“Dancing with the Stars” wasted no time raising the stakes in Season 35. Instead of giving the celebrity contestants a comfortable opening night to settle into the ballroom, the show’s unusual two-night premiere immediately put the pressure on everyone. From the moment the first celebrities stepped onto the dance floor, every score, every mistake, and every viewer vote mattered.
Season 35 opened with a different kind of premiere, splitting the celebrity cast across two separate nights while placing an elimination on the line during each episode. For the contestants, that meant there was almost no room to treat the first performance as a simple introduction. Their very first routine could determine whether they returned to the ballroom or watched the competition continue from home.
“Dancing with the Stars” returned on September 15, 2026, with the male celebrities taking the ballroom first. The female contestants were scheduled to perform the following night, according to ABC News. [ABC News coverage of the Season 35 premiere](https://abcnews.com/amp/GMA/Culture/dancing-with-the-stars-season-35-who-is-eliminated/story?id=136377567&utm_source=chatgpt.com)
The unusual format created immediate suspense. Rather than waiting until several weeks into the competition to see the first celebrity sent home, viewers knew from the beginning that someone would be eliminated almost immediately. The split premiere also meant there would be two early exits—one male celebrity on opening night and one female celebrity on September 16.
That changed the atmosphere of the premiere. Every celebrity had to perform while knowing that there would be consequences before the audience had even gotten the chance to see the entire cast dance. There was no opportunity to slowly build momentum over multiple weeks. For some couples, the first dance was not merely an introduction to their partnership—it was their only chance to make an impression.
## **The First Scores Left Little Room for a Slow Start**
The opening-night scoreboard quickly established a wide range of performances.
Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson finished at the top of the first-night scoreboard with 21 out of 30, according to scores published by The Hollywood Reporter. [The Hollywood Reporter coverage of the Season 35 premiere and scores](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/dwts-season-35-premiere-male-celebs-scores-elimination-1236702395/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
Their score gave them an early advantage and placed them in a position of relative safety heading into the elimination results. Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach followed closely behind with 20 out of 30, showing just how competitive the top of the leaderboard was from the very beginning.
Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess earned 17 out of 30, while Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold tied Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart with 16 out of 30.
Jackson Olson and Emma Slater received 15 out of 30.
Further down the scoreboard, another couple found themselves in a much more vulnerable position with 12 out of 30. Only Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson, who received 10 out of 30, had a lower judges’ score.
But the numbers alone could not determine who would survive.
“Dancing with the Stars” combines the judges’ scores with viewer votes when determining which couples advance. That means a celebrity who finishes near the bottom of the judges’ leaderboard can still potentially survive if the audience rallies behind them. Likewise, a strong judges’ score does not automatically guarantee safety.
That voting system made the first elimination particularly difficult to predict from the judges’ scores alone.
## **One Salsa Became Their Only Dance of the Season**
Conner Leavitt and professional partner Adele Zaikman became the first couple eliminated from Season 35.
Their journey ended after only one competitive routine.
The pair performed a salsa to Tag Team’s “Whoomp! (There It Is),” bringing an energetic and playful style to the ballroom. The routine earned them 12 points out of 30, placing them second from the bottom among the male celebrity contestants.
For a contestant entering the competition with hopes of improving week after week, being eliminated after a single dance is an especially difficult ending.
There would be no second routine.
No chance to respond to the judges’ criticism.
No opportunity to learn from the first performance and return the following week with a stronger dance.
Their salsa was their beginning and their ending.
The elimination also illustrated just how unforgiving the two-night premiere format could be. Under a more traditional opening stretch, a couple might have had additional weeks to build chemistry, improve technique, and connect with viewers. Leavitt and Zaikman did not have that luxury.
Their first performance had to do everything at once.
## **Viewers Questioned What Went Wrong**
After the elimination, discussion quickly moved beyond the final score.
On Instagram, viewers offered sharply different assessments of the performance, with several commenters focusing not only on Leavitt’s dancing but also on the choreography selected for the routine. [Dancing with the Stars on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/dancingwiththestars/p/DdVBCfIGoiT/?hl=en&utm_source=chatgpt.com)
One viewer criticized the performance while arguing that Zaikman’s choreography may have worked against her partner.
“that was probably the worst first dance i’ve seen in a while. adele kinda did him dirty w the choreography too [sic],” the commenter wrote.
Another viewer expressed a similar concern, suggesting that the choreography did not emphasize what Leavitt could do well.
“That choreo was not made to highlight his strengths :(.”
A third commenter believed Leavitt had more potential than the audience was able to see during his first and only routine.
“he has so much potential but I don’t think the choreo did him any favors.”
Those reactions were viewer opinions rather than an official explanation for the elimination, but they showed how quickly fans began debating the factors behind the result. The conversation was no longer simply about the number 12 on the scoreboard. Viewers were asking whether the routine itself gave Leavitt the opportunity to demonstrate his abilities.
That distinction matters in a competition like “Dancing with the Stars.” A contestant is judged on what appears in front of the audience on one particular night, but a single routine may not necessarily reveal everything that person can eventually become as a dancer.
For Leavitt, there simply wasn’t enough time to find out.
Season 35 had barely begun, and already one celebrity’s journey was over.
The two-night premiere created exactly the kind of immediate pressure that can make the opening episodes so unpredictable. The celebrities were introduced, judged, voted on, and, for one couple, eliminated almost immediately.
And while the scoreboard provided one explanation for what happened, the reaction from viewers suggested the conversation would continue long after the music stopped.
For Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman, “Whoomp! (There It Is)” became more than just their first salsa.
It became their only dance of the season.