Shockingly low scores, the first round of boos tossed toward the judges, and a surprise performance from cohost Julianne Hough made it a night to remember.

Dancing With the Stars season 35 premiere night 1 recap: A surprising frontrunner emerges and the first celeb goes home

Shockingly low scores, the first round of boos tossed toward the judges, and a surprise performance from cohost Julianne Hough made it a night to remember.

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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September 15, 2026 10:22 p.m. ET

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Ezra Frech, Conner Leavitt, and Guillermo Rodriguez for ‘DWTS’ season 35. Credit:

Andrew Eccles/disney

- *Dancing With the Stars *season 35 kicked off its two-night premiere on ABC on Tuesday.

- Jackson Olson, Taylor Hanson, Tyler Cameron, and more vied for an early lead on a night dedicated to the season 35 boys.

- Harry Shum Jr. and his partner, Jenna Johnson, earned the highest score of 21, while Guillermo Rodriguez and his partner, Witney Carson, earned the lowest score of 10.

*Dancing With the Stars* is back, baby!

The season 35 premiere of the popular dancing competition series was bound to be one of the most anticipated of the year after season 34 set new viewership records. And then the cast dropped.

Stars like *Save the Last Dance *icon Julia Stiles, *Step Up *alums Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Dewan, *Jimmy Kimmel Live *sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez, *Fresh Prince of Bel Air *star Tatyana Ali, and Hanson frontman Taylor Hanson upped the ante to a considerable degree.

Night 1 of the jam-packed two-part premiere didn’t disappoint. Things got cooking with an all-out performance from the season 35 pros to Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own.” This season saw the return of a former fan favorite, Sharna Burgess, after a five-year hiatus, and welcomed two new pros — Adele Zaikman, who won the spinoff *Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro*, and Hailey Bills, who joined the troupe last season.

Witney Carson and Guillermo Rodriguez on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ season 35.

Dancing with the stars/instagram

Cohosts Alfonso Ribeiro (the season 19 winner) and Julianne Hough (a past pro) announced that night 1 would be one for the boys, leaving the season’s cast of female celebrities to duke it out on Wednesday. The episode proved turbulent, defined by high highs and low lows.

Shum Jr. took viewers to the doctor’s office in a nod to his current double duty as a star of *Grey’s Anatomy.* His Cha-Cha to “Let’s Groove” by Earth, Wind & Fire with pro partner Jenna Johnson secured the night’s highest score of 21, while Rodriguez, despite his infectious enthusiasm, earned a shockingly low score of 10 alongside his partner, season 34 winner Witney Carson.

“I’m hoping for another pandemic so I can get out of this,” Rodriguez joked in the package introducing him to the competition. After his dance, judge Derek Hough winkingly warned Rodriguez to “not hurt them now!” and praised his attitude, despite there being “no” visible technique. “Nobody will ever forget this,” judge Bruno Tonioli ominously predicted.

Tuesday’s first batch of contenders face the music on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ season 35.

And there were other highlights still. Hough praised Savannah Bananas player Jackson Olson as a “natural-born performer.” Paralympic gold medalist Ezra Frech emerged as a surprise frontrunner, earning the second-highest score of 20 for his tango to “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson with pro partner Daniella Karagach. Tonioli praised Frech as “so in control, but what really impressed me — you really look like a leading man.”

There was one major technical glitch that threatened to throw a wrench into the proceedings. Julianne announced not two dances into the show that voting on ABC.com was fried, leaving only the texting method as a viable option. Add to that two of tonight’s competitors sharing a name, albeit with different spellings — *Secret Lives of Mormon Wives *star Conner Leavitt and comedian and podcaster Connor Wood. Rather than opting for last names or nicknames (Wood goes by “fibula”), *DWTS *has opted for the worrying method of texting “Conner L” or “Connor W” to 21523 to cast your vote.

Without further ado, read on to see how each couple fared, and who went home.

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**Jackson Olson & Emma Slater****Dance: Cha-Cha to “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls**Score: 15

**Tyler Cameron & Sharna Burgess****Dance: Tango to “Are You Gonna Go My Way” by Lenny Kravitz**Score: 17

Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman for ‘Dancing With the Stars’ season 35.

Disney/Andrew Eccles

**Conner Leavitt & Adele Zaikman****Dance: Salsa to “Whoomp! There It Is” by Tag Team**Score: 12

**Guillermo Rodriguez & Witney Carson****Dance: Cha-Cha to “Mr. Big Stuff” by Jean Knight**Score: 10

Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson for ‘Dancing With the Stars’ season 35.

Disney/Andrew Eccles

**Ezra Frech & Daniella Karagach****Dance: Tango to “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson**Score: 20

**Connor Wood & Rylee Arnold****Dance: Cha-Cha to “I Like It, I Love It” by Tim McGraw**Score: 16

Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson for ‘Dancing With the Stars’ season 35.

Disney/Andrew Eccles

**Taylor Hanson & Britt Stewart****Dance: Quickstep to “Tell Her About It” by Billy Joel**Score: 16

**Harry Shum Jr. & Jenna Johnson****Dance: Cha-Cha to “Let’s Groove” by Earth, Wind & Fire**Score: 21

Jackson Olson and Emma Slater for ‘DWTS’ season 35.

Disney/Andrew Eccles

At the end of the show, Ribeiro announced that Tuesday’s premiere earned double the votes of last year’s premiere — a remarkable feat, as the season 34 send-off was a record-breaking vote-getter and ratings-setter. Shum Jr. and Johnson were the first couple marked safe, naturally. The bottom three narrowed down to Wood and Arnold, Rodriguez and Carson, and Leavitt and Zaikman.

Ultimately, Leavitt and Zaikman were eliminated.

“I have the world’s best dance partner in Adele, I can’t wait for the world to see her talent,” Leavitt told Ribeiro after the announcement. Zaikman added, “It’s a dream come true no matter what, and I’m so lucky to have Conner. It was so much fun.”

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Next up, it’s the girls’ turn to burn up the ballroom floor. That means Stiles, Ali, Dewan, Giada De Laurentiis, Sarah Jane Nader, Amber Glenn, Ciara Miller, and Maura Higgins will compete to see who emerges as the female frontrunner, with one bound to join Leavitt on the train out of town.

The *Dancing With the Stars* two-night premiere continues Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+.

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