Dancing With the Stars season 35 drew 6.67 million viewers for its opening episode, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings reported by The Hollywood Reporter. That figure represents a 24 percent increase from the season 34 debut of 5.38 million, marking the show’s most-watched premiere since season 29 in September 2020.
Women’s Night Leaderboard and Scores
During the Wednesday night women’s premiere, reality star Maura Higgins and partner Mark Ballas claimed the top spot on the leaderboard with a score of 21 out of 30, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Today. Their performance of a foxtrot to “Black Velvet” earned them a seven paddle from all three judges—Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough—making Maura the first female celebrity of the season to reach that score. GoldDerby notes that Maura and Mark recently appeared together as Faithfuls on The Traitors.
Olympic gold medalist Amber Glenn and partner Pasha Pashkov opened the night with an early high score of 18 out of 30 for their cha cha to Santana’s “Smooth,” featuring Rob Thomas. Actress Julia Stiles and partner Ezra Sosa matched that 18/30 score with a quickstep performed to Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.”
Other scores from the women’s premiere night included:
- Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy: 19/30
- Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov: 18/30
- Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa: 18/30
- Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten: 16/30
- Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong: 15/30
- Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills: 14/30
- Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik: 12/30
Sarah Jane Nader Eliminated on Night Two
At the end of Wednesday’s episode, Sarah Jane Nader and her partner Hailey Bills were eliminated from the competition, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter and Today. Sarah Jane became the second celebrity to exit season 35. GoldDerby points out that Sarah Jane and Hailey formed the third same-sex pairing in the history of Dancing With the Stars.
The elimination is determined by combining the judges’ scores with viewer votes, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Live voting occurs during the East Coast airing on ABC and Disney+, closing shortly after the final performance.
Technical Difficulties and Tuesday Night Results
The season began with a two-night premiere split by gender, with eight male celebrities performing on Tuesday night, as detailed by The Hollywood Reporter. Actor Harry Shum Jr. and partner Jenna Johnson topped the men’s leaderboard with a score of 21 out of 30.
During Tuesday’s live broadcast, ABC’s online voting system on the network’s website crashed. Co-host Alfonso Ribeiro announced that the show would only accept votes via text message for the remainder of that episode. By Wednesday night, Today reported that the voting issues had been resolved, allowing fans to vote both online and via text once again.
Conner Leavitt became the first celebrity eliminated on Tuesday night, partnered with Adele Zaikman, the winner of Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro.
Did you know? Season 35 episodes simulcast live across ABC and Disney+ on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8 p.m., with next-day streaming available on Hulu, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who topped the leaderboard on the women’s premiere night?
Maura Higgins and partner Mark Ballas led the women’s leaderboard with a score of 21 out of 30, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Who was eliminated on the second night of season 35?
Sarah Jane Nader and her professional partner Hailey Bills were eliminated at the end of Wednesday’s episode, as reported by Today.
What caused the voting issues during the premiere?
ABC’s online voting website crashed during Tuesday’s live broadcast, prompting the show to switch exclusively to text voting for that night, per The Hollywood Reporter.
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