DWTS' Season 35 Launches With Voting Issues and Early Elimination

WHO:

Hollywood Reporter - The cast includes The Bachelorette alum Tyler Cameron, Paralympic gold medalist Ezra Frech, "Hanson" band member Taylor Hanson, Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Conner Leavitt, Savannah Bananas baseball star Jackson Olson, Jimmy Kimmel Live! star Guillermo Rodriguez, Grey's Anatomy actor Harry Shum Jr., and influencer/comedian Connor Wood.

Yahoo - The judges for Season 35 are Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli.

Deadline - 16 contestants are participating in Season 35 of "Dancing With the Stars."

Variety - Hosts of the show are Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro.

WHAT:

Deadline - The premiere episodes are split by gender, with eight male celebrities performing on one night and eight female celebrities performing on the following night.

Hollywood Reporter - The first episode featured male celebrities dancing to a No. 1 song from the year they were born.

Yahoo - Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman performed a salsa to Tag Team's "Whoomp! (There It Is)," receiving a total score of 12 out of 30.

Yahoo - Conner Leavitt and professional partner Adele Zaikman performed a salsa to Tag Team's "Whoomp! (There It Is)," receiving a total score of 12 out of 30.

Yahoo - Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson finished at the top of the leaderboard with a score of 21 out of 30 for their cha cha to Earth, Wind & Fire's "Let's Groove."

Yahoo - Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach scored 20 points for their tango to Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone."

Yahoo - Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess scored 17 for their tango to Lenny Kravitz's "Are You Gonna Go My Way."

Yahoo - Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson finished at the bottom of the judges' leaderboard with a score of 10 points for their cha cha to Jean Knight's "Mr. Big Stuff," but advanced to the next round.

Deadline - Conner Leavitt was eliminated from "Dancing With the Stars" during the premiere, scoring 12/30.

Hollywood Reporter - Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess scored 17/30, while Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach earned 20/30, and Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson received the highest score of 21/30.

Variety - The Season 35 premiere of "Dancing With the Stars" experienced a voting glitch, with online voting being down after the second dance.

Variety - Audiences were only able to vote via text during the premiere.

Deadline - An early elimination occurred during the premiere.

WHERE:

Deadline - The premiere took place at CBS Television City.

WHEN:

Hollywood Reporter - The female celebrities will compete on the following night after the male celebrities' performances.

Yahoo - The Season 35 premiere continues on September 16 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.

Variety - The Season 35 premiere occurred on September 15.

WHY:

Variety - The voting glitch was attributed to having too many voters for the system to handle.

HOW:

Variety - After the second dance, hosts announced that online voting was down, and viewers were instructed to vote via text.

Yahoo - Online votes were thrown out for the night, meaning only votes submitted by text would count due to the voting glitch.

Hollywood Reporter - Live voting for the show ends shortly after the final performance, specifically between 5 p.m. PT to roughly 6:45 p.m. PT for West Coast viewers.

Variety - Voting was limited to text messages due to the online voting issues.

(UPDATED September 17, 2026 02:09 UTC)

The highly anticipated Season 35 of the dance competition features a diverse cast, including Tyler Cameron from The Bachelorette, Paralympic gold medalist Ezra Frech, and Grey's Anatomy actor Harry Shum Jr., among others. The premiere episodes are uniquely structured, with male celebrities performing one night and female celebrities taking the stage the following night, and Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman kicked things off with a salsa to "Whoomp! (There It Is)," earning a score of 12 out of 30. Viewers were informed that online voting was down during the second dance, prompting hosts to encourage voting via text instead.

(UPDATED September 16, 2026 17:00 UTC)

In the latest episode of the competition, Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson topped the leaderboard with an impressive score of 21 out of 30 for their cha cha to Earth, Wind & Fire's "Let's Groove." Meanwhile, Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman performed a salsa but received a score of just 12 out of 30, while Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson finished at the bottom with 10 points for their cha cha, though they still advanced to the next round. The Season 35 premiere continues tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, with only text votes counting due to a voting glitch that eliminated online submissions.

(UPDATED September 16, 2026 10:59 UTC)

In a surprising turn during the premiere of "Dancing With the Stars," Conner Leavitt was eliminated after scoring just twelve out of thirty. Meanwhile, Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess scored seventeen, Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach earned twenty, and Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson took home the highest score of twenty-one. Live voting for the show will close shortly after the final performance, specifically between 5 p.m. PT and roughly 6:45 p.m. PT for viewers on the West Coast.

(UPDATED September 16, 2026 02:24 UTC)

The Season 35 premiere of "Dancing With the Stars" featured 16 contestants and was hosted by Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro, but it faced a significant voting glitch that left online voting down after the second dance. As a result, audiences could only cast their votes via text messages, leading to an early elimination during the premiere held at CBS Television City. The glitch was attributed to an overwhelming number of voters for the system to manage effectively.