Season 34 alum Whitney supported Conner from the audience during the season 35 premiere of the hit reality dance competition series.

Whitney Leavitt reacts to husband Conner’s night 1 Dancing With the Stars elimination: ‘F--- the noise’

Season 34 alum Whitney supported Conner from the audience during the season 35 premiere of the hit reality dance competition series.

By Leigh Blickley

September 16, 2026 2:57 p.m. ET

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Conner and Whitney Leavitt in an Instagram photo. Credit:

Whitney Leavitt/Instagram

- Whitney Leavitt sends love to her husband Conner after his *Dancing With the Stars* elimination.

- *The* *Secret Lives of Mormon Wives* star, who appeared on *DWTS* last season, told him to “f--- the noise” and “keep putting yourself out there.”

- Conner and his partner Adele Zaikman were the first duo eliminated from season 35.

Whitney Leavitt is standing by her man after his night 1 elimination on season 35 of *Dancing With the Stars*.

*The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives* star, who was a standout performer herself last year on *DWTS* season 34, posted a celebratory message on Instagram for her husband, Conner Leavitt. He and partner, *DWTS: The Next Pro* winner Adele Zaikman, were the first duo sent home during Tuesday’s premiere.

“Conner, I am so proud of you 🤍 I hope you never let this ending take away from what you just did,” Whitney wrote to her husband of 10 years. “You stepped so far outside of your comfort zone, worked your ass off, put yourself out there, and went for it. People can have their opinions, but I know you. They’ve only seen a fraction of what you’re capable of. And I can’t wait for them to find out!”

Whitney, who placed sixth on the show with Mark Ballas in 2025, continued: “I hope this lit a fire in you! Keep saying yes. Keep putting yourself out there. Keep going after the things that scare you. F--- the noise and go after whatever you want next baby! Sedona, Liam and Billy are so proud of their dad 🥹 I’m so proud and lucky to be your wife, and I hope you’re so f---ing proud of yourself too! This is just the beginning, babe 🤍.”

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Conner was one of 16 celebrities chosen to be a part of the highly anticipated season 35 of *DWTS*, alongside the likes of Tyler Cameron, Taylor Hanson, Jenna Dewan, Julia Stiles, Harry Shum Jr., Tatyana Ali, Giada De Laurentiis, Maura Higgins, Ciara Miller, Sarah Jane Nader, Guillermo Rodriguez, Jackson Olson, Ezra Frech, Amber Glenn, and Connor Wood.

On Tuesday, Conner and Zaikman performed a salsa to “Whoomp! There It Is” by Tag Team. They earned a 12 out of 30 from judges Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli, and Carrie Ann Inaba, who called the routine “chaotic” and noted Conner’s lack of focus.

Conner Leavitt, Adele Zaikman on ‘Dancing With the Stars’.

Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty

After his elimination, Conner told ABC*’s **Good Morning America*, “I feel like something that I’ve learned and taken away from this and just loved is allowing myself to be vulnerable. I wasn’t a good dancer, but now I feel like I know a little bit of what to do on the dance floor. So that’s my biggest takeaway.”

Conner added that he knows his wife is proud of him. “She came up and gave me the biggest hug and said, ‘That was so awesome. You left it all on the dance floor. That was so vulnerable.’ And I just love that I have such a supporting and loving wife.”

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Zaikman also said that she’s “got a friend for life” in Conner.

“Conner is the best first partner I could have gotten” Zaikman told *GMA*. “I stand by that and I’m so lucky. I got a friend for life. I’m so proud of him, and his journey. Too short, but still I’m very, very proud. I think we did a great job.”

*Dancing With the Stars* season 35 continues with part two of the premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 16. Both episodes will air at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+.

- Dancing with the Stars Fandom

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Source: “EW Dancing”