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dancing with the stars

SEASON 35

THE DANCES. THE DRAMA. THE JOURNEY. LIVE ON DMM.

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NEWS FLASH

Dancing with the Stars Season 35 — cast, scores and results

The interactive version of this page needs JavaScript. The verified Season 35 record is below. Source: ABC official Season 35 cast announcement and the ABC7 Night One recap, 16 September 2026.

Premiere Night One — 15 September 2026 · 8 male celebrities · one elimination

Harry Shum Jr. with Jenna Johnson — cha-cha, “Let’s Groove” (Earth, Wind & Fire) — 21/30
Ezra Frech with Daniella Karagach — tango, “Since U Been Gone” (Kelly Clarkson) — 20/30
Tyler Cameron with Sharna Burgess — tango, “Are You Gonna Go My Way” (Lenny Kravitz) — 17/30
Taylor Hanson with Britt Stewart — quickstep, “Tell Her About It” (Billy Joel) — 16/30
Connor Wood with Rylee Arnold — cha-cha, “I Like It, I Love It” (Tim McGraw) — 16/30
Jackson Olson with Emma Slater — cha-cha, “Wannabe” (Spice Girls) — 15/30
Conner Leavitt with Adele Zaikman — salsa, “Whoomp! (There It Is)” (Tag Team) — 12/30 — eliminated
Guillermo Rodriguez with Witney Carson — cha-cha, “Mr. Big Stuff” (Jean Knight) — 10/30 — safe on the night’s lowest score

Premiere Night Two — 16 September 2026 · 8 female celebrities · one elimination

Maura Higgins with Mark Ballas — foxtrot, “Black Velvet” (Alannah Myles) — 21/30
Jenna Dewan with Val Chmerkovskiy — tango, “Call Me” (Blondie) — 19/30
Amber Glenn with Pasha Pashkov — cha-cha, “Smooth” (Santana feat. Rob Thomas) — 18/30
Julia Stiles with Ezra Sosa — quickstep, “9 to 5” (Dolly Parton) — 18/30
Giada De Laurentiis with Alan Bersten — tango, “Venus” (Shocking Blue) — 16/30
Ciara Miller with Brandon Armstrong — foxtrot, “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” (Whitney Houston) — 15/30
Sarah Jane Nader with Hailey Bills — jive, “Sk8er Boi” (Avril Lavigne) — 14/30 — eliminated
Tatyana Ali with Jan Ravnik — jive, “Knock on Wood” (Amii Stewart) — 12/30

Premiere week is complete. Fourteen couples advance. Online voting was restored for Night Two. Week 2 is Viral Hits Night on Tuesday, September 22 at 8 PM ET on ABC and Disney+.

Panel and hosts

Judges: Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough. Hosts: Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough.

What DMM can and cannot establish

Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman scored 12/30 and were eliminated; Guillermo Rodriguez scored 10/30 and stayed. DMM has separately established that online voting failed on premiere night and that text voting was used. What the result would have been with functioning online voting is not established, and DMM does not present it as though it were.

DMM’s premiere finding

Scores tell you what happened. DMM is tracking what happened in the dancing: what transferred from prior training, what ballroom exposed, what the professional dancer is trying to change, and whether that correction appears the following week.

Night 1’s online-voting outage and the elimination are verified separately. DMM does not claim the outage caused the result.

DMM Development Tracker — premiere baseline

DMM carries one technical correction forward for every partnership. These are editorial observations, not official judging scores.

Tatyana Ali with Jan Ravnik — Keep the jive rhythm underneath the performance from the first count. — Lighter footwork + steadier bounce — CHECK WEEK 2
Tyler Cameron with Sharna Burgess — Organize power through frame and standing leg rather than muscling the shape. — Frame + grounded travel — CHECK WEEK 2
Giada De Laurentiis with Alan Bersten — Turn readable shapes into continuous, committed movement. — Drive + confidence — CHECK WEEK 2
Jenna Dewan with Val Chmerkovskiy — Reduce unnecessary upper-body force while keeping the tango alive. — Economy + frame — CHECK WEEK 2
Ezra Frech with Daniella Karagach — Convert athletic power into continuous travel instead of isolated effort. — Glide + continuous lead — CHECK WEEK 2
Amber Glenn with Pasha Pashkov — Trade some skating glide for more decisive Latin weight transfer. — Foot pressure + partner connection — CHECK WEEK 2
Taylor Hanson with Britt Stewart — Let musicianship support the feet instead of carrying the whole performance. — Frame + foot clarity — CHECK WEEK 2
Maura Higgins with Mark Ballas — Keep the softness while making the foot action and rise-and-fall more specific. — Foot action + continuity — CHECK WEEK 2
Conner Leavitt with Adele Zaikman — Eliminated after one routine; development arc ended before a correction week. — PRO CAREER WATCH — CLOSED
Ciara Miller with Brandon Armstrong — Connect the emotional performance to continuous body flight. — Continuity + frame — CHECK WEEK 2
Sarah Jane Nader with Hailey Bills — Eliminated after one routine; no Week 2 correction sample. — ELIMINATED — CLOSED
Jackson Olson with Emma Slater — Put the energy inside the rhythm instead of on top of it. — Timing + leg action — CHECK WEEK 2
Guillermo Rodriguez with Witney Carson — Replace walking mechanics with deliberate Latin weight changes. — Timing + ball-of-foot action — CHECK WEEK 2
Harry Shum Jr. with Jenna Johnson — Become more economical without becoming less alive. — Axis + weight + Latin action — CHECK WEEK 2
Julia Stiles with Ezra Sosa — Build live ballroom specificity independent of the movie memory. — Frame + quickstep footwork — CHECK WEEK 2
Connor Wood with Rylee Arnold — Make the basic rhythm as readable as the personality. — Weight changes + Latin timing — CHECK WEEK 2

At a Glance

UPDATING

What DMM Saw This Week

The score tells you who received points. DMM tracks what transferred, what ballroom exposed, and what the result still cannot prove.

01 · SCORE ≠ SURVIVAL

The lowest score of premiere week survived

Guillermo Rodriguez scored 10/30 and advanced; Conner Leavitt scored 12/30 and was eliminated. Night 1’s online-voting failure and the result are documented separately — not presented as proof of cause.

02 · TRANSFER TEST

Experience helped — and ballroom still asked different questions

Harry Shum Jr. opened at 21/30 and Jenna Dewan at 19/30. Their performance experience showed immediately, while ballroom still demanded different weight placement, economy, frame and technical control.

03 · ATHLETIC ADAPTATION

Elite movement backgrounds transferred in different ways

Ezra Frech’s power, focus and lead translated into a 20/30 tango. Amber Glenn’s skating lines and musicality translated into an 18/30 cha-cha while foot pressure and Latin weight transfer became the next test.

04 · NIGHT 2 SURPRISE

Maura Higgins made quality — not résumé — the headline

A beginner tied the season lead at 21/30. The opening lesson is already clear: background matters, but control, timing, character and how quickly the body adapts matter too.

Beyond the Scores

Season 35 stories with distinct dance, cultural or professional reporting value beyond the weekly result.

THE TRANSFER TEST

Harry Shum Jr. + Jenna Johnson

21/30 · CHA-CHA

A professional dancer has the résumé. Ballroom is testing the habits. DMM follows what transfers — and what must be rebuilt.

READ THE DMM ANALYSIS →

SCREEN MEMORY

Julia Stiles + Ezra Sosa

18/30 · QUICKSTEP

A 25-year-old dance-film image meets a live floor with no editing suite. DMM separates the actor, the dancer and the memory.

READ THE DMM ANALYSIS →

BUILDING THE DANCER

Maura Higgins + Mark Ballas

21/30 · FOXTROT

A true beginner led Night Two. DMM looks at what Ballas constructed around performance instinct — and what technique must come next.

READ THE DMM ANALYSIS →

PROFESSIONAL PIPELINE

Adele Zaikman

THE NEXT PRO WINNER · EP. 1 EXIT

She won the job, then lost her first celebrity partnership after one routine. The career story starts where recap coverage ends.

READ THE DMM ANALYSIS →

DMM Dance Watch is an editorial selection, not a ranking.

Questions We're Tracking

Where DMM separates what is known from what is not. Nothing in this column is presented as settled unless the evidence settles it.

This Week's Elimination

Live Commentary

LIVE

VIEW FULL NEWSROOM

Fan Poll

Cast & Couples

Every pairing, their status in the competition, and the running score record as the season moves.

Season Leaderboard

DERIVED FROM SCORE RECORDS

Season 35 leaderboard by cumulative judges' score
#	Couple	Latest dance	Score run	Total	Avg

Did They Fix It? — DMM Development Tracker

Every partnership carries a technical correction forward. After the next routine, DMM can record whether it improved, stayed the same, or revealed a different problem.

How to read this: “Week 1 correction” is DMM’s technical observation from the premiere. “Next check” is the movement question DMM will revisit. This is analysis, not an official judging score.

Couple	Premiere baseline	Week 1 correction	Next check	Tracker
Tatyana Aliwith Jan Ravnik	EP 2 · Jive · 12/30	Keep the jive rhythm underneath the performance from the first count.	Lighter footwork + steadier bounce	CHECK WEEK 2
Tyler Cameronwith Sharna Burgess	EP 1 · Tango · 17/30	Organize power through frame and standing leg rather than muscling the shape.	Frame + grounded travel	CHECK WEEK 2
Giada De Laurentiiswith Alan Bersten	EP 2 · Tango · 16/30	Turn readable shapes into continuous, committed movement.	Drive + confidence	CHECK WEEK 2
Jenna Dewanwith Val Chmerkovskiy	EP 2 · Tango · 19/30	Reduce unnecessary upper-body force while keeping the tango alive.	Economy + frame	CHECK WEEK 2
Ezra Frechwith Daniella Karagach	EP 1 · Tango · 20/30	Convert athletic power into continuous travel instead of isolated effort.	Glide + continuous lead	CHECK WEEK 2
Amber Glennwith Pasha Pashkov	EP 2 · Cha-cha · 18/30	Trade some skating glide for more decisive Latin weight transfer.	Foot pressure + partner connection	CHECK WEEK 2
Taylor Hansonwith Britt Stewart	EP 1 · Quickstep · 16/30	Let musicianship support the feet instead of carrying the whole performance.	Frame + foot clarity	CHECK WEEK 2
Maura Higginswith Mark Ballas	EP 2 · Foxtrot · 21/30	Keep the softness while making the foot action and rise-and-fall more specific.	Foot action + continuity	CHECK WEEK 2
Conner Leavittwith Adele Zaikman	EP 1 · Salsa · 12/30	Eliminated after one routine; development arc ended before a correction week.	PRO CAREER WATCH	CLOSED
Ciara Millerwith Brandon Armstrong	EP 2 · Foxtrot · 15/30	Connect the emotional performance to continuous body flight.	Continuity + frame	CHECK WEEK 2
Sarah Jane Naderwith Hailey Bills	EP 2 · Jive · 14/30	Eliminated after one routine; no Week 2 correction sample.	ELIMINATED	CLOSED
Jackson Olsonwith Emma Slater	EP 1 · Cha-cha · 15/30	Put the energy inside the rhythm instead of on top of it.	Timing + leg action	CHECK WEEK 2
Guillermo Rodriguezwith Witney Carson	EP 1 · Cha-cha · 10/30	Replace walking mechanics with deliberate Latin weight changes.	Timing + ball-of-foot action	CHECK WEEK 2
Harry Shum Jr.with Jenna Johnson	EP 1 · Cha-cha · 21/30	Become more economical without becoming less alive.	Axis + weight + Latin action	CHECK WEEK 2
Julia Stileswith Ezra Sosa	EP 2 · Quickstep · 18/30	Build live ballroom specificity independent of the movie memory.	Frame + quickstep footwork	CHECK WEEK 2
Connor Woodwith Rylee Arnold	EP 1 · Cha-cha · 16/30	Make the basic rhythm as readable as the personality.	Weight changes + Latin timing	CHECK WEEK 2

The Choreography Lens

Instead of asking only whether a celebrity danced well, DMM asks what problem the professional dancer is solving — what the routine protects, exposes, simplifies or demands.

CHOREOGRAPHY LENS

Jenna Johnson → Harry Shum Jr.

Editing an expert. Preserve musical instinct while redirecting familiar commercial habits toward more specific Latin mechanics.

CHOREOGRAPHY LENS

Mark Ballas → Maura Higgins

Building from instinct. Use character and musical intention as scaffolding, then keep layering foot action, continuity and frame underneath it.

CHOREOGRAPHY LENS

Daniella Karagach → Ezra Frech

Translating an athlete. Keep the power while changing how that power travels — less vertical/explosive, more continuous through a shared frame.

CHOREOGRAPHY LENS

Val Chmerkovskiy → Jenna Dewan

Subtracting without flattening. Leave room for intensity while discouraging movement that is too large for tango mechanics.

Music & Performance Desk

Every routine of the season: style, song, score, and what DMM saw in the technique.

Ep	Couple	Style	Song	Score	DMM read

Dance Decoder — What You’re Actually Watching

A score tells you the judges’ number. This guide gives non-dancers a few movement clues to watch for so the critique makes sense.

DMM’s Dance Decoder is an editorial viewing guide, not a competition rulebook or substitute for instruction from a qualified ballroom teacher.

DANCE DECODER

Cha-cha

Weight changes create the dance. Watch whether weight settles clearly from foot to foot; whether the legs and feet produce the rhythm; and whether hip action grows out of the transfer instead of being added on top.

Premiere examples: Harry Shum Jr., Amber Glenn, Connor Wood, Jackson Olson, Guillermo Rodriguez.

DANCE DECODER

Tango

Stillness and direction are part of the power. Look for a compact, stable frame; grounded travel; clear changes of direction; and a partnership that moves as one unit without unnecessary rise-and-fall.

Premiere examples: Ezra Frech, Tyler Cameron, Jenna Dewan, Giada De Laurentiis.

DANCE DECODER

Quickstep

Speed only works if the frame survives it. The feet move quickly, but the upper body cannot look frantic. Watch posture, closed-hold coordination, light travel and whether timing stays organized through fast patterns.

Premiere examples: Taylor Hanson, Julia Stiles.

DANCE DECODER

Foxtrot

Continuity is the headline. Look for sustained travel, a calm frame, swing and rise/fall that feel connected rather than assembled one figure at a time.

Premiere examples: Maura Higgins, Ciara Miller.

DANCE DECODER

Jive

Compact mechanics create visible energy. Watch quick weight changes, light/compact footwork, bounce action and whether speed stays rhythmic instead of turning into running.

Premiere examples: Tatyana Ali, Sarah Jane Nader.

DANCE DECODER

Salsa

Timing and connection have to survive the party. Watch the timing of weight changes, how turns reconnect to the partner and whether the body keeps the rhythm beneath tricks and personality.

Premiere example: Conner Leavitt.

EXPLORE THE DMM DANCE KNOWLEDGE HUB →

Who Actually Transfers?

DMM's running question for Season 35: which prior movement training carries into ballroom and Latin, and where does specialized technique expose its limits.

Celebrity	Prior movement background	What should transfer	Where ballroom will test them

Judges & Hosts

The Season 35 panel and hosts — and the dance background each one brings to the ballroom.

Behind the Scenes

Rehearsal, wardrobe, hair and makeup, camera and crew — the work that happens before the floor lights up.

On the Floor

Official Season 35 video from ABC/Disney, plus DMM’s episode photography.

Episode Guide

Every night of Season 35, with results and what each episode changed.

Ep	Title	Air date	Theme	Result	Status

The People Behind the Ballroom

How to Read This Page

VERIFIEDVerified factSupported by an authoritative source, listed below.

DMM ANALYSISOur readingDance-technical interpretation by DMM. Evidence-based, but ours.

OPEN QUESTIONStill trackingSomething we are following that the record does not yet answer.

UPDATINGMovingA live figure that changes as the night runs.