Season 35 of 'Dancing with the Stars' kicks off with male performances and first elimination
The season opened with 16 male celebrities dancing on Tuesday, but technical voting issues arose and contestant Conner Leavitt and partner Adele Zaikman were the first to be eliminated.
CBS Television City hosted the opening night of Season 35 of "Dancing with the Stars" on Tuesday, featuring performances by the 16 male contestants. The premiere was split over two evenings, with the women scheduled to dance on Wednesday.
During the broadcast, the show experienced a technical glitch that halted online voting. Producers discarded the ABC.com votes and relied solely on text messages, requiring voters to differentiate between two contestants named Connor by using their middle initials, as explained by hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough.
Among the male competitors, Savannah Bananas midfielder Jackson Olson received a score of 15 after a cha-cha with professional dancer Emma Slater, who noted it was her first partnership with a celebrity in his twenties. Reality-star Tyler Cameron earned 17 for a tango with Sharna Burgess, while Paralympian Ezra Frech and partner Daniella Karagach achieved the night’s highest judges’ score of 20 for a tango performed despite Frech’s above-the-knee amputation.
Other scores included 12 for Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman’s salsa, 10 for late-night sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson’s cha-cha, 16 for comedian Connor Wood with Rylee Arnold, 16 for musician Taylor Hanson with Britt Stewart, and 21 for actor Harry Shum Jr. with Jenna Johnson, whose cha-cha was praised for its chemistry.
Based on the combined judges’ scores and the adjusted text voting, Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman were the first pair to leave the competition. They will return for the live after-show on Wednesday, which will also feature the women’s performances and a potential second elimination.