A Record Turnout That Broke the Website
Dancing With the Stars returned for its 35th season on September 15 with a two-night premiere split by gender — and night one immediately ran into technical chaos. After just the second performance of the evening, hosts Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro announced that the show's online voting portal had gone down entirely, directing viewers to cast their ballots via text message instead [2]. Following the third dance, the hosts went further, revealing that any online votes that had managed to slip through before the crash would be discarded — only texted votes would count toward the night's results [2].
The irony: the glitch appears to have been caused by enthusiasm. Despite the crash and despite only eight couples competing on night one, the show recorded more than double the number of votes from last year's premiere [2]. The added wrinkle of two similarly named contestants — Conner Leavitt and Connor Wood — meant producers had to instruct viewers to text "Conner L" or "Connor W" to distinguish between them [2].
How the Male Celebrities Stacked Up
Eight male celebrities and their professional partners took the floor on Tuesday, each dancing to a No. 1 song from the year they were born [1]. The format gave every couple a moment in the spotlight before judges' scores and viewer votes were combined to determine who would go home.
At the top of the leaderboard stood Grey's Anatomy actor Harry Shum Jr. and partner Jenna Johnson, who delivered a Cha-Cha to Earth, Wind & Fire's "Let's Groove" for the night's highest score of 21/30 [2]. Paralympic gold medalist Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach were close behind at 20/30 after a Tango to Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone" — Frech had briefly led the pack mid-show after earning the first two sevens of the night from the judges [1][2].
The Bachelorette alum Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess landed third with a 17/30 for their Tango to Lenny Kravitz's "Are You Gonna Go My Way" [2]. Cameron had been the early leader before Frech surpassed him — though judge Derek Hough momentarily called him "Dylan" during the critique segment [1].
Comedian and influencer Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold tied with Hanson band member Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart, both scoring 16/30. Wood performed a Cha-Cha to Tim McGraw's "I Like It, I Love It," while Hanson tackled a Quickstep to Billy Joel's "Tell Her About It" [2]. Savannah Bananas baseball star Jackson Olson and Emma Slater earned a 15/30 for their Cha-Cha to the Spice Girls' "Wannabe" [2].
At the bottom of the leaderboard were Secret Lives of Mormon Wives personality Whitney Leavitt's husband Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman with a 12/30 for their Salsa to "Whoomp! There It Is" by Tag Team, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! personality Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson with a 10/30 for a Cha-Cha to Jean Knight's "Mr. Big Stuff" [2].
One Goes Home After Night One
When judges' scores were combined with the text-only viewer votes, Conner Leavitt was eliminated at the end of the episode [2]. The combined scoring system — where the couple with the lowest total of judges' points and audience votes is sent home — meant that his 12/30 from the panel left little margin for viewer support to save him [1][2].
The Wednesday Lineup and What's at Stake
The second night of the premiere shifts focus to the eight female celebrities, with another elimination on the line. That cast includes The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Tatyana Ali, Food Network host Giada De Laurentiis, actress and Step Up star Jenna Dewan, Olympic gold medalist Amber Glenn, Love Island and The Traitors reality star Maura Higgins, Summer House star Ciara Miller, Love Thy Nader cast member Sarah Jane Nader, and 10 Things I Hate About You actress Julia Stiles [1].
Season 35 simulcasts on ABC and Disney+ each week at 8 p.m. ET, with episodes available to stream the following day on Hulu [1].
What to Watch Next
The immediate question heading into Wednesday night is whether the voting infrastructure holds up after Tuesday's crash — producers will be under pressure to ensure online balloting is restored and stable before the women's premiere airs. Beyond the technical fix, the more competitive story is taking shape: Harry Shum Jr.'s commanding 21/30 opening sets an early benchmark, while the bottom of the leaderboard on both nights will reveal which celebrities need rapid improvement to survive the early weeks. With voting volume already doubling last season's premiere numbers despite the glitch, Season 35 appears to have arrived with significant audience momentum.
