions for viewers to recreate the stunt.

Next dance: ABC’s October 8 press release confirms Glenn and Pashkov will perform a samba to “Mi Gente” by J Balvin and Willy William on Tuesday, October 13, Super Bowl Night. In the Extra interview, Pashkov said their routine will feature additional dancers. Glenn said samba is new territory for her and raised the possibility of carrying some of what she learns back to skating exhibitions. That is a promising dance-to-ice transfer question, not a claim that she has already performed samba on ice.

Verified sources: Extra, October 9 — original rehearsal interview, split reaction and safety cautions; ABC/Disney Television Press, October 8 — official samba assignment and broadcast details. The original publisher’s interview page is linked; no third-party video was copied or embedded without a confirmed official embeddable player.

Maura Higgins Responds to DWTS “Fixed” Rumor as Mark Ballas’ Rehearsal Work Takes Focus

Maura Higgins has addressed claims that Season 35 is arranged for her to win, treating the suggestion humorously rather than endorsing it. In an interview with former finalist Alix Earle, Higgins recalled a rumor about the competition being fixed in her favor and joked about whether that would mean she could stop learning choreography. Us Weekly reported the exchange on October 10. Neither the interview nor the report establishes that votes or judging are manipulated.

The verified dance record is more substantial. Higgins and professional partner Mark Ballas earned 25/30 for their October 6 waltz to Mariah Carey’s “If It’s Over”, including Season 35’s first 9. Higgins said she struggled with a double turn that Ballas considered removing; they kept it after continued rehearsal, and she completed the element in the live routine. Her account documents technical preparation and growing confidence, not a guarantee of any result.

What DMM is watching: whether the next dance demonstrates repeatable technical improvement across styles, how Ballas adjusts difficulty and rehearsal priorities, and whether any authoritative source discloses new voting or scoring information. The October 13 Super Bowl Night assignment is a tango to Rihanna’s “Only Girl (In the World).” Follow DMM Watching.

Verified sources: Us Weekly, October 10 — Higgins’ response and direct rehearsal quotes; Entertainment Weekly, October 7 — double-turn choreography account; Alix Earle’s original YouTube conversation. The interview is linked, not embedded; player availability and rights were not independently confirmed for this handoff.

Why So Many DWTS Pros Come From Utah: The Dance Training Pipeline Behind Season 35

A fresh October 9 examination of the Utah-to-Dancing with the Stars connection highlights a story larger than television casting: how years of cross-training, teaching and community investment prepare dancers for national visibility. Cosmopolitan identifies six Season 35 professionals with Utah ties, including Jenna Johnson, Witney Carson, Brandon Armstrong, Ezra Sosa, Rylee Arnold and Hailey Bills. The count reflects Utah connections, not a claim that all were born in the state.

The deeper training record comes from Deseret News’ November 2025 reporting inside Center Stage Performing Arts in Orem. Studio leader Kim DelGrosso and instructors describe how intensive ballroom instruction sits alongside ballet, jazz, hip-hop and contemporary training. The studio’s own program also lists tap, acro and musical theater. The relevant skill is not simply performing many styles; it is learning to switch musical and movement languages, then explain technique to someone else.

Important distinction: This is a newly surfaced professional-training story, not an ABC cast change, a new injury, a competition result or proof of preferential casting. Deseret News’ eight-of-twelve studio figure described Season 34 in 2025; Cosmopolitan’s six-of-sixteen Utah-ties count describes Season 35 in 2026. The two measures should not be conflated.

Full DMM feature: Read the complete Utah dance-training pipeline analysis → with the studio’s history, professional skills, teaching implications, a verified original documentary clip and source credits.

Verified sources: Cosmopolitan, October 9, 2026 · Deseret News, November 19, 2025 (original studio reporting) · Center Stage Performing Arts (official studio) · Deseret News original video.

Paige DeSorbo and Hannah Berner Question DWTS Voting After Ciara Miller’s Elimination — What the Dance Scores Actually Show

Ciara Miller’s October 6 elimination is generating a new debate about how Dancing with the Stars weighs technical progress against audience preference. On the October 9 episode of their Giggly Squad podcast, Miller’s friends and former Summer House colleagues Paige DeSorbo and Hannah Berner criticized the outcome. DeSorbo used the word “rigged”; Berner explicitly said she did not know whether the show was rigged and questioned how results are determined when couples perform different dance styles and professionals have different levels of public recognition.

The confirmed competitive record is narrower. Miller and professional partner Brandon Armstrong earned 21/30 for their jazz routine to Mariah Carey’s “Emotions” — her highest judges’ score of Season 35 — and were eliminated that evening. Jackson Olson and Emma Slater also scored 21/30, while Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson scored 13/30; those three couples were shown in jeopardy. ABC says judges’ scores and viewer votes are combined to determine who may be eliminated, but the show has not publicly provided vote totals for these three couples. A higher judges’ score alone does not establish who received more votes.

What is and is not confirmed: The comments were made by DeSorbo and Berner on October 9, not by ABC. There is no verified evidence of vote tampering, a scoring-rule change or a reversed elimination. Miller and Armstrong are out of the competition; 11 couples are preparing for October 13 Super Bowl Night. For DMM’s continuing record, see the Ciara and Brandon official-podcast analysis and Week 4 scores and elimination record.

Original media: Watch the October 9 Giggly Squad podcast episode on its original YouTube upload. The original video is linked rather than copied or rehosted; an independently confirmed embeddable player was not available for this update.

Sources: Us Weekly, October 9 (podcast reporting) · Giggly Squad, October 9 (original podcast) · ABC/Disney Television Press, October 8 (official voting explanation) · ABC Season 35 episodes.

Guillermo Rodriguez Explains Witney Carson’s DWTS Coaching as His Ballroom Journey Tests Technique and Audience Connection

In a new October 9 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Guillermo Rodriguez gives a firsthand account of what it takes to train with professional partner Witney Carson. Entering Season 35 without formal dance experience, Rodriguez says Carson continually redirects his attention toward posture, eye line, memorized steps and the character required by each routine. He also describes how demanding the rehearsals feel physically at age 55, particularly while balancing cross-country work travel.

Rodriguez discusses sore legs and back after training, but does not announce a diagnosed injury or a change to his competition status. He says he has learned to enjoy the live stage despite nerves. His partnership survived the October 6 elimination even after the “Obsessed” samba scored 13/30; Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong were eliminated after scoring 21/30 for their jazz routine.

What has not changed: Rodriguez and Carson remain among the 11 couples preparing for October 13 Super Bowl Night. No new elimination, voting-rule change or medical restriction was announced in the interview. The Los Angeles Times reporting is a newly published account of their existing training, not a new ABC casting or scoring announcement.

Official viewing: Watch Season 35 episodes through ABC. No independently verified, rights-cleared standalone video embed of this interview or the routine was available at publication.

Sources: Los Angeles Times, October 9 (original interview) · ABC Season 35 episode listing.

October 9, 2026 · 5:32 PM ET · Official Podcast · Super Bowl Night · Choreography

DWTS Confirms Four NFL Alumni Will Dance on Super Bowl Night as Val Chmerkovskiy Expands Jenna Dewan’s Paso Doble

The October 8 official Dancing with the Stars podcast has added a meaningful detail to ABC’s Super Bowl Night announcement. Host Andy Richter said that returning NFL alumni Emmitt Smith, Donald Driver, DeMarcus Ware and Danny Amendola will dance in the ballroom on Tuesday, October 13. ABC’s earlier press release had confirmed their appearances but had not specified that they would dance. The podcast statement, reported October 9, clarifies that distinction.

The same official podcast offered a choreography preview from professional Val Chmerkovskiy. For his “Bad Romance” paso doble with Jenna Dewan, he said they plan to bring in members of the troupe and additional dancers for the first time in their competitive partnership this season. That creates a new staging challenge: the ensemble must frame Dewan’s movement without concealing the paso doble’s shaping, attack and partnering technique.

Clarification to the October 8 record: the earlier ABC release established appearances only; Richter’s subsequent official-podcast statement specifies that all four alumni are scheduled to dance. The original Newsroom entry is retained as filed.

Full Week 5 guide: All 11 Super Bowl Night dances, opening medley, NFL alumni and professional/troupe performances → (forthcoming)

Official episode: Listen to the October 8 official DWTS podcast (Episode 5) · Watch the official podcast on Disney+. No independently verified unrestricted video embed was available for this update.

Sources: ABC/Disney Television Press, October 8 · Us Weekly, October 9 (podcast quotations) · Official DWTS podcast, October 8.

Ciara Miller Says DWTS Missed Her Full Story as Brandon Armstrong Defends the Value of Dance Progress

In a new first-person conversation, the eliminated partnership asks a larger question: what does a dance competition make visible when technical progress and a performer’s wider identity do not fit neatly into a television package?

Verified October 9 development: In the October 8 episode of the official Dancing with the Stars podcast, hosted by Andy Richter, Ciara Miller said she wished the show had presented more of her identity beyond a widely discussed Summer House relationship controversy. Miller pointed to her years working as an ICU nurse, her move to New York and other professional experiences. This is Miller’s assessment of her own portrayal; the interview does not establish that ABC deliberately suppressed material or changed the show’s editing policy.

Her professional partner, Brandon Armstrong, described the thoughtfulness and character he came to recognize during rehearsals. Miller, visibly emotional during the conversation, credited Armstrong’s patience and steady coaching as she learned unfamiliar steps and managed performance anxiety. She also described discovering stage fright and the pressure of trying to be perfect while competing live. Armstrong argued that measurable improvement deserves greater weight in how audiences evaluate a partnership, while recognizing that television competition results are not determined by technical progression alone.

The pair had been eliminated on October 6, Mariah Carey Night, after earning their personal-best 21/30 for a jazz routine to “Emotions”. They were not the lowest-scoring couple that evening; eleven partnerships remain for October 13 Super Bowl Night. Neither the podcast nor subsequent coverage disclosed individual vote totals or demonstrated that Miller’s portrayal caused her elimination.

Sources and verification: Entertainment Weekly, Oct. 9, 3:44 PM ET — reporting and first-person podcast excerpts · Us Weekly, Oct. 9 — additional direct podcast reporting · Disney+ — official podcast series · ABC — official Season 35 episode library.

DMM Watching →  ·  Week 4 scores →  ·  Original elimination report →

Carrie Ann Inaba Responds to DWTS Favoritism Claims as Witney Carson Defends Guillermo’s Character Choice

Two distinct public accounts reveal a real dance question beneath the Season 35 scoring dispute: how should judges separate performance characterization from technical execution?

October 10 update · Full DMM analysis: Carrie Ann Inaba Addresses DWTS Favoritism Claims as Witney Carson Pushes Back on Guillermo Critique → The full analysis separates characterization from samba technique, explains why unreleased vote totals cannot prove favoritism, and previews the Rodriguez/Carson Super Bowl Night salsa. The October 9 report below is preserved as published.

New October 9 development: Carrie Ann Inaba has addressed criticism of DWTS judging and allegations of favoritism. Responding on October 8 to a fan on Threads who questioned why Guillermo Rodriguez had survived longer than higher-scoring contestants, Inaba argued that a lower score does not automatically mean another competitor is a judge’s favorite. Her response was reported by Us Weekly on October 9. She distinguished a critique of a performance from a personal attack on the celebrity. This is Inaba’s public position, not evidence of a new ABC judging policy or a disclosure of viewer votes.

The dispute followed Mariah Carey Night on October 6, when Rodriguez and professional partner Witney Carson performed a samba to “Obsessed” and earned 13/30. Inaba questioned the absence of his usual visible joy; the studio audience booed. Rodriguez and Carson advanced while Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong were eliminated after scoring 21/30. The show combines judges’ scores with audience voting, but the actual vote totals have not been released.

The professional dancer’s response matters: in an original TV Insider interview published October 7, Carson explained that Rodriguez was portraying a more serious, diva-like character suited to the Mariah Carey song. She described Inaba’s comment as “out of pocket”. Carson’s interpretation addresses performance intent; it does not claim that the samba met every technical standard or establish how viewers voted.

Sources and verification: Us Weekly, October 9 — reporting Inaba’s October 8 Threads response; TV Insider, October 7 — original Witney Carson interview; ABC — Season 35 episodes; ABC — official voting and broadcast rules. The original Threads post was reported by Us Weekly but was not independently retrieved in this check.

DMM Watching →  ·  How voting works →  ·  Week 4 scores →

Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov’s Rumba Reaches The View as Hosts Attempt Its Signature Balance

A demanding supported balance from the October 6 routine is being recreated outside the competition — a revealing example of choreography traveling into popular culture.

On October 6, Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn and professional partner Pasha Pashkov closed DWTS’s Mariah Carey Night with a rumba to “Hero”. The pair earned 23/30. Among the most discussed moments was a supported balance in which Glenn leaned forward, lifted one leg high behind her and maintained contact with Pashkov. It drew particular attention from judge Derek Hough, who anticipated that viewers would attempt the move themselves.

October 9 development: The View co-hosts Sara Haines and Alyssa Farah Griffin posted a backstage Instagram reel attempting their own version. Haines raised her leg while Griffin supported her; the attempt ended in a tumble, and the hosts laughed about it. Their caption indicated no one was harmed. This was a social-media backstage recreation, not an announced change to the DWTS competition or a choreographed number on The View’s broadcast.

Sources and verification: Sara Haines / Alyssa Farah Griffin, original Instagram reel (identified through the original embedded post); TV Insider, October 9, 10:58 AM — reported account of the backstage recreation; ABC/Disney Television Press, October 1 — official rumba/song assignment; Official DWTS performance video. No new ABC competition-format announcement was identified.

DMM Watching: choreography and movement →  ·  Week 4 scores →

Carrie Ann Inaba Defends Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy: Ballroom Chemistry Is Part of the Work

An October 8 statement from a DWTS judge turns social speculation about a rumba into a more useful discussion of partnered-dance technique, trust and theatrical connection.

Following Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy’s October 6 rumba to Mariah Carey’s “My All”, some viewers interpreted the performers’ close contact as evidence of a personal relationship. The pair scored 24/30. Dewan’s fiancé, Steve Kazee, had already dismissed the speculation; DMM recorded his response in its October 8 report.

On October 8, judge Carrie Ann Inaba publicly defended the dancers in a comment reported by Us Weekly and other outlets. She described dancers as physically expressive people and urged viewers not to convert the professional connection into an unsupported personal allegation. Her intervention matters because it comes from someone who evaluates the couple’s performance, not simply a family member responding to online conversation.

In a separate post-show interview, Dewan said the competition has been physically, emotionally and mentally demanding. Chmerkovskiy described the pair’s progress as the product of difficult rehearsals and growing confidence. Their accounts support a dance-process reading of the performance; they do not substantiate the rumors.

Official media check: ABC confirms the October 6 rumba assignment; no newly verified, rights-cleared official clip specifically showing Inaba’s October 8 online statement was found. Existing credited episode media is unchanged.

Sources: Us Weekly, October 8 — Inaba’s reported comment and first-person dancer interviews · People, October 8 — corroborating public response · ABC/Disney Television Press, October 1 — official Mariah Carey Night routine.

Earlier Jenna/Val report →  ·  DMM Watching →

Emma Slater and Jackson Olson Rehearse Between Baseball Games as DWTS Fans Question What the Show Reveals

October 8 reporting and Slater’s own remarks illuminate a touring athlete’s ballroom training schedule—without establishing claims that producers deliberately concealed it.

Jackson Olson, a Savannah Bananas performer competing with Emma Slater, has had to balance travel, baseball performances and ballroom rehearsal. An independently shared clip of the pair practicing on a baseball field before the October 6 show prompted fans to ask why that work was less visible in the televised rehearsal packages. Parade reported the clip and reaction on October 8 at 10:06 p.m. ET.

Slater posted her own video on October 8, describing a difficult week for the partnership and expressing hope that Olson would enjoy his next performance. That is an on-record account of the emotional demands of competing; it is not confirmation that ABC intentionally withheld footage or treated one couple unfairly. Other contestants have also rehearsed around work commitments, including Harry Shum Jr. during filming and Guillermo Rodriguez during New York appearances.

Olson and Slater received 21/30 for their Week 4 waltz to Mariah Carey’s “Without You” and remain in the competition. The Washington Nationals’ official event page lists the October 10 Banana Bowl Championship at Nationals Park, giving DMM a concrete upcoming checkpoint for Olson’s travel and training schedule. The event itself is not evidence that any particular DWTS rehearsal has been canceled or shortened.

Official media check: The reported fan-filmed rehearsal clip is not an official ABC release, and the original platform post was not independently playable during this check. It is linked through its reporting source rather than re-hosted or embedded. Existing official DWTS media remains intact.

Sources: Parade, October 8, 10:06 p.m. ET — reported video, Slater’s statement and fan response · Washington Nationals / MLB — October 10 Banana Bowl Championship schedule · ABC/Disney Television Press, October 1 — official Week 4 waltz assignment.

DMM Watching →  ·  Week 4 scores →

Connor Wood Defends Learning to Dance as His Rylee Arnold Rumba Travels Beyond the Ballroom

An October 8 response to criticism, together with first-person accounts of the choreography, shows how a televised rumba can become a cultural talking point without becoming a technical triumph.

On October 6, Connor Wood and professional partner Rylee Arnold performed a rumba to Mariah Carey’s “Touch My Body” on Dancing with the Stars Mariah Carey Night. The judges awarded 19/30 (6, 6 and 7). Derek Hough recognized Wood’s developing stage presence but wanted stronger technical commitment; Bruno Tonioli praised his willingness to express himself while also flagging foot placement. Carrie Ann Inaba observed that the heightened character sometimes disrupted his movement. These are performance critiques, not an indication that the pair has left the competition.

On October 8, Cosmopolitan reported that Wood replied to an Instagram commenter who questioned his dancing ability by pointing out that the program is a place where people learn to dance. The outlet also reported that imagery from the routine appeared as cover art for a Spotify “Yearning” playlist. DMM could verify the published report, but not independently confirm the playlist’s current cover or any listening figures; playlist placement is therefore attributed to the outlet, not presented as a measured music-streaming result.

The dance-making story is more revealing. In a direct October 7 Us Weekly interview, Wood described a demanding late rehearsal process and explained that the floor sequence combined Arnold’s planned knee slide with a one-legged move he had learned outside ballroom training. An Extra interview filmed ahead of the episode also recorded Wood and Arnold describing the creative aim: to move Wood from a familiar comic persona into a more assured “leading man” on the floor. These accounts illuminate a professional’s challenge: finding a character a beginner can perform while still teaching the recognizable mechanics of rumba.

Watch / primary interview: Extra’s original Derek Hough interview with Wood and Arnold (October 6). The original publisher hosts the video; no unverified third-party embed or downloaded footage has been added.

Sources: Cosmopolitan, October 8, 3:14 p.m. ET — Wood’s public response and reported playlist artwork · Us Weekly, October 7 — first-person choreography and rehearsal account · TV Insider, October 6 — 19/30 and judges’ critiques · ABC/Disney Television Press, October 8 — official next-week samba assignment.

DMM Watching: choreography and professional development →  ·  Week 4 scoreboard →

Sharna Burgess’s DWTS Workload Enters Public Debate as Tyler Cameron Credits Her Coaching

Two October 8 interviews put the professional dancer’s labor — and the trust required to teach on live television — ahead of the relationship speculation surrounding the ballroom.

In reporting published October 8 at 8:54 p.m. ET, Entertainment Weekly documented former DWTS contestant Kaitlyn Bristowe’s criticism of social-media videos posted by Brian Austin Green, the fiancé of returning professional dancer Sharna Burgess. Green had spoken about loneliness while Burgess rehearses and competes with Tyler Cameron. In a separate video, Green apologized to Burgess and Cameron for distracting from their work and described her as devoting extensive daily hours to the competition. Those rehearsal-hour figures are Green’s description, not a schedule independently confirmed by ABC. Bristowe’s criticism is her opinion, not an official finding about the partnership.

A separate October 8 People interview provides the more substantial dance account. Burgess said her connection with Cameron has grown into a friendship rooted in mutual support; Cameron credited her instruction and encouragement with helping him recover from disappointment after Week 3. Their October 6 foxtrot to Mariah Carey’s “#Beautiful” earned 21/30, their highest score to that point. The interviews do not establish that any family dispute changed their choreography, training or competitive standing.

Verified reporting: Entertainment Weekly, October 8, 2026, 8:54 p.m. ET — Bristowe’s remarks and Green’s response · People, October 8, 2026, 1 p.m. ET — first-person Burgess/Cameron interview · Us Weekly, October 8 — contextual account of original posts · ABC/Disney Television Press — official October 13 assignments. Media: no independently verified embeddable official video specific to these remarks; no unlicensed third-party images added.

DMM Watching: professional dancer development →  ·  Week 5 competitors and routines →

Mark Ballas Nearly Cut Maura Higgins’ Double Spin Before Her 25-Point Waltz

An October 7 post-show interview reveals the choreographic judgment behind the highest-scoring dance of Mariah Carey Night: a difficult turn sequence nearly disappeared before the live broadcast.

After their October 6 waltz to Mariah Carey’s “If It’s Over,” Maura Higgins and professional partner Mark Ballas told Entertainment Weekly that a double spin had been unreliable in dress rehearsal. Ballas considered editing it out rather than asking Higgins to perform a move she did not feel ready to execute under television lights and audience pressure. Higgins asked to keep trying; the pair worked on it again, and Ballas decided to retain the sequence. The waltz earned 25/30, including the first nine awarded in Season 35.

Ballas explained that the move could feel different when the camera, lighting and crowd changed the performance environment. He framed the decision as a choreographer’s responsibility: not simply adding difficulty, but adjusting the material to the celebrity dancer’s confidence and reliable execution. Higgins described trusting her preparation and relaxing into the turn. Neither dancer said the spin alone caused the judges’ score, and DMM does not assign it a numerical value.

Related DMM coverage: Week 4 results, all scores and Ciara Miller’s elimination → (forthcoming) · Current Season 35 leaderboard →

Primary interview: Entertainment Weekly, Leigh Blickley, October 7, 2026, 4:08 p.m. ET. Official episode reference: ABC, Season 35 Episode 5: Mariah Carey Night. Video: no independently verified standalone official performance embed was located for this update; the ABC episode listing is the official viewing destination. Photo credit: Disney/Eric McCandless for the interview’s licensed press images; no third-party image is hotlinked or reproduced here.

ABC Adds Super Bowl Night Pro and Troupe Numbers, Opening Medley and Four Returning NFL Alumni

The official October 8 Disney Television Press release goes beyond the 11 celebrity routines: it identifies music for the opening and additional professional-dancer performances.

ABC/Disney Television Press has now identified the October 13 Super Bowl Night opening-number soundtrack: “NUEVAYoL” by Bad Bunny, “Rude Boy” by Rihanna and “HUMBLE.” by Kendrick Lamar. The release also lists additional professional and troupe performances set to “It’s Heavy Action (Monday Night Football Theme)” by APM, “In the Air Tonight” by Chris Stapleton and “Bootylicious” by Destiny’s Child. ABC did not publish individual choreography credits, a complete dancer roster for these numbers or a detailed running order in this announcement.

The episode will also feature appearances by four former NFL players who have competed on DWTS: Donald Driver, Emmitt Smith, DeMarcus Ware and Danny Amendola. Their appearances are confirmed; the release does not say that all four will perform competitive or exhibition dances. Joe Buck remains the confirmed guest judge, and the previously announced 11 celebrity-couple song and dance assignments remain unchanged.

Full guide: DWTS Super Bowl Night: all 11 songs and dances, opening music, pro/troupe numbers and NFL alumni → (forthcoming)

Official source: Disney Television Press, October 8, 2026, full Super Bowl Night announcement. Media: no independently verified official video of these October 13 performances is available yet; the music and alumni appearances are scheduled, not broadcast results.

Kerry Washington Revisits Julia Stiles’ Save the Last Dance Set Advocacy as DWTS Renews Interest in the Film

A firsthand recollection of a difficult Chicago night shoot returns to the conversation around Stiles, Ezra Sosa and the difference between a dance film’s screen image and the people who make it.

In the October 1, 2026 episode of Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce, Kerry Washington praised former Save the Last Dance co-star Julia Stiles, now competing on Dancing with the Stars Season 35 with professional partner Ezra Sosa. Washington recalled a freezing exterior scene filmed in Chicago for the 2001 dance film. After director Thomas Carter requested another take, Washington said Stiles offered to continue if he first removed his warm coat. He did; according to Washington, that was their final take. The story circulated anew in reporting published October 8. This is not a newly recorded October 8 interview.

Washington described the moment as an early lesson in advocating for performers’ working conditions. Her recollection concerns a filmed acting scene, not a claim about who choreographed or danced the film’s routines. The distinction matters: the movie’s enduring dance identity was created through a collaboration of actors, dancers, choreographers, doubles, crews and editors. Stiles’ current ballroom work is a new, live test of her own dancing rather than a replay of what audiences saw on screen.

Verified sources: Not Gonna Lie, Episode 83, Oct. 1 — original first-person interview, 53:15 · BuzzFeed, Oct. 8 — renewed reporting with the source interview · DMM, Sept. 8 — documented dance-double credit.

DMM’s Julia Stiles screen-memory analysis →  ·  Meet Chryssie Whitehead, one of the dancers behind the film →  ·  DMM’s Season 35 dance-experience analysis →

Jimmy Kimmel Defends Guillermo Rodriguez After 13/30 Samba — DMM Examines the Dance-versus-Vote Divide

The October 7 monologue puts a clear argument into Season 35’s central debate: is the audience rewarding the best ballroom technique, the most entertaining partnership, or something in between?

After Guillermo Rodriguez and professional partner Witney Carson advanced from October 6’s Mariah Carey Night despite earning 13/30 for their samba to “Obsessed”, Jimmy Kimmel used his October 7 late-night monologue to defend Rodriguez from viewers urging others to stop voting for him. Kimmel rejected speculation that the show is rigged and argued that the competition is also a television entertainment event, not a professional ballroom championship. His remarks were reported by Entertainment Weekly on October 8 at 10:41 a.m. ET.

The performance featured deliberate comic staging, including Rodriguez falling forward and moving on the floor — a creative choice developed within Carson’s routine. Meanwhile, Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong were eliminated with 21/30 for their jazz, making the tension between judges’ scores and audience preferences impossible to ignore. Neither Kimmel nor DMM has access to independently verified couple-by-couple voting totals; his account is a public defense of his colleague, not evidence of the numerical vote margin or proof about production decisions.

Verified sources: Entertainment Weekly, Oct. 8, 10:41 a.m. ET — report and original show clip · TheWrap, Oct. 7 — independent account of Kimmel’s monologue · ABC Help — official voting window and eligibility rules.

Related DMM watch: Bobby Bones on performance order · Ciara Miller / Brandon Armstrong post-elimination record.

Bobby Bones Says DWTS Performance Order Is Strategic — What That Means for Dance Visibility, Not Just Scores

A former Mirrorball winner’s account raises a question DMM can test through Season 35: how much does the running order shape the audience’s opportunity to see a dance?

In an October 1 episode of the He Said, G Said podcast, Season 27 winner Bobby Bones described his view of how Dancing with the Stars places couples in its two-hour live broadcast. His remarks drew renewed coverage on October 7–8. Bones said performances at the start of the show and the top of the second hour can be chosen strategically because viewers joining at those times are likely to encounter those couples first.

Bones argued that the running order can highlight performers the production wants viewers to notice. He did not establish that those placements predetermine winners. His comments are a former contestant’s account and interpretation, not an ABC-confirmed policy or a verified change to Season 35 voting rules. DMM has found no official ABC statement confirming the specific placement criteria Bones described.

Watch the primary account: He Said, G Said — October 1 podcast episode. No video embed has been added because the original uploader and embedding rights have not been independently verified.

Verification: TV Insider, Oct. 8 · Entertainment Weekly, Oct. 7/8. ABC has not independently confirmed Bones’ specific running-order claim.

ABC Confirms Joe Buck as DWTS Super Bowl Night Guest Judge — All 11 Songs and Dance Styles Revealed

ABC’s Good Morning America confirmed the full October 13 program at 8:15 a.m. ET today: ESPN football announcer Joe Buck joins the judges, and all 11 remaining couples now have official songs and dance styles.

The first-ever Super Bowl Night features four salsas, three sambas, two jazz routines, one tango and one paso doble. Among the matchups: Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson samba to Usher’s “Yeah!”; Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas tango to Rihanna’s “Only Girl (In the World)”; Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy paso doble to Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance”; and Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa jazz to Jennifer Lopez’s “Jenny from the Block.” All 11 assignments are listed on DMM’s Season 35 Live Coverage dashboard. A separate DMM Super Bowl Night songs-and-dances guide has not been published.

Correction, October 22, 2026: this entry originally said all 11 assignments were published in a new DMM guide. That guide has not been published; the full list is on the Live Coverage dashboard.

Broadcast: Tuesday, October 13, 2026, 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+; next-day replay on Hulu. All routines are scheduled, not yet performed, and no Week 5 scores or elimination have been reported.

Official sources: ABC / Good Morning America — Joe Buck and all 11 assignments, Oct. 8, 8:15 a.m. ET · ABC — official viewing/voting instructions. No official embeddable Week 5 performance video exists before the broadcast; none has been fabricated.

Jan Ravnik Addresses His Absence From the 2027 DWTS Live Tour Cast

The Season 35 professional has now spoken about why he is not part of the newly announced touring roster. His answer is brief, but it resolves one immediate casting question without implying a dispute with the franchise.

In an Us Weekly interview published October 7, Jan Ravnik said the 2027 tour was “not in my stars” and explained that he was “busy with stuff.” He praised the dancers who will take part and left his future touring plans open-ended. Ravnik remains an active Season 35 professional alongside Tatyana Ali; their Mariah Carey Night assignment was a jazz routine to “Fantasy.”

The official 2027 tour cast does not list Ravnik. His comments do not identify a particular conflicting project, confirm a guest appearance or establish that he is leaving the television competition. The tour begins January 21, 2027, and its Mirrorball presale is scheduled to begin October 8 at 10 a.m. in each venue’s local time zone.

Sources: Us Weekly, Oct. 7, 2026 — direct interview with Jan Ravnik · DWTS Live — official 2027 cast and participation dates · ABC/Disney Television Press — official Season 35 Week 4 dance assignments. No newly verified official performance video is available for this tour-cast statement.

Brandon Armstrong Says Ciara Miller Should Not Have Gone Home — Their DWTS Exit Exposes the Growth-vs.-Votes Divide

The October 6 elimination is now a first-person account of what happens when a celebrity finally reaches a technical milestone but the competition ends before that growth can continue.

Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong received three 7s — 21/30, their highest judges’ total of Season 35 — for their jazz to Mariah Carey’s “Emotions.” Yet they were eliminated at the end of Mariah Carey Night. In a post-show interview with Entertainment Tonight, Armstrong said “she shouldn’t have gone home” and described the disappointment of a partnership ending just as its training began to show. He also acknowledged that viewers vote for favorites for reasons extending beyond dance technique.

Miller said she was disappointed to leave and spoke about learning to perform without needing to appear perfect in public. Her response moves the story beyond an upset result: she identified vulnerability and a willingness to try unfamiliar movement as part of what the partnership gave her. Sharna Burgess and other cast members also described surprise backstage, but their reactions are not evidence of undisclosed vote totals.

Read DMM’s full Week 4 results, scores and updated post-elimination analysis → (forthcoming)

Verified sources: NBC Los Angeles, October 8 — direct ET interview excerpts · Entertainment Weekly, October 7 — post-show response · ABC News — official Season 35 elimination record. No official embeddable interview or performance video was independently verified for this update; none has been fabricated or hotlinked.

Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy: Ballroom Chemistry Draws Speculation, but the Dance Tells a Different Story

After the pair’s 24/30 Mariah Carey Night rumba, Jenna Dewan’s fiancé, Steve Kazee, directly dismissed online speculation about her connection with professional partner Val Chmerkovskiy. For DMM, the more important story is how dance partners create convincing chemistry without confusing performance with private life.

Kazee responded to social-media criticism of Dewan and Chmerkovskiy’s closeness, describing the spouses as unbothered and rejecting the contradictory judgments being made about the pair. His comments were reported by Entertainment Weekly late on October 7 and independently by Us Weekly. They do not establish any romantic relationship between the dancers; no evidence supporting that implication has been presented.

The timing matters. Dewan and Chmerkovskiy had just performed a rumba to Mariah Carey’s “My All” and earned 24/30, their highest score to date. The style demands sustained partner connection, controlled weight transfer and an emotional through-line. Dewan has separately explained that her professional commercial-dance background helps her learn choreography but does not automatically translate to ballroom technique; some familiar movement habits must be unlearned.

Sources: ABC/Disney Television Press — official October 6 rumba assignment · Entertainment Weekly, Oct. 7, 9:53 PM ET — Kazee’s direct response and Dewan’s training comments · Us Weekly, Oct. 7 — corroboration · Us Weekly, Sept. 29 — direct Val Chmerkovskiy/Jenna Johnson comments on partner chemistry.

DWTS Live Tour Books Madison Square Garden for the First Time — and Names Its First Presenting Sponsor

The 2027 tour announcement has two milestones beyond its professional cast and first touring troupe: a New York arena debut and a new commercial partnership.

Official tour releases distributed by North American arenas confirm that Dancing with the Stars: Live! will play Madison Square Garden in New York City for the first time on Friday, February 5, 2027, at 7:30 p.m. The date and venue are also listed on the primary ticketing platform. The tour is planned for 60 shows across North America, from January 21 through April 11; celebrity guest appearances remain to be announced.

The same official releases identify COVERGIRL as the tour’s first presenting sponsor. The brand’s senior vice president of global marketing, Mary Santangelo, describes the arrangement as a partnership around confidence, creativity and individual expression. This is a presenting-sponsor announcement, not evidence of new choreography commissions, dancer compensation terms or additional confirmed tour dates.

Ticket timing: the free Mirrorball-member presale opens Thursday, October 8 at 10 a.m. local venue time; the general public on-sale begins Tuesday, October 13 at 10 a.m. local venue time. Individual venue schedules and dancer participation may vary. DMM directs readers to the official tour site rather than promising availability.

Sources: Official 2027 tour release distributed by Rocket Arena, Oct. 7 (first presenting sponsor, cast, tour, presale) · Capital One Arena official event announcement (first MSG stop) · Ticketmaster primary listing (Feb. 5 MSG time and presale).

Giada De Laurentiis Explains the Rehearsal Struggle Behind Her DWTS Exit — and What Alan Bersten Was Trying to Teach

An October 7 interview adds first-person evidence to the Season 35 record: the chef says her frustration came from difficulty hearing musical counts and absorbing steps, not a feud with her professional partner.

In a preview of Maria Menounos’ Heal Squad interview, shared with People ahead of its scheduled October 8 release, Giada De Laurentiis explained that she sometimes struggled to recognize the counts in the music or understand a new step quickly enough. She recalled Alan Bersten asking her to listen and identify the counts when they first met. The live-show deadline magnified the pressure: the pair had to learn how she processed instruction while preparing dances for broadcast.

De Laurentiis also clarified the tense rehearsal footage shown during Viral Hits Night. Her frustration, she said, was directed at her own difficulty learning, not at Bersten. Bersten had previously said their partnership remained supportive and that viewers were drawing conclusions from an edited rehearsal package. The two were eliminated September 22 after a salsa that received 12/30. ABC’s official assignment identifies their song as Becky G’s “Bella Ciao”; some post-elimination coverage incorrectly identifies it as “CHULA.”

The interview also supplies a new status detail about an injury DMM documented in September: De Laurentiis says she is still rehabilitating the broken toe sustained early in rehearsals. This is a retrospective health update after elimination, not evidence of a new injury, competition withdrawal or return to the show.

Sources and verification: People, October 7 — first-person Heal Squad interview preview · Us Weekly, September 30 — Bersten’s direct clarification · ABC/Disney Television Press, September 18 — official salsa/song assignment. No unverified social video is embedded.

Rylee Arnold Explains Her 2027 DWTS Tour Return as Official Dates Clarify Her Limited Run

Arnold's first-person explanation and the official tour schedule add substance to DMM's professional-dancer story: a return shaped by health, workload and the realities of a demanding live production.

Rylee Arnold says she feels ready for a larger return to Dancing with the Stars: Live! after previously stepping away from a full-length touring commitment to focus on managing Type 1 diabetes. In an official tour-announcement statement carried by People, Arnold said she is now using an insulin pump and feels better able to understand and manage her body's needs. She told Us Weekly that the shorter commitment feels manageable for her. DMM treats this as Arnold's own account of her circumstances, not as a medical recommendation or a prediction about future health.

The official tour cast page lists Arnold for January 21–February 13, February 23–March 20 and March 31–April 11, 2027, rather than every stop. Sharna Burgess is separately listed for February 17–21 and March 22–27. Those date ranges matter to readers planning to see a particular professional. Arnold also made limited March 2026 tour appearances; her return should not be mischaracterized as an uninterrupted absence from every previous live show.

Another important creative credit: Mandy Moore, the Emmy-winning choreographer whose work includes La La Land and Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, is directing the 2027 production. The director credit makes this more than a cast-and-tickets announcement: the road show is a large-scale choreography environment in which professional dancers and the troupe will be seen outside celebrity competition routines.

Sources: Official DWTS Live Tour cast and participation dates · People, Oct. 6 — tour announcement, Arnold's statement and Mandy Moore's direction · Us Weekly, Oct. 7 — Arnold's interview · Parade, Mar. 1 — limited March 2026 appearances. Official video: none independently verified as embeddable for this follow-up; no unlicensed media inserted.

Jenna Johnson Shares Harry Shum Jr. Rehearsal Headbutt Video — Then Their Tango Earns 24/30

The professional dancer has released first-person footage of a painful rehearsal collision, opening a window into the timing and trust behind a routine that looked controlled on live television.

On October 7, Jenna Johnson posted a rehearsal clip showing an accidental forehead-to-forehead collision with her Season 35 partner Harry Shum Jr. During a fast-moving exchange, Johnson rises as Shum approaches, their heads meet and Shum falls backward. Both subsequently joked about the incident. In a post-show interview, Shum described a difficult Sunday rehearsal in which the pair repeatedly misstepped; Johnson said they had to keep working through a turbulent week.

There is no verified report of a concussion, medical restriction or withdrawal. The partnership completed its October 6 tango to Mariah Carey’s “It’s Like That” and received 24/30 (three 8s). Their performance was accompanied by live vocals from Shum’s Glee colleague and Season 17 champion Amber Riley, connecting two generations of DWTS performers within the same number.

Official participant video: Watch Jenna Johnson’s rehearsal clip on Instagram → (linked, not copied or re-hosted; the original post may require Instagram access).

Sources: Entertainment Weekly, Oct. 7, 5:26 PM ET · Parade, Oct. 7, 3:48 PM ET · ABC-owned On The Red Carpet, Oct. 7 — 24/30 and Amber Riley vocals. Medical-status accuracy: no confirmed diagnosis has been reported.

Maura Higgins Insisted on Keeping the Double Turn Mark Ballas Nearly Cut — Then Earned Season 35’s First 9

The highest-scoring dance of Mariah Carey Night now has a rehearsal-room story that makes the result more useful to DMM’s dance-first record.

Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas have revealed that a difficult double turn in their waltz to Mariah Carey’s “If It’s Over” was close to being removed after rehearsal problems. Higgins wanted to keep working on it. They tried it again before the live show, she completed it, and the element stayed in the routine.

The finished waltz earned 25/30 and the first 9 of Season 35. Derek Hough praised it as “pure ballroom dancing,” while Ballas said Higgins has natural ability despite not having the childhood dance training that might have developed that ability earlier.

Sources: Entertainment Weekly, Oct. 7, 2026 — direct post-show interview with Higgins and Ballas about the double turn · Us Weekly, Oct. 7, 2026 — direct Higgins interview on rehearsal, confidence and the turn · RTÉ, Oct. 7, 2026 — independent confirmation of the 25/30 leaderboard lead and first 9.

Two DWTS Pro Stories Move Forward: Val Explains the Cornrows; Daniella and Pasha Explain the Tour

Two stories DMM was already tracking now have direct responses from the dancers themselves, replacing speculation with on-record explanations.

Val Chmerkovskiy: After criticism of the cornrows he wore in promotional material ahead of Mariah Carey Night, Chmerkovskiy said he loved the hairstyle and valued the cultural experience and the chance to support a local Black-owned salon. He said he removed the braids before the live show because he did not want the conversation to distract from partner Jenna Dewan and their performance—not because he regretted wearing them. That directly supersedes speculation that producers ordered the change.

Daniella Karagach and Pasha Pashkov: Their absence from the announced 2027 DWTS Live Tour cast also has an explanation. Karagach said the couple wants time with their daughter after years of touring and little downtime. She left open the possibility that she and Pashkov could appear for a few weeks or selected stops rather than joining the full 60-city run.

Verified sources: Entertainment Weekly, Oct. 7, 2026, direct Val Chmerkovskiy response · Us Weekly, Oct. 7, 2026, direct Daniella Karagach interview · official 2027 DWTS Live Tour announcement/venue release for announced cast and troupe.

Witney Carson Pushes Back on Carrie Ann Inaba’s Guillermo Critique — and Explains the Character Choice

The Mariah Carey Night judging story has moved beyond the ballroom boos. Guillermo Rodriguez’s professional partner is now explaining why his more serious expression was part of the performance rather than evidence that his joy had disappeared.

In a post-show interview, Witney Carson said she disagreed with Carrie Ann Inaba’s suggestion that Rodriguez had dimmed his light during their samba to “Obsessed.” Carson explained that the expression reflected the character they were playing: the song called for a diva attitude, not the constant smile audiences normally associate with Rodriguez. She also defended his work ethic and commitment to improving.

Rodriguez likewise rejected the idea that his joy was gone. The pair survived Week 4 after receiving 13/30, the lowest judges’ total of the night. DMM is keeping the distinction clear: the public result proves survival, but DWTS does not release contestant vote totals, so it does not establish how large Rodriguez’s viewer-vote advantage may or may not be.

Sources: TV Insider — exclusive interview with Witney Carson, Oct. 7, 2026 · Entertainment Weekly — Rodriguez and Carson response, Oct. 7, 2026 · ABC/Disney Television Press — official Mariah Carey Night assignment.

Tyler Cameron’s Foxtrot for His Late Mother Turns Dance Into a Breakthrough Moment on DWTS

Cameron entered Mariah Carey Night near the bottom of the Season 35 leaderboard. His foxtrot to “#Beautiful” became his strongest dance yet — and one of the episode’s clearest examples of personal story strengthening, rather than replacing, the dancing.

Before dancing with Sharna Burgess, Cameron spoke about losing his mother, Andrea Hermann Cameron, to a brain aneurysm in 2020 and said Dancing with the Stars was a show she had wanted to see him do. He described dance as unexpectedly making him feel alive again. The performance visibly moved Derek Hough, who connected Cameron’s story to his own family experience, while Bruno Tonioli praised the routine as a proper foxtrot and highlighted Cameron’s improvement.

Cameron and Burgess received 21/30 — three 7s — improving from 17/30 on Yacht Rock Night and matching Cameron’s best competitive total of the season. DMM is using the verified broadcast score rather than a conflicting 23/30 figure published in one post-show feature.

Sources: ABC/Disney Television Press — official Week 4 foxtrot assignment · Entertainment Weekly, Oct. 6, 2026 — Cameron’s direct comments and judges’ reaction. Score verification: the live Week 4 score was 7-7-7 = 21/30, consistent with the cumulative DMM leaderboard and multiple post-show score recaps.

DWTS Live 2027 Tour Expands the Professional Pipeline — Britt Stewart, Hailey Bills, Adele Zaikman and the Troupe Are Going on the Road

The newly announced 2027 tour turns one of DMM’s standing Season 35 questions into a concrete career-development story: elimination from the celebrity competition does not necessarily end a professional dancer’s season or visibility.

The official Dancing with the Stars: Live! tour cast lists Emma Slater as co-host alongside Val Chmerkovskiy, Britt Stewart, Alan Bersten, Brandon Armstrong, Jenna Johnson, Ezra Sosa, Hailey Bills, Rylee Arnold, Sharna Burgess and Adele Zaikman. For the first time, the DWTS live troupe is also joining the road cast: Onye Stevenson, Carter Williams, Jaxon Willard and Kamri Peterson. Venue listings confirm the new arena production begins in January 2027, with general ticket sales opening October 13; celebrity guest stars remain to be announced.

DMM Pro-Dancer Lens: Britt Stewart’s Week 3 elimination, and the premiere exits of first-time pros Bills and Zaikman, now have an important verified next chapter. All three are booked for the live tour. Bills and Zaikman therefore move from DMM’s hypothetical “what happens after elimination?” question into documented continuing employment inside the DWTS ecosystem. The troupe’s first tour inclusion is equally significant because it creates a visible bridge between developmental broadcast roles and the franchise’s touring stage.

Full guide: Read DMM’s complete DWTS Live 2027 Tour guide → (forthcoming)

Sources: Dancing with the Stars: Live! — official 2027 cast · MVP Arena — official event listing and presale/on-sale information · Crypto.com Arena — official event listing.

Val Chmerkovskiy Removes Cornrows Before Mariah Carey Night After Online Backlash

The Season 35 pro appeared in promotional social video with cornrows, drew criticism over cultural appropriation, and performed on the live broadcast without the hairstyle.

Entertainment Weekly documented the sequence after viewers reacted to Chmerkovskiy’s promotional look ahead of Mariah Carey Night. Chmerkovskiy later posted another social clip with the braids removed and appeared on the October 6 broadcast without them. DMM is recording the verified change and the public criticism without assigning a motive that Chmerkovskiy has not explicitly stated.

DMM Cultural Lens: styling in televised dance is part of performance language, not an incidental detail. Hair, costume and movement can carry cultural histories beyond a theme-night concept. The useful question for DMM is therefore not whether online outrage itself becomes the story, but how production and performers navigate cultural references when visual choices intersect with identities and traditions that the choreography does not necessarily explain.

Source: Entertainment Weekly, Oct. 7, 2026. Broadcast context: Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Dewan’s Week 4 rumba earned 24/30.

Carrie Ann Inaba Is Booed Over Guillermo Rodriguez Critique as DWTS’ Score-vs.-Audience Divide Sharpens

Guillermo Rodriguez earned the lowest judges’ score of Mariah Carey Night, but the live audience pushed back loudly when Carrie Ann Inaba questioned whether his usual joy had dimmed. The moment adds a visible audience-response layer to DMM’s ongoing Guillermo Development Watch.

Rodriguez and Witney Carson performed a samba to Mariah Carey’s “Obsessed” and received 13/30 — 4s from Carrie Ann Inaba and Derek Hough and a 5 from Bruno Tonioli. ABC/Disney’s official Week 4 release confirms the samba assignment, while the live-broadcast exchange reported after the episode documents the studio reaction to Inaba’s critique.

Inaba asked Rodriguez where his joy had gone and said she felt he was dimming the quality that makes him distinctive. The audience responded with sustained boos. She then clarified that her point was not to diminish him but to push him to keep bringing his natural light to the floor. Rodriguez and Carson nevertheless advanced, while Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong were eliminated.

Sources: ABC/Disney Television Press — official Mariah Carey Night assignment · Entertainment Weekly, Oct. 6, 2026 — live-broadcast critique and audience reaction.

Ciara Miller & Brandon Armstrong Eliminated as Maura Higgins Tops DWTS Mariah Carey Night

Week 4 produced a sharper split between judges’ scores and the combined result: Miller improved to 21/30 and still went home, while Guillermo Rodriguez survived after the night’s lowest judges’ score.

Ciara Miller and professional partner Brandon Armstrong were eliminated at the end of Mariah Carey Night after their jazz to “Emotions” earned 21/30. The result leaves 11 couples in Season 35. Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas topped the judges’ leaderboard with 25/30 for their waltz to “If It’s Over,” while Ezra Frech/Daniella Karagach, Harry Shum Jr./Jenna Johnson and Jenna Dewan/Val Chmerkovskiy each scored 24/30.

The night also supplied two important DMM checkpoints. Frech reached a new personal high with a 24/30 rumba after DMM’s adaptive-dance watch focused on how slower sustained movement would test control and weight transfer. Shum matched 24/30 with his tango to “It’s Like That,” returning to the Mariah Carey song whose 2005 music video he danced in as a backup performer. Rodriguez and Witney Carson scored 13/30 for their samba to “Obsessed” but advanced, reinforcing that the public result cannot be inferred from the judges’ leaderboard alone.

Verification: ABC/Disney’s official Mariah Carey Night release confirms the 12-couple lineup, songs, dances and combined judges/viewer elimination format. Same-night result reporting from The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, TV Insider and other national outlets confirms Miller/Armstrong as the Week 4 elimination and the judges’ scores. DMM will replace secondary score/result sourcing with an ABC-owned recap when one is published.

Related DMM scorecard: DWTS Week 4 results — every couple, score and song, plus why the 21-point elimination matters → (forthcoming)

Jackson Olson Apologizes to Guillermo Rodriguez as Their DWTS Dance Controversy De-escalates Before Mariah Carey Night

The Week 4 controversy DMM logged on October 5 now has a verified follow-up: Olson has apologized publicly, and the two competitors used dance itself to signal that the dispute is not being carried into the ballroom as a feud.

Entertainment Weekly reports that Olson posted an apology after backlash over his deleted comparison of a parody recreation with Rodriguez’s Week 3 foxtrot. In the new Instagram video, Olson and Rodriguez lip-sync to Miley Cyrus’ “Nobody’s Perfect” and finish by dancing together. Olson framed the moment around moving forward and the togetherness of Dancing with the Stars.

That changes the status of DMM’s October 5 entry. The original comment and backlash remain part of the Season 35 record, but the verified public response now points toward de-escalation rather than an expanding interpersonal feud. Rodriguez had already said he believed Olson was joking. DMM will continue to separate the documented controversy from speculation about how viewers may vote tonight.

Source: Entertainment Weekly, Oct. 6, 2026 — reporting Olson’s public Instagram apology with Rodriguez. Tonight: ABC/Disney’s official Mariah Carey Night assignment has Olson/Emma Slater dancing a waltz to “Without You” and Rodriguez/Witney Carson a samba to “Obsessed.”

Val Chmerkovskiy Defends Hailey Bills’ DWTS Credentials as the “Nepo Baby” Debate Reaches the Pro Roster

The argument around Season 35’s first-time pro has moved beyond family connections and into a more useful dance question: what evidence should count when evaluating whether a young professional is ready for the DWTS roster?

Veteran pro Val Chmerkovskiy publicly defended his niece Hailey Bills after The Hollywood Reporter’s October 2 interview framed her rise through the show around the “nepo baby” label. Chmerkovskiy argued that the label discounts nearly 15 years of high-level dance work and said Bills is not merely qualified for the role but, by some measures, could be considered overqualified. He also acknowledged that she still has room to grow.

Bills herself took a more nuanced position in the original interview. She credited aunt Jenna Johnson as an important factor in her access to the show, described herself as fortunate to have those connections and simultaneously argued that family access should not erase the work required to reach professional level. Bills entered Season 35 after Dancing with the Stars: Juniors, Season 34 troupe work and the 2026 live tour; her celebrity partnership with Sarah Jane Nader ended in premiere week, but Bills has already confirmed that her Season 35 show work continues.

Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Oct. 2, 2026 — direct interview with Hailey Bills · Cosmopolitan, Oct. 6, 2026 — Chmerkovskiy’s public response. Background: ABC’s official Season 35 cast materials identify Bills as a first-time pro following troupe work.

Julia Stiles Reframes Her Save the Last Dance History Before Mariah Carey Night

A new direct interview sharpens one of DMM’s Season 35 questions: how much does screen-dance experience actually transfer when the celebrity has to perform live ballroom technique without editing or a character to hide behind?

In an interview published October 6, Stiles revisited how she described her dance background while promoting Save the Last Dance. Watching an older interview back, she said she now believes she played up that training too much. She explained that the film required rigorous preparation but also used a dance double for more advanced material, and that the expectations created by the movie eventually made her self-conscious enough to stop taking dance classes.

That context changes how DMM reads her Season 35 progression. Stiles and Ezra Sosa moved from 18/30 in the premiere to 16/30 on Viral Hits Night and 19/30 on Yacht Rock Night while she managed a rib injury. Rather than treating a famous dance-film credit as automatic ballroom advantage, the useful test is whether she can rebuild confidence, frame, timing and partnership under live competition conditions.

Tonight: ABC/Disney confirms Stiles and Sosa will perform a Viennese waltz to Mariah Carey’s “Vision of Love” on October 6. DMM will update the record only after the performance, score and judges’ feedback are verified.

Sources: Entertainment Weekly, Oct. 6, 2026 — direct interview · People, Oct. 6, 2026 — direct interview on returning to dance · ABC/Disney Television Press, Oct. 1, 2026 — official Week 4 assignment.

Jackson Olson’s Deleted Guillermo Rodriguez Comment Draws Backlash Before Mariah Carey Night

A deleted social-media comment has moved from cast banter into a searchable DWTS controversy, but Guillermo Rodriguez himself has publicly downplayed it as a joke.

A USA TODAY Network report published October 5 documents screenshots of a deleted comment Jackson Olson left beneath a playful recreation of Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson’s Week 3 foxtrot. Olson asked how the performer had done the routine “better than him with 2 hours of rehearsal” and also posted “3,” which viewers interpreted as a score. The comments were removed after criticism spread across social platforms.

Rodriguez has not escalated the dispute. In a social-media response quoted by the report, he said he was okay and thought it was a joke. That distinction matters: DMM can document the public reaction and the dance comparison without presenting a cast feud that Rodriguez himself has not claimed.

Week 4 test: Olson and Emma Slater are assigned a waltz to “Without You”; Rodriguez and Witney Carson have a samba to “Obsessed.” ABC/Disney confirms both assignments for Mariah Carey Night on October 6.

Sources: USA TODAY Network / NorthJersey.com, Oct. 5, 2026 — controversy report and Rodriguez response · ABC/Disney Television Press, Oct. 1, 2026 — official Week 4 assignments.

Amy Purdy Says Ezra Frech Is Taking DWTS Disability Representation “to a Whole New Level”

A new direct interview connects two generations of Paralympians in the ballroom and gives DMM a clearer historical frame for Frech’s Season 35 run.

In an interview published October 4, Season 18 runner-up Amy Purdy described watching Ezra Frech compete as deeply meaningful and said his presence is extending the visibility disabled athletes can have on a mainstream dance platform. Purdy, a double below-the-knee amputee who competed with Derek Hough in 2014, said the possibilities available to Frech now are broader than what she felt able to attempt during her own season.

Frech told People that Purdy’s support is “fueling” him and credited disabled contestants before him with helping make his own participation possible. He also emphasized the importance of normalizing disability rather than treating it as an exception. ABC’s official Season 35 biography independently identifies Frech as a two-time Paralympic gold medalist and disability advocate, while ABC’s Week 4 release confirms that he and Daniella Karagach will perform a rumba to Mariah Carey’s “Anytime You Need a Friend” on October 6.

Watch next: Frech enters Week 4 with scores of 20, 21 and 21. DMM will update this record after the October 6 rumba with the verified score, judges’ feedback and any new technical detail about how Karagach adapts the choreography.

Sources: People, Oct. 4, 2026 — direct interviews with Ezra Frech and Amy Purdy · ABC/Disney Television Press — official Ezra Frech biography · ABC/Disney Television Press, Oct. 1, 2026 — official Week 4 assignment.

Britt Stewart Breaks Her Silence After DWTS Elimination, Framing the Hanson Partnership Beyond Its Three-Week Run

After several days of reaction around her early exit, Stewart has now spoken for herself. Her message centers the creative partnership with Taylor Hanson rather than speculation about her future with the show.

In a statement shared October 3, Stewart thanked Hanson for trusting her and for showing up authentically throughout their Season 35 partnership. She said what they created together was bigger than the number of weeks they were given and that she would remain proud of their Dancing with the Stars journey.

Stewart also described the partnership as one she believes will have a lasting impact on her and thanked viewers for the messages and support that followed the September 29 elimination. The statement is significant because it is Stewart’s first extended public framing of the exit after several days in which judges, fellow professionals, the cohost and viewers had been speaking about the result around her.

Context: Hanson and Stewart were eliminated on Yacht Rock Night after their foxtrot to “What a Fool Believes” earned 18/30. Earlier October 3 reporting documented Alfonso Ribeiro calling the result especially difficult and praising Stewart’s work; this new entry adds Stewart’s own voice to that record rather than replacing the earlier report.

Source: Entertainment Weekly, Oct. 3, 2026 — reporting Stewart’s direct Instagram statement. Verification note: DMM is preserving Stewart’s confirmed statement and is not publishing unverified reports that she plans to leave the show.

Alfonso Ribeiro Calls Britt Stewart’s Week 3 Exit “Especially Difficult” as Her Finale Wait Continues

The DWTS cohost’s new comments turn Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart’s elimination into a professional-dancer development story as well as a competition result.

In an interview published October 3, cohost Alfonso Ribeiro described Hanson and Stewart’s Yacht Rock Night elimination as especially difficult and praised Stewart as an outstanding professional dancer. Ribeiro also pointed to a career fact that matters to DMM’s pro-development watch: Stewart has not yet reached a Dancing with the Stars finale as a competing professional.

Their run ended September 29 after a foxtrot to “What a Fool Believes” scored 18/30. Hanson has since disclosed that he danced through left-leg numbness during the season, while both partners have spoken about the strength of the working relationship they built in three weeks.

Media check: ABC/Disney Television Press has official Yacht Rock Night photography of Hanson and Stewart available through its press gallery. DMM has not re-hosted a new image in this update without a confirmed authorized press-asset workflow.

Sources: Entertainment Weekly, Oct. 3, 2026 — interview with Alfonso Ribeiro · ABC/Disney Television Press — Yacht Rock Night official photos.

Guillermo Rodriguez’s DWTS Run Is Becoming an Audience Story Beyond the Scoreboard

Guillermo Rodriguez remains at the bottom of the judges’ leaderboard, but a new national-television moment shows why DMM’s Development Watch cannot be measured by scores alone.

During the October 1 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, John Oliver said his children had never watched Dancing with the Stars before this season and are now invested specifically because of Rodriguez. Oliver described his younger son waking early to ask whether Guillermo had survived the elimination, while the conversation also singled out the crowd-pleasing physical comedy inside Rodriguez’s Week 3 foxtrot.

That attention arrives alongside measurable ballroom progress. Rodriguez and Witney Carson have moved from 10/30 in the premiere cha-cha to 12/30 on Viral Hits Night and 15/30 for their Yacht Rock foxtrot. Carson has also publicly emphasized his work ethic, saying he continues practicing during rehearsal downtime and genuinely wants to improve.

Watch next: Mariah Carey Night returns Rodriguez to Latin with a samba to “Obsessed.” After three consecutive score increases, the useful question is whether his foxtrot gains in timing, confidence and partnership survive the faster rhythm assignment.

Sources: Entertainment Weekly, Oct. 2, 2026 — report and direct quotes from the Oct. 1 Jimmy Kimmel Live! appearance · ABC/Disney Television Press — Oct. 1 Jimmy Kimmel Live! episode photos. Week 3 scores and Week 4 assignment are preserved in DMM’s verified Season 35 record.

Harry Shum Jr.’s Mariah Carey Night Tango Brings Him Back to a Song He Danced in 21 Years Ago

Week 4 now carries a piece of dance history: Shum has confirmed that he appeared as a backup dancer in Mariah Carey’s 2005 “It’s Like That” music video. On October 6, he and Jenna Johnson are scheduled to compete with a tango to the same song.

In a direct interview with E! News, Shum confirmed his appearance in the 2005 video and traced the opportunity to his work with choreographer Debbie Allen. ABC/Disney’s official Mariah Carey Night release independently confirms that Shum and Johnson will dance a tango to “It’s Like That,” featuring Jermaine Dupri and Fatman Scoop, on Tuesday’s episode.

The connection makes this more than a theme-night song assignment. Shum first encountered the record from the position of a commercial backup dancer inside a Mariah Carey production. Twenty-one years later, he returns to it as the named celebrity competitor, with ballroom technique and partnership now determining how the same musical history reads on television.

Shum also described his earlier iPod silhouette work as requiring deliberately enlarged shapes so movement would read graphically. That history gives DMM another useful contrast for Tuesday: commercial dance can reward projection and scale; partnered ballroom can demand economy, precision and a different relationship to another body.

Watch next: DMM will compare the October 6 tango with Shum’s existing Season 35 progression (21 → 18 → 24) and update the Transfer Test after the judges’ verified feedback and score.

Sources: E! News, Oct. 2, 2026 — direct interview with Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson · ABC/Disney Television Press, Oct. 1, 2026 — official Week 4 assignment. Related DMM: Harry Shum Jr. Ballroom Transfer Test.

Hailey Bills Says Her DWTS Season Continues After Elimination — and She Is Already Learning for a Possible Next Pro Run

The first-time pro’s competition ended after one routine, but her professional development did not. A new direct interview gives DMM the clearest evidence yet for one of Season 35’s standing questions: what happens to new pros after the celebrity partnership ends?

In an interview published October 2, Bills told The Hollywood Reporter that she still has “10 weeks on the show” after her premiere-week elimination with Sarah Jane Nader. Bills said the early exit was difficult, but framed the rest of Season 35 as continued work rather than a reason to remain stuck on the result.

Bills’ path to the pro roster was unusually fast. She joined the Season 34 troupe, spent the 2026 live tour performing alongside established professionals and said producers told her during that tour that she would become a Season 35 pro. Her debut partnership lasted one competitive jive, but she is now back inside the larger show environment rather than disappearing from the season.

Status: Bills did not announce a confirmed Season 36 pro contract. She said that if she is fortunate enough to return as a pro next season, she would enter with more knowledge about building from the ground up with a celebrity partner. DMM is treating that as professional-development context, not a casting announcement.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Oct. 2, 2026 — direct interview with Hailey Bills. Background verification: ABC’s official Season 35 cast announcement identifies Bills as a first-time pro after Season 34 troupe work.

ABC Adds Three Pro and Troupe Performances to Mariah Carey Night

The official Week 4 release expands Mariah Carey Night beyond the 12 celebrity routines, giving DMM three additional ensemble performances to watch for choreography, staging and professional-dancer visibility.

ABC has now confirmed that the October 6 episode will also include additional professional and troupe performances to “Heartbreaker” featuring JAY-Z, “Loverboy” and “Always Be My Baby.” The announcement follows the previously confirmed 12 celebrity song-and-dance assignments.

Broadcast: Mariah Carey Night airs Tuesday, October 6, from 8:00–10:00 p.m. EDT/PDT and 7:00–9:00 p.m. CDT on ABC and Disney+, with next-day streaming on Hulu. ABC says viewer votes from the live voting window will again be combined with judges’ scores.

Media check: Disney’s official release provides a press-asset download portal. DMM is not inserting or re-hosting those assets in this master without confirming the applicable press-use terms for the selected files.

Official source: Disney Entertainment Television / ABC, Oct. 1, 2026.

Gleb Savchenko Calls Season 35 Absence a “Hiatus” — and Says DWTS Judges Should Score Harder

The longtime professional dancer says his absence from the Season 35 pro roster is a break rather than a retirement, while also weighing in on two questions already central to DMM’s season watch: judging standards and the value of prior dance experience.

In a direct interview published October 1, Savchenko described his time away from Dancing with the Stars as “a little break, a little hiatus, a little reset” and said he is not retired from the franchise. Savchenko, who first joined the U.S. series in 2013, was not included among the competing Season 35 professionals.

Watching from outside the ballroom has also sharpened his view of the competition. Savchenko said he does not believe the judges are scoring harshly enough and argued that lower paddles should remain available when the dancing warrants them. His comments arrive during a season in which judging format, compressed critique time and the relationship between judges’ scores and audience voting have already become recurring storylines.

Savchenko also rejected the idea that contestants such as Jenna Dewan automatically possess a decisive advantage simply because they have previous dance experience. His reasoning was technical: ballroom is partnered dancing, and learning choreography is different from creating connection, balance, frame and the push-pull relationship required between two dancers.

Status: Savchenko did not announce a confirmed Season 36 return. DMM is therefore recording his own description — hiatus, not retirement — without presenting a future casting decision as settled.

Source: Us Weekly, Oct. 1, 2026 — direct interview with Gleb Savchenko.

Taylor Hanson Reveals He Danced Through Left-Leg Numbness Before His Week 3 Elimination

The newly disclosed injury adds important technical context to Hanson and Britt Stewart’s three-week run: Hanson says numbness in his left leg had affected him since the opening week of competition.

In a post-elimination interview published October 1, Hanson revealed that he had been dealing with numbness in his left leg during Season 35. The issue was not publicly disclosed while he was still competing. He nevertheless completed the Week 3 foxtrot with Stewart, including the heel-led and traveling actions required by the style, before the partnership was eliminated on Yacht Rock Night with an 18/30.

Stewart praised Hanson for continuing to work through the physical limitation without allowing it to define the performance. The disclosure does not change the elimination result, but it changes how DMM reads the partnership’s technical progression: the audience and judges were evaluating a developing ballroom dancer without knowing that one leg was not providing normal sensation.

Editorial note: This update is based on Hanson’s own post-elimination disclosure as reported in a direct interview. DMM is avoiding speculation about diagnosis, severity or whether the injury affected the public vote.

Source: Entertainment Weekly, Oct. 1, 2026 — post-elimination interview with Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart.

Mariah Carey Night Assignments Are Set: Rumba Dominates the Week 4 Dance Card

The official DWTS podcast has revealed all 12 Week 4 pairings, songs and dance styles ahead of the October 6 episode.

DMM Choreography Watch: Four couples draw rumba, making control, sustained movement and emotional phrasing unusually easy to compare across the same episode. Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov arrive with a season-high 24 from their Yacht Rock foxtrot; Jenna Dewan/Val Chmerkovskiy and Ezra Frech/Daniella Karagach each scored 21 last week. Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson move in the opposite direction technically, from a 24-point jive into tango, while Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik leave ballroom frame for jazz after their 21-point quickstep.

That distribution gives Week 4 a useful transfer test: can the current leaders preserve their scoring momentum when the movement quality changes? DMM will watch particularly closely for how Glenn translates skating-derived line and control into rumba, how Frech manages slower sustained weight transfer with his running blade, and how Shum handles tango’s frame and attack after the looseness and speed of jive.

Verification: Season 34 alumnus Andy Richter announced the lineup on the Dancing With the Stars Official Podcast. Entertainment Weekly published the complete assignment list on October 1. ABC separately confirms that the 12 remaining couples perform Mariah Carey Night on Tuesday, October 6 at 8 p.m. on ABC and Disney+.

Sources: Entertainment Weekly, Oct. 1, 2026 · Disney Entertainment Television / ABC, Oct. 1, 2026.

Yacht Rock Night Draws 7.12 Million Viewers — DWTS’s Best Non-Finale Episode in Six Years

ABC’s first Week 3 ratings report shows Season 35 building rather than fading after premiere week.

Disney Entertainment Television reports that the September 29 Yacht Rock Night episode drew 7.12 million viewers in preliminary Nielsen Live+Same Day measurement. ABC says that makes it the show’s most-watched non-finale episode in six years, dating back to the Season 29 premiere on September 14, 2020.

The episode rose 11% over the prior Tuesday’s 6.44 million audience and ranked as the night’s top entertainment program despite competing with the Yankees–Red Sox MLB Wild Card game on NBC.

Measurement note: The 7.12 million figure is Nielsen National Live+Same Day Preliminary Panel Only data for September 29. It should not be directly compared with the 9.98 million seven-day cross-platform premiere figure as though the measurements are identical.

Official source: Disney Entertainment Television / ABC, Oct. 1, 2026.

DWTS Season 35 Premiere Grows to 9.98 Million Viewers Across Seven Days

ABC’s newest seven-day measurement shows the Season 35 Tuesday premiere reaching nearly 10 million viewers across linear and streaming — 17 percent above last season’s premiere.

Disney Entertainment Television reported on September 30 that the September 15 Season 35 Tuesday premiere reached a 9.98 million total cross-platform audience after seven days. ABC says that represents a 17% increase over the Season 34 premiere, which reached 8.50 million viewers on September 16, 2025.

The seven-day figure is also 47% above the episode’s initial 6.77 million Live+Same Day audience. ABC says the 9.98 million result surpassed every Season 34 episode except the finale.

Measurement note: These numbers should not be mixed with earlier same-day ratings as though they are the same metric. ABC identifies the 9.98 million figure as Nielsen Linear + SCR data based on seven days of viewing from the September 15 linear air date plus streaming first-stream data. The 6.77 million comparison is the initial Live+Same Day audience.

Media rights: Disney’s ratings release includes an Eric McCandless image and states that its press photography is copyrighted, for editorial publicity use only, and may not be archived, altered, duplicated, resold or retransmitted outside the stated terms. DMM has therefore not inserted the image into this replacement without a confirmed authorized press-asset workflow.

Official source: Disney Entertainment Television / ABC ratings release, Sept. 30, 2026.

Jan Ravnik Restores the Quickstep Section DWTS Viewers Missed After Camera Cutaway

A production cutaway during Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik’s Week 3 quickstep obscured several seconds of choreography from the television audience. Ravnik has now published the missing section himself.

Ali and Ravnik performed a quickstep to Hall & Oates’ “Maneater” on Yacht Rock Night and earned 21/30. During the routine, however, the broadcast camera moved away from the couple to an audience shot. The missed choreography included the pair hopping across the ballroom before Ravnik executed a full split.

Ravnik subsequently posted footage of the unseen section to his own social channels, explicitly identifying it as the portion viewers did not see during the broadcast. The correction matters because the partnership’s 21/30 represented another measurable step forward after scores of 12/30 and 18/30 in their earlier appearances.

Media check: Ravnik’s own social post is the relevant primary-source footage for the missing section. DMM is not re-hosting or reproducing the clip; the Newsroom documents the correction while preserving the original creator/source context.

Source: Entertainment Weekly, Sept. 30, 2026 at 3:47 PM ET, documenting Ravnik’s primary-source post and the Yacht Rock Night broadcast cutaway.

DWTS Executive Producer Explains Why West Coast Viewers Still Have to Vote Before Seeing the Dances

A long-running voting problem is back in focus during Season 35: Pacific-time viewers can participate, but the voting window closes before the delayed West Coast broadcast lets them judge the performances for themselves.

Season 35 is performed in Los Angeles beginning at 5 p.m. PT and reaches Eastern viewers live at 8 p.m. ET. The West Coast television and Disney+ presentation does not begin until 8 p.m. PT. Because voting takes place during the live Eastern/Central broadcast and closes shortly after the final competitive dance, Pacific-time viewers who want their votes counted must generally vote before watching the performances locally.

Executive producer Conrad Green addressed the issue in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Green said the economics and importance of ABC’s local affiliates are a major reason the program is not simply made available at 5 p.m. PT across the West Coast. He acknowledged the frustration and said West Coast viewers can still participate by planning to vote during the earlier live window — effectively voting without having seen that night’s dances.

The official voting instructions remain the controlling source for each episode. Viewers should use the DWTS voting portal during the announced live window rather than assume voting remains open through a later local broadcast. This update does not represent a newly announced rule change; it documents the Season 35 system and the executive producer’s explanation for why the West Coast disparity persists.

Media check: No additional image is required for this format explainer. DMM is keeping the Newsroom focused on the voting mechanics and their competitive consequence rather than adding unrelated promotional imagery.

Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Sept. 30, 2026 — interview with executive producer Conrad Green · ABC official DWTS voting portal.

DWTS Pros Rally Around Britt Stewart After Taylor Hanson Elimination

The Yacht Rock Night elimination has developed into a professional-dancer story, with multiple members of the Season 35 ballroom publicly emphasizing Stewart’s work, teaching and unrealized finale potential.

In post-show interviews published by Entertainment Weekly, Sharna Burgess said she wants Stewart to receive the kind of partnership that can carry her to a finale and allow audiences to see a Britt Stewart freestyle. Brandon Armstrong called Stewart an elite dancer and elite professional, while Daniella Karagach described her as a phenomenal teacher. Jan Ravnik likewise praised Stewart as one of the best dancers he has worked with.

The reaction adds context to Taylor Hanson and Stewart’s 18/30 foxtrot elimination. Stewart became the first Black woman to join the DWTS professional roster in Season 29. She has not yet reached a finale; her highest finish remains fifth place with Daniel Durant in Season 31.

DMM Pro Watch: This is why eliminations cannot always be read only through celebrity placement. A professional dancer’s season determines which choreography audiences get to see, how long a teaching partnership can develop and whether that pro reaches late-season formats such as the freestyle. The response from Stewart’s peers turns her Week 3 exit into a broader question about opportunity: how much of a pro’s visible DWTS legacy is shaped by choreography and teaching, and how much depends on the competitive ceiling of the celebrity pairing?

Media check: The reporting includes Disney/Eric McCandless photography from Yacht Rock Night. DMM is retaining the verified credit but is not inserting the still without a confirmed press/publicity download path and editorial-use context.

Source: Entertainment Weekly, Sept. 30, 2026 at 10:02 AM ET — post-show interviews with Sharna Burgess, Brandon Armstrong, Daniella Karagach, Jan Ravnik and other Season 35 cast members.

Witney Carson Says Pregnancy Is Not Limiting Her DWTS Run With Guillermo Rodriguez

The reigning Mirrorball-winning pro directly addressed speculation that she wanted her Season 35 partnership to end, saying she is happy to continue and does not feel she is physically overdoing it.

Carson responded on her own social media after viewers interpreted her reactions during recent elimination sequences as disappointment that she and Guillermo Rodriguez were still in the competition. She explained that the expression viewers were seeing was sadness for the couple being eliminated, followed by celebration that she and Rodriguez were safe.

Carson also addressed questions about competing while pregnant with her third child. She said she knows how far to push her body, is following her doctors’ guidance, rests when necessary and does not currently feel physically overextended. She added that the show is willing to provide assistance when needed. Carson said she feels good, though more tired than usual.

DMM Pro Watch: The relevant competition issue is not the rumor itself but Carson’s confirmation that pregnancy is not presently restricting her participation or choreography with Rodriguez. That distinction matters when evaluating the partnership: unless Carson or the production reports a medical limitation, DMM will treat their dance choices as competitive and choreographic decisions rather than assume they are pregnancy-driven.

Rodriguez and Carson scored 15/30 for their Yacht Rock Night foxtrot to “Escape (The Piña Colada Song).” Carson praised his rehearsal work and said he continues practicing even while she is resting. They remain among the 12 couples advancing to Week 4.

Media check: The report includes Disney photography of Carson and the partnership, but DMM is not inserting a still without a verified press/publicity download path and confirmed editorial-use context.

Source: Entertainment Weekly, Sept. 30, 2026 at 10:47 AM ET, reporting Carson’s direct social-media statement.

Source link added Oct. 1, 2026: TODAY, Sept. 30, 2026 — Witney Carson reacts to speculation she wants to be voted off.

DWTS Announces First-Ever Super Bowl Night for October 13

Season 35 is adding a new theme to the franchise: the remaining couples will dance to music associated with memorable Super Bowl halftime performances.

The announcement was made Wednesday morning on Good Morning America by judge Derek Hough. Super Bowl Night is scheduled for Tuesday, October 13, and will honor the music, spectacle and memorable moments associated with the NFL championship game. It is the first Super Bowl-themed episode in Dancing with the Stars history.

The special arrives during ABC and ESPN’s broader lead-up to Super Bowl LXI, which ABC and ESPN are scheduled to carry on February 14, 2027. Before then, Season 35 continues with Mariah Carey Night on October 6. The announced October schedule also includes Dedication Night on October 20 and Horror Movie Night on October 27.

DMM Choreography Watch: The concept has stronger dance potential than a conventional artist theme because Super Bowl halftime shows are built around large-scale choreography, staging, formations and instantly recognizable performance moments. The key question will be whether DWTS asks its professionals to reference that movement history or simply uses halftime-show songs as a soundtrack. DMM will track the song and dance assignments when ABC releases them.

Media check: The announcement is verified, but no official Week 5 performance footage exists yet. DMM is not inserting third-party imagery or speculative media before an official usable asset is available.

Verification: Announced on Good Morning America, Sept. 30, 2026. The announcement and October 13 date are independently reported by Entertainment Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter and Us Weekly.

Yacht Rock Night Resets the DWTS Leaderboard as Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart Are Eliminated

Season 35 is down to 12 couples after a night that produced new season-high scores, two rehearsal injuries and another on-air reminder that judge feedback remains squeezed for time.

ABC News confirms that Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart became the fourth partnership eliminated from Season 35 after their foxtrot to The Doobie Brothers’ “What a Fool Believes.” The routine earned 18/30. Entertainment Weekly reports that Hanson and Stewart were called out for elimination after landing in the final group with Jackson Olson and Emma Slater and Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson.

Injury Watch: Julia Stiles sustained a rib injury while rehearsing lifts with Ezra Sosa. Despite the injury and an emotional rehearsal package following her 16/30 Week 2 tango, Stiles performed the Yacht Rock Night salsa and improved to 19/30. Amber Glenn’s rehearsal collision with Pashkov caused a bloody nose, but Pashkov returned to dance and the partnership went on to score 24/30. DMM will distinguish rehearsal incidents from competition-limiting injuries unless a contestant or the show confirms a continuing medical restriction.

Judging Watch: The Week 2 debate over compressed critiques did not disappear. During Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy’s samba, Derek Hough was played off by production music before completing his feedback. Alfonso Ribeiro acknowledged the interruption on-air. Hough had been explaining that Dewan’s choreography was difficult and that he wanted to see her eventually work in a smoother style with more room to breathe. Dewan and Chmerkovskiy received three 7s for 21/30.

DMM Dance Watch: Yacht Rock Night changed the technical picture of the season. Glenn/Pashkov and Shum/Johnson now share the season-high score at 24, while the five-foxtrot slate made differences in frame, travel and control easier to compare. Frech/Karagach remained competitive at 21 while translating the running-blade mechanics DMM has been tracking into foxtrot. The most important Week 3 story is therefore larger than the elimination: the early leaderboard is beginning to separate according to how quickly partnerships can transfer technique from one dance family to another.

Media check: ABC News and Entertainment Weekly published Disney/ABC photography from the episode, but DMM is not inserting a still without a verified press/publicity download path and confirmed editorial-use context. No unverified social-media rip has been added.

Sources: ABC News / Good Morning America, Sept. 29, 2026 · Entertainment Weekly Yacht Rock Night recap, Sept. 29, 2026 · Entertainment Weekly on Derek Hough’s interrupted critique, Sept. 29, 2026.

Carrie Ann Inaba Adds the Feedback She Couldn’t Give Giada De Laurentiis on Air

Inaba’s post-show comments extend the Week 2 debate over DWTS’ one-word judging format.

After Viral Hits Night, Carrie Ann Inaba wrote that she was disappointed she could not give Giada De Laurentiis fuller feedback during the broadcast. She expanded on the one-word critique by praising De Laurentiis for entering the ballroom as a true beginner and for the courage and joy she brought to learning.

DMM Analysis: The follow-up reinforces why critique time matters. A one-word reaction may keep a live broadcast moving, but it can erase the technical and developmental context that helps viewers understand what a beginner actually accomplished. DMM will watch whether normal-length comments return with 13 couples.

Source: Entertainment Weekly, Sept. 25, 2026.

DWTS Week 3 Yacht Rock Night: All 13 Songs and Dance Styles Are Set

ABC/Disney has confirmed the complete September 29 slate for the 13 remaining couples.

Yacht Rock Night airs Tuesday, Sept. 29, from 8–10 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+, with next-day streaming on Hulu. The official assignments are:

ABC/Disney also says Yacht Rock Night will include additional professional and troupe performances to “This Is It” by Kenny Loggins, “Love Will Keep Us Together” by Captain & Tennille and “Baby Come Back” by Player. The release does not identify which troupe dancers will appear in those numbers.

DMM Analysis: The distribution is unusually ballroom-heavy: five foxtrots and two quicksteps put frame, travel and continuity at the center of the night, while the jive, salsa, samba, cha-cha and paso doble assignments create useful contrast. The additional troupe numbers also give DMM a concrete professional-dancer development watchpoint without assuming the lineup before ABC names it. DMM will not post Week 3 scores until the dances have aired and the results are verified.

Source: ABC/Disney Television Press, Sept. 24, 2026.

Pasha Pashkov and Daniella Karagach Put Two Athlete Partnerships Atop DWTS Week 2

Amber Glenn and Ezra Frech each reached 21/30 with choreography from the married professional-dance partners.

Good Morning America highlighted the Week 2 performances of Olympic champion Amber Glenn with Pasha Pashkov and Paralympic champion Ezra Frech with Daniella Karagach. Both couples scored 21/30 and shared the night’s top score with Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy. The report also notes Pashkov and Karagach’s long competitive partnership and championship background.

DMM Analysis: The parallel is worth tracking because the athletes bring very different movement systems into ballroom. The professional task is not simply to showcase athleticism; it is to reshape skating glide and track-and-field power into dance-specific weight transfer, partnering and musical structure.

Source: Good Morning America / ABC News, Sept. 24, 2026.

Ezra Frech Explains Why He Dances on a Running Blade That Makes Cha-Cha More Unstable

Frech has explained the equipment choice behind one of Season 35’s most distinctive movement challenges.

Ezra Frech said he is choosing his running-blade prosthetic for DWTS rather than his walking leg. The blade is designed around high-speed running mechanics and can leave him less stable in stationary or dance-specific movement, creating a different balance problem for ballroom and Latin choreography.

DMM Analysis: That detail changes how the audience can read the work. The technical question is not whether Frech can reproduce another dancer’s mechanics exactly; it is how he and Daniella Karagach build clear rhythm, weight changes, partnering and performance around the mechanics available to him.

Source: Entertainment Weekly, Sept. 23, 2026.

Derek Hough Responds After DWTS Viewers Push Back on One-Word Judge Critiques

The Week 2 timing device became a post-show discussion after viewers questioned how much useful feedback was being lost.

Derek Hough addressed criticism of the one-word judging rule used during Viral Hits Night. The rule compressed one judge’s response after each routine while the field still contained 14 couples, allowing the two-hour live show to move more quickly.

DMM Analysis: The production problem is understandable, but the dance cost is real: less time means fewer explanations of timing, frame, footwork, weight placement and performance choices. With the field now down to 13, Week 3 becomes the first test of whether the format was temporary.

Source: Entertainment Weekly, Sept. 23, 2026.

ABC Says DWTS Season 35’s Two-Night Premiere Was the Show’s Most-Watched Premiere in Six Years

ABC/Disney’s updated Nielsen release puts Night 2 at 6.44 million viewers and the revised Night 1 audience at 6.77 million.

According to ABC/Disney Television Press, Premiere Night 2 drew 6.44 million total viewers and a 1.32 rating among adults 18–49. The network’s updated figure for Night 1 is 6.77 million viewers with a 1.44 adults 18–49 rating. ABC says the two-night average represents the show’s most-watched premiere in six years.

DMM Analysis: The ratings do not tell us which dance stories are driving individual viewers, but they do establish that Season 35 opened with a large live audience. That makes the show’s treatment of technique, professional dancers and developmental arcs especially relevant to DMM’s coverage.

Source: ABC/Disney Television Press, Sept. 23, 2026.

Daniella Karagach Says Ezra Frech’s DWTS Crowd Reaction Is Something She Hasn’t Heard “in Years”

The pro dancer described the ballroom response surrounding Frech as unusually strong early in the season.

After Frech’s early Season 35 performances, Daniella Karagach described the in-room audience response as exceptional compared with what she has heard in recent years. Frech and Karagach then reached 21/30 on Viral Hits Night, tying for the Week 2 lead.

DMM Analysis: Crowd reaction is not a score and it is not a vote count, so DMM keeps it separate from competitive standing. What it does tell us is that this partnership is producing a strong live-room response while also progressing technically.

Source: Entertainment Weekly, Sept. 23, 2026.

Maura Higgins Broke Mark Ballas’ Tooth During a DWTS Week 2 Spin Rehearsal

A rehearsal mishap became a reminder of the physical precision required when speed and partnering increase.

Maura Higgins revealed that she accidentally chipped or broke part of Mark Ballas’ tooth during a Week 2 rehearsal spin. Ballas continued preparing the routine, and the pair later performed their Viral Hits Night dance.

DMM Analysis: The incident is more than backstage trivia when read through a dance lens: rotational timing, spacing and partner awareness have real physical consequences. DMM will keep rehearsal stories when they illuminate the work behind what viewers see on the floor.

Source: Entertainment Weekly, Sept. 23, 2026.

Jenna Johnson Explains the Choice Behind Harry Shum Jr.’s Viral “Iris” Scream on DWTS

The Week 2 performance moment was intentional choreography built around emotional release rather than an accident in the routine.

Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson explained the vocal moment inside their Week 2 routine to “Iris.” The scream was part of the performance concept and tied to the emotional release they wanted the routine to communicate.

DMM Analysis: This is the kind of choreographic detail DMM wants to preserve: a memorable moment works best when it is connected to the dance’s dramatic structure rather than added only for virality. The next test is whether theatrical choices continue to support, rather than obscure, ballroom technique.

Source: Entertainment Weekly, Sept. 23, 2026.

DWTS Used One-Word Judge Reactions to Keep Viral Hits Night on Schedule

With 14 couples still performing, Season 35 temporarily compressed part of the judges’ critique to keep the live show moving.

ABC-owned On The Red Carpet reports that the third judge speaking after each Viral Hits Night performance was asked to summarize the critique in one word so the broadcast could stay on schedule. The judges sometimes stretched the rule for humor, but the production change was visible throughout the episode.

DMM Analysis: This is a small format adjustment with a real dance consequence: when critique time shrinks, viewers hear less technical explanation about frame, timing, footwork and performance quality. As the field gets smaller, DMM will watch whether fuller judging commentary returns.

Source: ABC7 / On The Red Carpet, Sept. 23, 2026.

Jenna Dewan, Ezra Frech and Amber Glenn Tie for the DWTS Week 2 Lead at 21/30

Viral Hits Night reset the top of the Season 35 judges’ leaderboard, with three partnerships sharing first place.

Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy scored 21/30 for their jive, Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach scored 21/30 for their cha-cha, and Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov scored 21/30 for their tango. ABC-owned coverage specifically praised Pashkov’s tango choreography in the judges’ comments, while all three couples received three 7s.

DMM Analysis: The Week 2 tie matters because the premiere did not produce one stable front-runner. Dewan improved from 19/30 to 21/30, while Harry Shum Jr. moved from 21/30 to 18/30 and Maura Higgins from 21/30 to 19/30. The early leaderboard is moving with the dance assignment, not simply following celebrity dance background.

Source: ABC7 / On The Red Carpet, Sept. 23, 2026.

Giada De Laurentiis & Alan Bersten Eliminated on DWTS Viral Hits Night

The celebrity chef became Season 35’s third elimination after a salsa that left her tied at the bottom of the judges’ scoreboard.

Giada De Laurentiis and professional partner Alan Bersten were eliminated on September 22 after performing a salsa to Becky G’s “Bella Ciao.” They received 4s from Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli for a total of 12/30. ABC News confirms the elimination; ABC-owned On The Red Carpet confirms the score and reports that Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson also scored 12/30.

DMM Analysis: De Laurentiis entered Week 2 already managing the broken-toe story DMM had been tracking. Viral Hits Night became the point where the injury context, a difficult salsa and the combined judges’-score/viewer-vote format converged. The public results establish who went home; they do not disclose the underlying vote totals.

Watch the full Viral Hits Night episode on ABC →

Sources: ABC News / Good Morning America, Sept. 22, 2026 · ABC7 / On The Red Carpet, Sept. 23, 2026.

Adele Zaikman Addresses the DWTS Voting Failure After Her Season 35 Elimination

The first winner of The Next Pro is now speaking directly about the premiere-night voting problem that coincided with her and Conner Leavitt’s elimination.

Zaikman said on Fire Chats: The Mindfire Pod that she was disappointed her first flagship-season partnership ended after one routine, while accepting that elimination is part of the competition. Asked about the premiere voting problem, she acknowledged that “maybe the voting issue made it complicated” and said she is focused on moving forward rather than trying to relitigate a result she cannot change.

The context matters. ABC’s online voting system failed during Night 1, leaving text voting as the available viewer-vote method. Conner Leavitt also shared a nearly identical first name with fellow contestant Connor Wood, requiring voters to distinguish between the two text keywords. Leavitt and Zaikman scored 12/30 and were eliminated; Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson scored 10/30 and advanced.

Read DMM’s full elimination analysis →

Sources

• Entertainment Weekly — Zaikman addresses the elimination and voting issue, Sept. 21, 2026
• ABC7 Los Angeles — Night 1 voting failure, scores and elimination

ABC Confirms Season 35 Runs Through Nov. 24 — With Disney Night Moving to Monday, Nov. 2

The theme-night roadmap now has an official broadcast-calendar wrinkle: one November episode leaves the show’s regular Tuesday slot.

ABC’s official viewing guide now confirms that Dancing with the Stars Season 35 continues through Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2026. It also confirms a one-week schedule change: the show will simulcast live on Monday, Nov. 2, instead of Tuesday, Nov. 3, before returning to Tuesdays on Nov. 10.

That Nov. 2 broadcast aligns with the Disney Night position announced in the season’s official theme-night sequence. The remaining roadmap therefore places Grammy Night on Nov. 10, the semifinals on Nov. 17 and the finale on Nov. 24. Week 5 on Oct. 13 remains the one theme slot not yet identified in the official theme announcement.

Sources

• ABC Support — official Season 35 live broadcast schedule through Nov. 24 and Nov. 2 Monday simulcast
• ABC/Disney Press — Viral Hits Night, Sept. 22

Adele Zaikman & Hailey Bills Stay in the Ballroom: Both First-Time Pros Move Into Season 35 Troupe Work

The premiere eliminated both of Season 35’s first-time celebrity-paired pros first. Their professional season, however, is not over.

Carrie Ann Inaba has addressed the unusual Week 1 result after Adele Zaikman and Hailey Bills became the first two professional dancers eliminated with their celebrity partners. Zaikman entered the flagship cast by winning Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro; Bills moved up after troupe work and the live tour. Inaba called the coincidence sad but framed it as part of their development, saying both dancers have significant potential.

The more important professional update is what happens next: reporting following the premiere says Zaikman and Bills will continue performing with the Season 35 troupe, keeping them inside the broadcast ecosystem even though Conner Leavitt and Sarah Jane Nader are out of the competition. That gives DMM’s Next Pro tracker its first concrete post-elimination data point.

Sources: E! News — Carrie Ann Inaba reacts to the two new pros’ Week 1 eliminations; Deseret News — Zaikman and Bills will join the Season 35 troupe after elimination; ABC — official Season 35 cast and pro lineup.

Witney Carson Pushes Back on Guillermo Rodriguez’s 10/30 — as He Commits to Learning the Paso Doble

The reigning Mirrorball-winning pro says two of Guillermo’s premiere scores were too harsh. More important for DMM’s development tracker: the contestant who initially wanted to go home now says he wants to learn and improve.

On the Dancing with the Stars Official Podcast, Witney Carson challenged the two 3s Guillermo Rodriguez received from Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli for his Night 1 cha-cha. The 10/30 total was the lowest score of the Season 35 premiere, but viewer support kept the pair in the competition.

Rodriguez also revealed that before the season began he repeatedly said he wanted to go home. Surviving Week 1 changed the assignment: he now says he wants to learn how to dance, practice and do better in Week 2. Carson said his rehearsal commitment has increased. Their next test is a Paso Doble on Viral Hits Night.

Sources: Comments were made on the Dancing with the Stars Official Podcast, which ABC identifies as the show’s official weekly podcast. People — Witney Carson on Guillermo Rodriguez’s scores, Sept. 19, 2026; Us Weekly — Guillermo on wanting to leave before the premiere and his Week 2 commitment, Sept. 18, 2026; ABC — Season 35 cast and Official Podcast information.

Derek Hough Explains the Premiere Solos: They Filled DWTS’ Live Vote-Tally Window

A viewer question about why Derek and Julianne Hough received showcase dances produced a useful look at how live DWTS television is built around the competition.

Derek Hough says the Hough siblings’ solo showcases during the two-night Season 35 premiere were used to fill roughly three minutes while the live vote was being tallied. With the competing professional dancers occupied with their celebrity partners, Julianne performed a Paris-themed jazz number on Night 1, while Derek danced a Paso Doble with Hayley Erbert Hough on Night 2.

Derek also clarified that his Paso Doble was newly choreographed for the television broadcast. It drew inspiration from material associated with the couple’s Symphony of Dance tour, but he said the ballroom number itself was created for the show.

Also on the pro desk: Emma Slater revealed a painful big-toe/nail injury after Week 1 but remains in competition with Jackson Olson. DMM has added her to Injury Watch alongside Giada De Laurentiis.

Sources: Entertainment Weekly — Derek Hough explains the premiere showcases, Sept. 18, 2026; Entertainment Weekly — Emma Slater injury update, Sept. 18, 2026.

DWTS Week 2 Pairings Are Set: Viral Hits Night Puts Tango, Salsa and Cha-Cha Under the Spotlight

ABC has released the dance styles and music assignments for all 14 remaining couples ahead of the September 22 episode.

Tango: Amber Glenn & Pasha Pashkov; Ciara Miller & Brandon Armstrong; Julia Stiles & Ezra Sosa; Connor Wood & Rylee Arnold.

Cha-cha: Ezra Frech & Daniella Karagach; Taylor Hanson & Britt Stewart; Maura Higgins & Mark Ballas.

Salsa: Giada De Laurentiis & Alan Bersten; Tyler Cameron & Sharna Burgess.

Foxtrot: Tatyana Ali & Jan Ravnik; Jackson Olson & Emma Slater. Jive: Jenna Dewan & Val Chmerkovskiy. Viennese waltz: Harry Shum Jr. & Jenna Johnson. Paso doble: Guillermo Rodriguez & Witney Carson.

Notable music assignments include Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” for Tatyana Ali’s foxtrot, Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” for Harry Shum Jr.’s Viennese waltz, KATSEYE’s “Animal” for Jenna Dewan’s jive, Teddy Swims’ “The Door” for Julia Stiles’ tango, and Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” for Maura Higgins’ cha-cha.

Verification: ABC released the Week 2 assignments for the September 22 Viral Hits Night. The full pairings were reported September 18 by Entertainment Weekly and Us Weekly.

DWTS Reveals the Season 35 Theme-Night Roadmap: Mariah Carey, Yacht Rock, Disney and More

The schedule now gives the professionals a map of the musical and storytelling constraints they will have to solve across the season.

The full Season 35 theme-night lineup was announced September 18 on the Official DWTS Podcast, hosted by Season 34 alumnus Andy Richter. Week 2 is Viral Hits, followed by Yacht Rock in Week 3 and Mariah Carey Night in Week 4. Week 5 remains TBA. The back half includes Dedication Night (Week 6), Horror Movie Night (Week 7), Disney Night (Week 8), Grammy Night (Week 9), the Semi-Finals (Week 10) and the Finale (Week 11).

Verification: The lineup was announced on the Official DWTS Podcast on Sept. 18 and reported as ABC’s Season 35 theme schedule by Us Weekly. Week 5 remains unannounced; DMM will not speculate on its theme.

Giada De Laurentiis Reveals She Danced the Season 35 Premiere With a Broken Toe

The injury DMM was already tracking as a bruised toe was more serious: De Laurentiis says Alan Bersten’s knee landed on her foot in rehearsal and broke her middle toe before her Night 2 tango.

De Laurentiis still performed the tango to Shocking Blue’s “Venus” on September 16 and received 16/30. Entertainment Weekly reports that she had been managing the injury with ice and Epsom salt for eight days. Bersten described his partner as a fighter for continuing through the pain.

Source: Entertainment Weekly — Giada De Laurentiis confirms broken toe, Sept. 18, 2026. DMM’s Sept. 15 rehearsal entry had previously documented the injury as a bruised toe based on reporting available at the time.

Maura Higgins Tops Night 2 With 21/30; Sarah Jane Nader & Hailey Bills Eliminated

The two-night Season 35 premiere is complete. Fourteen couples advance, and DMM now has a full opening-week scorecard.

Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas led the women’s premiere field with a 21/30 foxtrot to Alannah Myles’ “Black Velvet.” Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy followed with 19/30 for a tango to Blondie’s “Call Me,” while Amber Glenn with Pasha Pashkov and Julia Stiles with Ezra Sosa each earned 18/30.

The final three couples awaiting the result were Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten, Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills, and Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik. Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills were eliminated after their 14/30 jive to Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8er Boi.” ABC News confirms that 14 couples remain after the two-night premiere.

Sources

• ABC News / Good Morning America — Season 35 elimination tracker, updated Sept. 16, 2026
• ABC7 / On The Red Carpet — Night 2 recap, scores, elimination and voting restoration, Sept. 17, 2026
• ABC/Disney Television Press — official premiere dances and songs

ABC Says the Season 35 Premiere Drew 6.67 Million Viewers — the Show’s Biggest Premiere Audience in Six Years

The first-night audience grew 24% from the Season 34 premiere, according to ABC’s release citing Nielsen preliminary panel data.

ABC reported 6.67 million total viewers for the September 15 Season 35 premiere, up 24% from 5.38 million for the Season 34 premiere. ABC also reported a 1.48 Adults 18–49 rating, up 40% year over year. The network described it as the show’s biggest premiere audience since Season 29 in 2020.

Source: ABC/Disney Television Press, Sept. 16, 2026. Figures are preliminary Live+Same Day panel measurements as specified by ABC.

Conner Leavitt & Adele Zaikman Eliminated After DWTS Online Voting Fails on Night 1

The first Season 35 result also became the first real test of the new premiere format — and of The Next Pro pipeline.

Conner Leavitt and new professional Adele Zaikman were eliminated at the end of the September 15 Season 35 premiere after scoring 12/30 for their salsa to “Whoomp! (There It Is).” Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson led the men’s field with 21/30 for their cha-cha to “Let’s Groove.”

The result came on a night when the show announced a failure of its online voting system. Viewers were directed to vote by text, and the online votes were not used for Night 1. ABC-owned coverage reported that the hosts nevertheless announced more than double the votes received for last season’s premiere, despite only eight couples competing on the first night.

Read the full DMM analysis →

Sources

• ABC/Disney Press — official Season 35 two-night premiere release
• ABC7 Los Angeles — Night 1 scores, voting failure and elimination

Season 35 Opens With Immediate Eliminations — Every First Dance Has Consequences

A two-night premiere splits the cast into separate men’s and women’s fields, and both nights end with someone going home.

Season 35 opens September 15 and 16, 2026, with the cast divided by night: male celebrities dance first, female celebrities follow on night two. One male and one female celebrity are eliminated during premiere week — the first premiere-week elimination format of this kind since 2018. Sixteen celebrity and professional partnerships are competing.

Mark Ballas publicly noted the unusual competitive dynamic created by splitting the cast into two separate fields. It is a real structural change: couples are no longer judged against the full season lineup on opening night, but against half of it.

Sources

• ABC/Disney Press — official two-night premiere release
• Entertainment Weekly — premiere elimination twist
• Entertainment Weekly — premiere schedule and how to watch

Related DMM coverage: Dancing with the Stars master guide  ·  Does prior dance experience win Season 35?

The Next Pro Returns to the Ballroom — But Only Adele Zaikman Has the Job

A reunion performance is exposure. A professional contract is employment. Season 35 is where that difference gets tested.

Adele Zaikman won the first season of Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro, and her prize was a professional position on Season 35. ABC’s Season 35 cast materials list her as Conner Leavitt’s professional partner — the contract is real and it is documented.

Premiere reporting also indicates that Zaikman, Allen Genkin, Selena Hamilton and Erik Linder prepared a reunion performance. DMM is not describing Genkin, Hamilton or Linder as newly hired Season 35 professionals. Appearing in a reunion number is not the same as being employed by the show, and unless ABC separately announces employment, this page will not blur the two.

Read the full DMM story →

Sources

• ABC/Disney Press — official Season 35 cast and pro partnerships
• ABC/Disney Press — The Next Pro
• Entertainment Weekly — The Next Pro crowns its first winner

Alfonso Ribeiro Sees Harry Shum Jr., Jenna Dewan and Julia Stiles as Early Season 35 Contenders

The host is naming names before a single score is read — and he has stood where these celebrities are standing.

Speaking around the 2026 Emmy period, Alfonso Ribeiro discussed Season 35 and singled out experienced performers he expects to be strong, naming Harry Shum Jr., Jenna Dewan and Julia Stiles, while also noting that other cast members have impressed him.

Treat this as preseason expectation, not evidence. Hosts see rehearsal footage and rehearsal footage flatters everyone. What it does establish is where the conversation starts: three contestants arrive already carrying a dance reputation.

Source

• Primetimer — Alfonso Ribeiro on Emmy recognition and Season 35

Related DMM coverage: Does prior dance experience win Season 35?  ·  Alfonso Ribeiro and Witney Carson, Season 19

Harry Shum Jr. Is the First Test of Season 35’s Dance-Experience Debate

Training gives a dancer a floor. The ballroom decides what it does not give him automatically.

Harry Shum Jr. is partnered with Jenna Johnson and brings substantial dance and choreography experience into the competition. He performs during the men’s premiere night; Jenna Dewan and Julia Stiles perform during the women’s night, which means the season’s most-discussed experience question opens on two separate evenings.

DMM has already laid out what previous training may give Harry. The premiere is where we start learning what it does not hand him — ballroom frame, partner connection under a judge’s eye, Latin hip action, and the specific discipline of dancing someone else’s choreography in a televised competition format.

Night 1 result: Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson danced a cha-cha to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Let’s Groove” and received 7s from Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli for 21/30 — the highest judges’ total of the men’s premiere field. Inaba praised Harry’s electricity while cautioning against overexaggeration and emphasizing the required technique; Tonioli highlighted the partnership’s chemistry.

DMM checkpoint: the first evidence supports the distinction this tracker was built to test. Performance confidence and musicality transferred immediately; ballroom/Latin specificity remains the work.

Sources

• ABC/Disney Press — official Season 35 cast and pro partnerships
• Entertainment Weekly — premiere schedule

Related DMM coverage: Does prior dance experience win Season 35?

Head Bumps, Drops and a Bruised Toe: Season 35 Rehearsals Are Already Taking a Toll

Before the first score is read, the professionals are managing bodies that have never done this work before.

Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas bumped heads during rehearsal. Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess also knocked heads while working through a trick that involved a drop. Giada De Laurentiis sustained a bruised toe while preparing with Alan Bersten, and Ciara Miller has discussed significant soreness during training. Current reporting does not establish that any of these issues will prevent a couple from competing.

Sources

• Entertainment Weekly — rehearsal head bumps and drops
• Entertainment Weekly — Giada De Laurentiis injury
• E! News — Giada De Laurentiis toe injury

DWTS Opens Season 35 With Five Emmy Nominations and Renewed Industry Momentum

Recognition is context for the new season, not the headline of it.

Dancing with the Stars received five 2026 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Reality Competition Program — its first nomination in that major category in a decade. Alfonso Ribeiro publicly celebrated the recognition and emphasized the volume of work behind a live production.

Sources

• People — Alfonso Ribeiro on the DWTS Emmy recognition
• People — The Traitors wins Outstanding Reality Competition Program
• Disney+ — 2026 Emmy nominations guide