Dancing With the Stars opened its season 35 premiere with a twist: two nights, split by gender. Tuesday belonged to the men, Wednesday to the women, and the first elimination came fast.
The show drew 6.67 million viewers for its first episode, a 24 percent jump from last year’s debut. That makes it the most-watched premiere since season 29 in September 2020. Online voting crashed during Tuesday’s show, forcing the show to switch to text-only votes. Alfonso Ribeiro announced the change live.
The Women’s Night Lineup
Wednesday’s eight female stars danced to No. 1 songs from the year they were born. One will be eliminated tonight. The couples:
- Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik — The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star
- Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten — celebrity chef and Food Network host
- Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy — The Rookie and Step Up star
- Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov — Olympic gold medalist
- Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas — reality star from Love Island and The Traitors
- Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong — Summer House star
- Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills — Love Thy Nader reality star
- Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa — 10 Things I Hate You actress
What Happened to the Men
Tuesday’s eight male stars included 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.
Harry Shum Jr. led the men’s leaderboard with a 21/30 score with partner Jenna Johnson. Conner Leavitt was eliminated at the end of Tuesday’s show. He was paired with Adele Zaikman, the first-ever winner of Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro.
How the Votes Work
Live voting happens during the East Coast airing of each show and ends shortly after the final performance. West Coast viewers must vote between 5 p.m. PT to roughly 6:45 p.m. PT, as voting closes after the final performance.
The couple with the lowest combined total of judges’ scores and viewer votes is eliminated at the end of each episode.
“Because of the crash, Alfonso Ribeiro said the show was only accepting votes via text for Tuesday night’s premiere.”
Tonight’s Elimination
One woman will be eliminated tonight. Voting closes after the final performance, so fans who want their pick to survive need to act quickly.
Why This Format Works
Splitting the premiere by gender keeps the momentum high. After Tuesday’s strong numbers, Wednesday’s episode has extra pressure to match. The format also gives each star a full night to shine without sharing the spotlight.
The crash on Tuesday shows the show’s audience turned up in force.
Tonight’s elimination will narrow the women’s group. Whoever stays alive moves forward.
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