Men open season 35 with first elimination
Season 35 of Dancing With the Stars opened with a two-part premiere that divided the 16 pairs along gender lines. The men took the floor Tuesday, while the women are set to perform Wednesday. Every celebrity performed a chart-topping hit released in the year of their birth, and one duo was sent home when Tuesday's show ended. Viewers could watch at 8 p.m. on ABC and Disney+, then stream it the following day on Hulu.[S1]
The men who danced Tuesday included Tyler Cameron, formerly of The Bachelorette; Paralympic gold medalist Ezra Frech; Taylor Hanson of the band Hanson; Conner Leavitt, husband of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives personality Whitney Leavitt; Jackson Olson of the Savannah Bananas; Guillermo Rodriguez of Jimmy Kimmel Live!; Grey's Anatomy actor Harry Shum Jr.; and comedian and influencer Connor Wood.[S1]
Conner Leavitt eliminated as Shum leads
Conner Leavitt, dancing with Adele Zaikman, who was the first winner of Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro, went home after earning 12/30. Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson topped the leaderboard at 21/30, drawing three sevens. Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach sat in first place early with 20/30, which included the evening's first two sevens. Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess posted 17/30; Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold 16/30; Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart 16/30; Jackson Olson and Emma Slater 15/30; and Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson 10/30.[S1]
During the episode, host Julianne Hough announced that voting on ABC's website was down and viewers should vote by text. Alfonso Ribeiro later confirmed the outage after Conner Leavitt's performance, saying the show was only accepting text votes for Tuesday's premiere. Judge Derek Hough mistakenly called Tyler Cameron 'Dylan' during critiques. The couple with the lowest combined judges' scores and viewer votes is eliminated each episode; live voting runs during the East Coast broadcast and ends shortly after the final performance, meaning West Coast viewers must vote between 5 p.m. and roughly 6:45 p.m. PT.[S1]
Women take the floor Wednesday
Wednesday's lineup of women features Tatyana Ali of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, celebrity chef and Food Network host Giada De Laurentiis, Jenna Dewan of The Rookie and Step Up, Olympic gold medalist Amber Glenn, reality personality Maura Higgins, Ciara Miller of Summer House, Sarah Jane Nader of Love Thy Nader, and Julia Stiles of 10 Things I Hate About You. Like the men, they will perform a No. 1 hit from their birth year, and one more pair will be eliminated.[S1]
