The 35th season of Dancing with the Stars kicked off its two-night premiere on ABC, bringing 16 contestants to the CBS Television City ballroom to compete for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, according to reporting from Deadline and Yahoo. The Tuesday night premiere featured the season’s male celebrities taking the floor, while the female contestants prepared for Wednesday night’s performances.
Technical Glitches and Voting Complications
According to Deadline, the premiere faced immediate technical hurdles when voting on ABC.com crashed in the middle of the live broadcast. Show hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough instructed viewers to discard online votes cast up to that point and rely solely on text voting. Yahoo reported that this reliance on text messaging introduced a distinct challenge due to two contestants sharing the same first name: Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Conner Leavitt and comedian Connor Wood. Hosts announced that voters must specify “Conner L.” or “Connor W.” when texting to ensure their votes count.
Night One Scores and Standout Performances
Actor Harry Shum Jr. and partner Jenna Johnson secured the highest score of the night with 21 points for their cha-cha to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Let’s Groove,” as reported by Yahoo. Paralympic gold medalist Ezra Frech and partner Daniella Karagach earned the second-highest score, pulling in 20 points for a tango to Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone,” according to Deadline and Yahoo.
Other performances from the premiere included:
- Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess: Earned 17 points for a tango to Lenny Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” according to Yahoo.
- Jackson Olson and Emma Slater: Received 15 points for a cha-cha to the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe,” with Slater noting in pre-dance packages covered by Deadline that Olson is her first partner in his 20s.
- Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman: Scored 12 points for a salsa to Tag Team’s “Whoomp! (There It Is),” as detailed by Deadline.
- Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson: Earned the lowest score of the night with 10 points for a cha-cha to Jean Knight’s “Mr. Big Stuff,” according to Yahoo. Carson competed while pregnant, guiding the late-night sidekick through a routine that judges praised for enthusiasm despite lacking technical precision.
New Additions to the Professional Roster
Yahoo reported that Season 35 marks the return of fan-favorite professional dancer Sharna Burgess.
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