Sarah Jane Nader eliminated in surprise exit during DWTS Season 35 premiere

Actress Sarah Jane Nader and her professional partner Hailey Bills were eliminated at the end of the second night of the Season 35 premiere of Dancing With the Stars, becoming the first female celebrity pair to leave the competition. The duo received a score of 14 out of 30 for their Jive to Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8er Boi,” part of a segment where female contestants performed a No. 1 song from the year they were born.

Co-hosts Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro also identified two other couples at risk of elimination: actress Tatyana Ali with partner Jan Ravnik, and chef Giada De Laurentiis with partner Alan Bersten. Ali and Ravnik earned the lowest score of the night, 12 out of 30, for their Jive to Amii Stewart’s “Knock on Wood.”

Among the highest scores, Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas led the leaderboard with 21 out of 30 for a Foxtrot to “Black Velvet,” while Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson also received 21 out of 30 for a Cha-Cha to “Let’s Groove.” Other contestants received scores ranging from 15 to 19.

The previous night’s male-focused episode saw Conner Leavitt and partner Adele Zaikman eliminated after a low score, and several other pairs were noted as being in danger of elimination. New episodes will continue to air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, with next-day streaming on Hulu.