Technical glitch forces ABC to discard online votes but first elimination proceeds on Dancing with the Stars premiere

Season 35 of Dancing with the Stars resumed with the second night of its two-part premiere after a technical issue on the first night invalidated all online votes, leaving only SMS votes to count.

The production confirmed that despite the glitch, the scheduled elimination went ahead. Contestants Conner Leavitt, known from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, and his professional partner Adele Zaikman were the first couple to leave the competition after receiving one of the lowest judges' scores and not enough viewer votes.

Returning judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli gave generally modest scores on night one. Co-hosts Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro noted that low initial scores are typical as pairs develop throughout the season.

"The chemistry between you two is off-the-charts," Bruno Tonioli said of the top-scoring couple Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson, who earned 21 out of 30 for a cha-cha performance.

"You are so electric when you perform," Carrie Ann Inaba added.

Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach earned the second-highest score, a 20, for a tango set to Kelly Clarkson’s "Since U Been Gone," while Guillermo and Witney received the lowest score of 10 for a cha-cha.

The show outlined its voting process: viewers may vote online or via text during the live window, with a maximum of 20 votes per couple (10 online, 10 text). Votes are combined with judges' scores to determine which couples remain.

Tonight’s episode will feature the female celebrities and their professional partners dancing for the first time, with a broadcast scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming platforms.