Dancing with the Stars
DANCING WITH THE STARS Season 35 Premiere: Which Male Impressed on Night One? Who Was Sent Home?
Dancing With the Stars season 35 got underway with their September 15 premiere on ABC, which for the first time split the male and female celebrity contestants over two nights.
So, night one saw 8 male celebs with their pro partners hitting the ballroom dance floor with their first routines of the competition. Tonight on September 16 (8pm ET/7pm CT), the women take to the dance floor with their pro partners.
For night one, the male stars performed dances to a number #1 hit from the year they were born. By the end of the night, one couple was sent packing by the combined judges scores (Bruno, Derek and Carrie Ann) and the viewers text votes only, because for the first time live, the voting at ABC.com was not working. Throughout the night, hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough would remind viewers to text their votes.
When the smoke cleared, there were definitely some early favorites, chief among them Paralympian Ezra Frech who wowed everyone, Harry Shum Jr., although we all expected the Grey’s Anatomy star to cut a rug on the dance floor with his longtime dance background, and even ‘Bachelorette’ alum, Tyler Cameron showed promise. Let’s run down night one of the competition and give a recap of gents performances alongside their scores, and in case you missed it, the video of their routine.
Photo: ABC
Jackson Olson & Emma Slater — 15/30
Savannah Bananas star Jackson Olson and his partner Emma Slater were first up. Emma was thrilled that she wasn’t saddled (although she would not say it that way) with another older man who can’t dance. Instead, she got Jackson who is just 28-years old and is athletic and a showman.
The duo performed the cha-cha to “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls. While their were some on-point moves, at other times it felt like Jackkon was just selling it to the audience with his looks and expressions, when the judges also wanted him to be more locked-in on his feet.
Judge Derek Hough explained to Olson, “The bottom half (of your body) needs a lot of work. The upper half, I quite enjoyed, actually. Let’s marry the performance with technique.”
Tyler Cameron & Sharna Burgess — 17/30
Having played football and being very tall, ‘Bachelorette’ alum Tyler Cameron revealed to pro partner Sharna Burgess, that he actually took some dance classes in his high school/college days. Burgess is back on the ballroom floor after five years away from the show. Together, they performed a Tango, to Lenny Kravitz’s “Are you Going to Go my Way.” Tyler delivered much promise.
Bruno Tonioli commented, “I’m very pleasantly surprised. He looks like a tank. I thought he as going to crash. In fact, you can move, man. You have natural musicality. A few hiccups here and there, but you have so much potential.”
Conner Leavitt & Adele Zaikman — 12/30
The husband of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and Season 35 contestant,Whitney Leavitt, felt compelled to enter the competition to bring his dad vibe/magician experience and humor to his dancing, so he says.
Conner was paired with Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro winner Adele Zaikman, and they danced a salsa for premiere night. They performed to “Whoomp! There It Is!” by Tag Team. Needless to say, his dance moves and mugging to the camera needed vast improvement.
Guillermo Rodriguez & Witney Carson — 10/30
Jimmy Kimmel‘s sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson did a cha-cha for his first performance. While he didn’t move much, he somehow got over with the judges and the audience.
Rodriguez and Carson performed to “Mr. Big Stuff’ by Jean Knight. In the judges scores, Rodriguez received 3’s from Derek and Bruno while Inaba was a bit more generous with a 4. Needless to say, Guillermo scored at the bottom of the leaderboard.
Ezra Frech & Daniella Karagach — 20/30
Paralympian Ezra Frech, who wears a prosthetic leg and only has two fingers on his left hand, along with his pro partner Daniella Karagach took to the dance floor in one of the most highly-anticipated out of the gate performances for the season premiere. They performed the tango to Kelly Clarkson‘s “Since U Been Gone.”
After a beautiful routine and performance, Carrie Ann Inaba expressed, “This is why I love Dancing With the Stars. This is what’s so special about our show. Showing people what’s possible in the face of adversity. Showing people new ways to move. Outside the box thinking. Outside the box moving.” Inaba also gave massive props to Karagach for “redefining” how Frech could move while doing the tango steps with a prosthetic leg. Carrie Ann said she was, “In awe!”
Connor Wood & Rylee Arnold — 16/30
Connor Wood, a comedian and podcaster, who is big on TikTok teamed with Rylee Arnold for their cha-cha to Tim McGraw‘s “I Like It, I Love It.”
Wood, who is from Texas, wanted to put a little two-stepping into the cha-cha and they did so. Wood did better than expected with Derek Hough sharing, “The performance is amazing, but let’s not forget the technique.”
Taylor Hanson & Britt Stewart — 16/30
Singer Taylor Hanson from the OG brothers/boy band Hanson, danced a quickstep with his partner Britt Stewart. They performed to Tell Her About It by Billy Joel. There was a distinct mishap in the routine where Derek Hough cited Hanson for a “great save,” and gave Taylor constructive criticism to improve his frame, but added, “You should be really happy, man, great first dance.”
Harry Shum Jr. & Jenna Johnson — 21/30
The final performance of the night came from Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson, who danced a cha-cha. Shum, who came to Dancing with the Stars from having danced during his time on the hit series Glee, and as a backup dancer for the likes of Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, and Mariah Carey and so much more, was ready to close night one in a big way.
Harry and Jenna danced to “Let’s Groove” by Earth, Wind & Fire. To us, Shum was a little too over the top with his moves, but that does not take away that he is the one of the most obvious threats to take home the Len Goodman Mirror Ball Trophy by season’s end.
Carrie Ann told Harry, “You are so electric when you perform. You light it up. But I’m going to call you out. You gotta watch where your axis, where your weight is. Don’t over-exaggerate the moves. That’s not always correct.” In the end, Shum scored 21/30, the highest scores of the night from the judges.
ELIMINATION TIME
When it was time for the results, five couples were announced as safe: Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson, Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart, Jackson Olson and Emma Slater, Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach, and Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess.
Three were left remaining: Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold, Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson, and Conner Leavit and Adele Zaikman. Then, it was revealed that the couple being eliminated is Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman. And, we are just fine with that result!
So, what did you think of night one of season 35 of Dancing with the Stars? Which male contestant impressed you the most? Do you think the right guy was sent packing? Let us know your picks and thoughs via the comment section below.
Taylor and Harry were excellent
Harry was the standout
I could not even watch all of Conner’s dance. I fast forwarded through most of it. And his wife primping for votes was very annoying.
Harry was fantastic. I also enjoyed Taylor and Jackson. Guillermo’s dance was fun, but he will not win.
Dancing with the Stars
DANCING WITH THE STARS: Britt Stewart Visibly Upset After Shocking Elimination with Taylor Hanson
The September 29 episode of Dancing With the Stars showcased the continued strengths of some couples, but showed the cracks in others, as the 13 remaining duos hit the ballroom dance floor to yacht rock songs in week 3 of the competition.
At the end of the night, the couple with the lowest combined judges’s scores and viewer votes was sent home, and this proved to be a sticking point issue with the voting.
During the results portion at the end of the show, the first five couples who were named safe were: Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy, Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess, Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas, Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong, and Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa.
They were followed by: Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik, Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach, Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov, Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson, and Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold.
Photo: ABC
AN UNEXPECTED TWIST
The remaining three couples awaiting their fate were: Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson, Jackson Olson and Emma Slater, and Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart. The couple sent home was Taylor and Britt.
Taylor and Britt performed a foxtrot to the the Doobie Brothers, “What a Fool Believes” during the night of competition and scored an 18 out of 30 from the judged. While it wasn’t the stand out routine on Yacht Rock night, it certainly wasn’t the worst.
With many expecting Guillermo and Witney to be sent home, when Britt and Taylor’s name was called, Stewart was visibly emotional and upset. After the shocking elimination, several of her pro partners spoke out and rallied around her and Hanson.
DANCING WITH THE STARS PROS SPEAK UP
Pro dancer, Sharna Burgess is hoping that next season, Stewart will make it to the finals. ]It should be noted that Britt is the first Black woman to be in the Dancing with the Stars pro company having joined in season 29 back in 2020, and she has never made it to the finale. Her highest placement was when she came in fifth in season 31 with her now husband, CODA star Daniel Durant.
“Knowing Britt and loving Britt, I just want to see her do a freestyle. I just want to see Britt, next season, get what our fans call a ringer, and we see her get to the end so we can have a Britt freestyle, expressed Burgess to EW.com.
Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong spoke out as being the couple who has spent the most time with Britt and Taylor during competition weeks. “I think Britt is an elite dancer, and an elite pro,” Armstrong continues, explaining that he and Miller were “gutted” when they heard the news. “It’s horrible,” said Armstrong. Miller shared she has chills” over it, and is “processing this elimination.”
Perhaps, Dancing with the Stars pro Jan Ravnik said it best, exclaiming everything is “going to be f—ed from now on” with them gone and more eliminations weekly. “I did love this partnership. I think they were incredible. I love Britt so much. I think she is one of the best dancers that I ever worked with.”
Now below, check out the dance routines from last night of Guillermo and Witney, Jackson and Emma and Taylor and Britt, and let us know if you think the right couple was sent packing via the comment section below.
Dancing with the Stars
DANCING WITH THE STARS Viral Hits Night: Who Was the Fiercest Couple of Them All?
In week 2 of ballroom dance floor action on Dancing With the Stars season 35, it was “viral hits night,” which had all the celebrity contestants and their pro partners going head -to-head with each other, unlike last week’s two-night season premiere where the men were solely on night one and the women on night two.
Now, the 14 remaining couples strutted their stuff and their routines on the September 22 episode, where it was clear that paralympian, Ezra Frech and olympian, Amber Glenn showed how balance and athleticism came into play. BUT, there was no one more than Frech, who with one prosthetic leg, just could get down on the dance floor better than the rest of us, anytime anywhere!
When the smoke cleared, three couples had the highest scores from the panel of judges, Carrie Ann, Derek and Bruno. Each received a 21/30 score and were a top the leaderboard ahead of the night’s final results.
Photo: ABC
The top scores belonged to: Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy who danced a Jive to “Animal” by Katseye, Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach who performed a cha-cha to “Low” by Flo Rida, and Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov who took to the floor performing a tango to “All the Things She Said” by Harrison, who was in the ballroom DJing the song!
WHO WAS SENT HOME?
At the end of the night, the results were revealed. The first six couples who were announced as safe were: Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik, Jackson Olson and Emma Slater, Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach, Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong, Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart, and Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov.
Also safe were: Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas, Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy, Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson, Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold, and Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa.
The bottom three were revealed as: Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess, Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten, and Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson. In the end, Giada and Alan who were sent home.
Dancing With the Stars, Season 35, airs Tuesdays, 8pm ET/7pm CT on ABC and Disney+
Take a look at the top three highest scored dances from last night’s Viral Hits Night’s competition below. Then let us know, who you thought was the fiercest couple of them all, via the comment section.
Dancing with the Stars
DANCING WITH THE STARS : ‘Viral Hits Night’ Preview; What Song and Dance Did the 14 Remaining Couples Choose?
After last week’s two-part season 35 premiere, Dancing with the Stars continues with the 14 remaining couples return to the ballroom for “Viral Hits Night.” For this next step towards the Len Goodman Mirror Ball Trophy, the celebrity contestants and their professional partners will hit the ballroom dance floor and perform routines to some of the biggest musical hits and unforgettable moments that have taken social media by storm.
“Viral Hits Night” airs on Tuesday, September 22 (8:00-10:00 p.m. EDT/PDT, 7:00-9:00 p.m. CDT), while being simulcast live cross both ABC and Disney+ in local time zones and next day on Hulu.
Previously, Conner Leavitt and pro partner Adele Zaikman were sent home as were the same-sex dancing duo of Sarah Jane Nader and pro partner Hailey Bills. Now below, check out the couples still in the mix along with their dance styles and songs for Tuesday night’s edition of Dancing with the Stars.
Photo: ABC
CELEBRITY AND PRO PARTNERS PLANNED ROUTINES
Amber Glenn and partner Pasha Pashkov will perform a Tango to “All the Things She Said” by Harrison
Taylor Hanson and partner Britt Stewart will perform a Cha Cha to “Cake By the Ocean” by DNCE
Harry Shum Jr. and partner Jenna Johnson will perform a Viennese Waltz to “Iris” by Goo Goo Dolls
Guillermo Rodriguez and partner Witney Carson will perform a Paso Doble to “Where Have You Been” by Rihanna
Jackson Olson and partner Emma Slater will perform a Foxtrot to “That’s So True” by Gracie Abrams
Tatyana Ali and partner Jan Ravnik will perform a Foxtrot to “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish
Ezra Frech and partner Daniella Karagach will perform a Cha Cha to “Low” by Flo Rida
Tyler Cameron and partner Sharna Burgess will perform a Salsa to “Girls” by The Kid LAROI
Connor Wood and partner Rylee Arnold will perform a Tango to “12 to 12” by sombr
Photo: ABC
Maura Higgins and partner Mark Ballas will perform a Cha Cha to “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire
Ciara Miller and partner Brandon Armstrong will perform a Tango to “No Broke Boys” by Disco Lines & Tinashe
Julia Stiles and partner Ezra Sosa will perform a Tango to “The Door” by Teddy Swims
Jenna Dewan and partner Val Chmerkovskiy will perform a Jive to “Animal” by KATSEYE
Giada De Laurentiis and partner Alan Bersten will perform a Salsa to “Bella Ciao” by Becky G
HOW TO CAST YOUR VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITES
Fans will be able to vote during the live simulcast of the show in the ET/CT time zones. During this time, online voting will be available to fans in any time zone in the U.S., its territories and Canada via dwtsvote.abc.com, and fans on participating U.S. wireless carriers can also vote via SMS/text (fans in Canada cannot vote via SMS/text). Live viewer votes from the night will be combined with the judges’ scores to determine who may be in jeopardy of elimination.
Dancing with the Stars is co-hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough in which celebrities are paired with trained ballroom dancers to compete in themed choreographed dance routines that are judged by a panel of renowned ballroom experts, including Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough.
So, looking at the 14 remaining couples selected dance routines and song choice, combined with what you saw last week, who do you think remains a strong frontrunner as the team to beat? Let us know your picks via the comment section below.
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