‘Dancing With the Stars’ Kicks Off With Two-Night Premiere Event
Find out who went home, plus the highlights of ladies’ night.
Season 35 of Dancing With the Stars has officially kicked off with its two-night premiere. Night one featured the full line-up of male celebrities, while last night’s episode was all about the ladies, and it did not disappoint.
This year’s famous female competitors include Jenna Dewan, Julia Stiles, Tatyana Ali, Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn, TV chef Giada De Laurentiis, and reality stars Maura Higgins, Ciara Miller, and Sarah Jane Nader. The male line-up includes Taylor Hanson, Harry Shum, Jr, and more.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives husband Conner Leavitt was eliminated in night one as Glee alum Shum unsurprisingly took the top spot. Wednesday’s show saw a surprising turn of events as The Traitors star Maura Higgins and partner Mark Ballas earned the highest marks from the judges over Dewan, who was broadly expected to be the frontrunner (and came in second).
All-in-all, it was a remarkable opening night for the women. Here are a few of the highlights:
Amber Glenn’s cha cha
Glenn and pro partner Pasha Pashkov set their first dance to “Smooth” by Santana, earning them a respectable score from the judges of 18 out of 30, which left them tied for 3rd place. Sapphic DWTS fans are still recovering from Glenn’s split moment.
Julia Stiles working 9 to 5
During the episode, Stiles revealed that “9 to 5” was the first song that she discussed dancing to on the show with her partner Ezra Sosa, but she initially wasn’t sure it was going to happen.
“It was only a couple weeks before Dolly passed that she approved this song specifically for me,” Stiles said. “I’m so honored to be dancing to her music and honoring her legacy.”
Same-sex elimination
Unfortunately, DWTS‘s second ever all-female duo was eliminated at the end of the night. Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills didn’t receive the lowest score from the judges—Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik scored a 12/30 to their 14/30—but, when combined with audience votes, they found themselves coming in last.
It’s a bummer to see them go so soon, but at the same time… fans seem to understand why it played out this way.
The remaining episodes of season 35 will air on ABC every Tuesday night. They’ll also be available to stream on Hulu and Disney+ the next day.
