Season 35 of 'Dancing With the Stars' Kicks Off With Shocking Elimination

WHO:

The Hollywood Reporter - Sarah Jane Nader was partnered with Hailey Bills, a first-time pro and member of the season 34 troupe.

The Hollywood Reporter - The male celebrities competing included Tyler Cameron, Ezra Frech, Taylor Hanson, Conner Leavitt, Jackson Olson, Guillermo Rodriguez, Harry Shum Jr., and Connor Wood.

Yahoo - Sarah Jane Nader and her professional partner, Hailey Bills, were the third same-sex pairing in the show's 35-season run.

Yahoo - Sarah Jane Nader stated, "I think that us being on this ballroom floor together as two women is just so powerful."

Yahoo - Sarah Jane Nader and her professional partner, Hailey Bills, were the second pair eliminated from Season 35.

Yahoo - Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman were the first pair eliminated from Season 35.

The Hollywood Reporter - The female celebrities competing in Season 35 of Dancing With the Stars include Tatyana Ali, Giada De Laurentiis, Jenna Dewan, Amber Glenn, Maura Higgins, Ciara Miller, Sarah Jane Nader, and Julia Stiles.

The Hollywood Reporter - The male celebrities competing include Tyler Cameron, Ezra Frech, Taylor Hanson, Conner Leavitt, Jackson Olson, Guillermo Rodriguez, Harry Shum Jr., and Connor Wood.

The Hollywood Reporter - Sarah Jane Nader was eliminated from the competition.

The Hollywood Reporter - Conner Leavitt was the first eliminated celebrity from the male performances.

WHAT:

The Hollywood Reporter - Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov earned a score of 18/30 on Wednesday night, while Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa tied with the same score after performing a quickstep to Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.”

The Hollywood Reporter - Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas became the first female celebrity couple to earn a seven paddle from all judges, scoring 21/30 with their foxtrot to Alannah Myles's "Black Velvet."

The Hollywood Reporter - Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov earned a score of 18/30 on the second night, while Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa tied with the same score.

The Hollywood Reporter - Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik received a score of 12/30.

The Hollywood Reporter - Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong scored 15/30.

The Hollywood Reporter - Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten received a score of 16/30.

The Hollywood Reporter - Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy scored 19/30.

Yahoo - Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills performed a jive to Avril Lavigne's "Sk8er Boi," earning a total score of 14 out of 30.

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.

The Hollywood Reporter - The female celebrities performed to a No. 1 song from the year they were born during the second night of the premiere.

The Hollywood Reporter - Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov earned a score of 18/30 on the second night, while Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa tied with the same score.

The Hollywood Reporter - Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas led the women's leaderboard with a score of 21/30, tying with Harry Shum Jr. from the men's performances.

The Hollywood Reporter - Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills received a score of 14/30 before being eliminated.

The Hollywood Reporter - Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas became the first female celebrity couple to earn a seven paddle from all judges, scoring 21/30.

The Hollywood Reporter - The first episode of Season 35 drew 6.67 million viewers, a 24 percent increase from the previous year's debut of 5.38 million viewers.

The Hollywood Reporter - The premiere marked the most-watched premiere since Season 29 in 2020.

The Hollywood Reporter - Season 35 of Dancing With the Stars began with a two-night premiere split by gender.

The Hollywood Reporter - Sarah Jane Nader was eliminated, becoming the second star to exit Season 35.

The Hollywood Reporter - Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov earned a score of 18/30, while Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa tied with the same score.

The Hollywood Reporter - Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas earned the highest score of the night with 21/30.

The Hollywood Reporter - The first episode drew 6.67 million viewers, a 24 percent increase from the previous year.

The Hollywood Reporter - The premiere marked the most-watched premiere since Season 29 in 2020.

WHERE:

The Hollywood Reporter - The show aired on ABC and Disney+.

WHEN:

US Magazine - Dancing With the Stars will return to its regular schedule on September 22, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET.

US Magazine - Season 35 of Dancing With the Stars will return to its regular schedule on September 22, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET.

US Magazine - Dancing With the Stars returns to its regular schedule on September 22, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET.

The Hollywood Reporter - Season 35 of Dancing With the Stars premiered on September 15 and 16, 2026.

The Hollywood Reporter - Season 35 premiered on a Tuesday and Wednesday night.

The Hollywood Reporter - Voting for the show ends shortly after the final performance, with specific voting hours for West Coast viewers from 5 p.m. PT to roughly 6:45 p.m. PT.

WHY:

The Hollywood Reporter - The elimination process is based on the lowest combined total of judges’ scores and viewer votes.

HOW:

Yahoo - Online voting was restored for Wednesday's episode after crashing during Tuesday's premiere.

The Hollywood Reporter - Voting online via ABC’s website crashed during the live show on Tuesday night, leading to the show only accepting votes via text for that episode.

The Hollywood Reporter - Voting was conducted online via ABC’s website and text, with the online voting crashing during the live show.

(UPDATED September 17, 2026 20:59 UTC)

In a thrilling episode of Dancing With the Stars, Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov, along with Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa, both earned a score of 18 out of 30 for their quickstep to Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.” Meanwhile, Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas made history as the first female celebrity couple to receive a perfect seven paddle from all judges, scoring 21 out of 30 with their foxtrot to Alannah Myles's "Black Velvet." Fans can look forward to the show's return to its regular schedule on September 22, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET, after online voting was restored following a crash during the premiere.

(UPDATED September 17, 2026 17:58 UTC)

In a groundbreaking moment for Dancing With the Stars, Sarah Jane Nader and her partner Hailey Bills have become the third same-sex pairing in the show's 35-season history, with Nader expressing that their presence on the ballroom floor is "just so powerful." On the second night of competition, Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov, along with Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa, both earned a score of 18 out of 30, while Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik scored 12, Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong received 15, and Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten got 16, with Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy leading the night with a score of 19. Fans can look forward to the return of Season 35 on September 22, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET.

(UPDATED September 17, 2026 13:58 UTC)

In the latest episode of Dancing With the Stars, Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman were the first pair eliminated, having performed a salsa to Tag Team's "Whoomp! (There It Is)" and scoring 12 out of 30. Following them, Sarah Jane Nader and her partner Hailey Bills were the second couple to go home after their jive to Avril Lavigne's "Sk8er Boi," which earned them a score of 14 out of 30. Fans can catch the next episode when Dancing With the Stars returns to its regular schedule on September 22, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET.

(UPDATED September 17, 2026 09:58 UTC)

During the second night of the premiere of Season 35 of Dancing With the Stars, female celebrities performed to a No. 1 song from the year they were born. Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas topped the women's leaderboard with a score of 21 out of 30, tying with Harry Shum Jr., while Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov, along with Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa, both scored 18 out of 30. Unfortunately, Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills scored 14 out of 30 and were eliminated from the competition.

(UPDATED September 17, 2026 05:57 UTC)

In a historic moment for the competition, Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas became the first female celebrity couple to earn a perfect seven paddle from all judges, scoring a total of twenty-one out of thirty. The premiere of Season 35 attracted an impressive 6.67 million viewers, marking a 24 percent increase from last year's debut and making it the most-watched premiere since Season 29 in 2020. However, the excitement was somewhat dampened when online voting via ABC’s website crashed during the live show, forcing the program to accept votes only through text for that episode.

(UPDATED September 17, 2026 05:01 UTC)

Season 35 of Dancing With the Stars kicked off with a two-night premiere on ABC and Disney+, featuring a lineup of female celebrities including Tatyana Ali and Julia Stiles, and male competitors like Tyler Cameron and Harry Shum Jr. The first episode attracted 6.67 million viewers, marking the most-watched premiere since Season 29 in 2020, while Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas topped the night with a score of 21 out of 30. In a surprising turn, Sarah Jane Nader became the second star eliminated from the competition, following Conner Leavitt, who was the first male celebrity to exit.