“Dancing With the Stars” kicked off its 35th season with an unusual format Tuesday night, sending home a couple before the show’s full cast of 16 had even finished making its ballroom debut.
The season premiere split its opening week across two nights, with the eight male celebrities performing first and the eight women following Wednesday. Each contestant danced to a song that topped the charts the year they were born, and for the first time in years, both premiere nights ended in an elimination rather than serving purely as introductions.
Grey’s Anatomy and Glee alum Harry Shum Jr. led the men’s field with a score of 21 for his cha cha with partner Jenna Johnson, edging out Paralympic athlete Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach at 20. Bachelorette alum Tyler Cameron followed at 17, while musician Taylor Hanson and comedian Connor Wood tied at 16. Savannah Bananas player Jackson Olson scored 15. At the bottom of the leaderboard sat Conner Leavitt, husband of Season 34 contestant Whitney Leavitt, and his partner Adele Zaikman, a rookie professional fresh off winning the inaugural season of “Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro.” Their salsa drew a 12 from judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli, the lowest mark of the night, and the pair went home once judges’ scores were combined with viewer votes.
Leavitt’s exit fits a pattern the show has seen before: new professional dancers historically struggle to survive their first season, and Leavitt entered the competition without the same built-in audience his wife carried into her own run last year, when she advanced all the way to the semifinals.
Wednesday’s episode shifts the spotlight to the women, including chef Giada De Laurentiis, actress Jenna Dewan, figure skater Amber Glenn, “Love Island” personality Maura Higgins and “10 Things I Hate About You” star Julia Stiles, each paired with a professional partner for their own shot at a strong first impression. As with the men’s night, one female contestant will be eliminated before the full cast dances together for the first time next week.
Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough return as hosts for the season, with Inaba, Hough and Tonioli back on the judging panel. New episodes of “Dancing With the Stars” air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, with next-day streaming on Hulu.
