โDancing With the Starsโ Season 35 has officially kicked off!
This yearโs show began with an unexpected twist: the male celebrities would only be competing during the Sept. 15 premiere.
The two-night Season 35 kickoff divided the 16 competing couples into two groups, with each night ending in an elimination.
The episode opened with a special performance choreographed by co-host Julianne Hough, who then reunited with Alfonso Ribeiro to welcome viewers to the new โDWTSโ season.
The couples then danced to a song from the year they were born, with judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough giving them a 1-10 score.
In an unplanned moment, Hough updated fans during the broadcast that online voting was experiencing technical difficulties, and that only votes via text would be accepted.
Hereโs a recap of what went down on night one of the Season 35 โDWTSโ premiere, including the dances and scores of each couple.
What Did Each Star Dance to and What Was Their Score?
- Tyler Cameron with partner Sharna Burgess will perform a tango to โAre You Gonna Go My Wayโ by Lenny Kravitz โ SCORE: 17/30
- Ezra Frech with partner Daniella Karagach will perform a tango to โSince U Been Goneโ by Kelly Clarkson โ SCORE: 20/30
- Taylor Hanson with partner Britt Stewart will perform a quickstep to โTell Her About Itโ by Billy Joel โ SCORE: 16/30
- Conner Leavitt with partner Adele Zaikman will perform a salsa to โWhoomp! There It Isโ by Tag Team โ SCORE: 12/30
- Jackson Olson with partner Emma Slater will perform a cha cha to โWannabeโ by Spice Girls โ SCORE: 15/30
- Guillermo Rodriguez with partner Witney Carson will perform a cha cha to โMr. Big Stuffโ by Jean Knight โ SCORE: 10/30
- Harry Shum Jr. with partner Jenna Johnson will perform a cha cha to โLetโs Grooveโ by Earth, Wind & Fire โ SCORE: 21/30
- Connor Wood with partner Rylee Arnold will perform a cha cha to โI Like It, I Love Itโ by Tim McGraw โ SCORE: 16/30
Who Is At the Top of the Leaderboard?
After the first night, Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson landed at the top of the leaderboard. The two received 7s from each judge for a total of 21 out of 30.
The two celebrated their achievement, especially Shum who shared in his rehearsal video that he was worried about being a great partner.
Was There An Elimination?
Yes, at the end of the episode one couple was eliminated.
After only getting the chance to perform once, Conner Leavitt partner Adele Zaikman took their last bow.
โThis has been the most fun. I have the greatest dance partner in the world in Adele. I canโt wait for the world to see her talent,โ Leavitt said after they were eliminated.
On Wednesday, Sept. 16, the ladies will get a chance to show off their moves. The judgesโ scores will be combined with the live viewer votes to determine which couple will also be eliminated.
How to Vote for the โDancing With the Starsโ Contestants
Usually, fans will be able to vote for their favorite couple during the live simulcast of the show in the ET/CT time zones by heading to the โDancing With the Starsโ website.
However, during the Sept. 15 broadcast co-host Julianne Hough informed viewers online voting was down and that audiences needed to vote via text. Votes through the website did not count.
Throughout the season, U.S. viewers can vote by SMS/text message during the live voting window each episode/week. Voting by text cannot be changed and only the first 10 count.
If voting online, viewers get up to 10 votes and can change and save their votes throughout the telecast.
Voting is only open at this time for the male celebrities who performed on Sept. 15. Tomorrow, during the live telecast, viewers can vote for the female celebrities competing.