Ciara Miller and her partner Brandon Armstrong went home Tuesday on “Dancing With the Stars,” the second straight week a mid-table couple was sent packing, while Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas collected the first 9 of season 35.
Miller and Armstrong landed in the bottom three on Mariah Carey Night alongside Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson, and Jackson Olson and Emma Slater. The result stung because their jazz routine to “Emotions” scored 21 out of 30, three 7s from the judges, a mark that matched three other couples who stayed. Last week’s exit of Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart also startled viewers, who had not seen them as weak.
Higgins and Ballas led the night with a waltz to “If It’s Over.” Carrie Ann Inaba delivered the evening’s only 9, and Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli each gave an 8, for a season-high 25. Hough and Tonioli praised her turns, with one judge crediting her “royal poise.”
Three couples scored 24 in succession before Higgins took the lead. Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach danced a rumba to “Anytime You Need a Friend” and earned their first 8s. Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson tangoed to “It’s Like That,” in a number that brought “Glee” alum and former champion Amber Riley back to the ballroom to sing. Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov followed with a 23.
Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess improved by four points with a foxtrot to “#Beautiful,” finishing at 21. Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa matched that total with a Viennese waltz, as did Olson and Slater with a waltz to “Without You.” Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik scored 20 for a jazz routine to “Fantasy,” one point lower than their prior week, while Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold scored 19 for a rumba to “Touch My Body,” also a point down.
Rodriguez and Carson took the bottom of the leaderboard with a 13 for a samba to “Obsessed” but survived the vote. Twelve couples began the night. Eleven remain, and the middle of the pack is crowded enough that one weak week could end another run.
