DWTS Season 35 Premiere Draws 7M Viewers Amid Voting Glitch

Dancing With the Stars launched its 35th season with a two-night premiere event on September 15 and 16, 2026, featuring a record-tying cast of 16 celebrity-pro couples. The new format split the premiere by gender, with male celebrities performing on Tuesday and female celebrities on Wednesday, each night concluding with an elimination. A technical glitch disrupted the live voting process during the first night. According to hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough, online voting via ABC.com crashed mid-premiere. Producers discarded those votes and relied solely on text message votes for the night's results. Following the performances and combined judge and viewer scores, reality star Conner Leavitt and professional dancer Adele Zaikman were eliminated. The couple received a score of 12 out of 30 for their salsa. Zaikman was making her debut as a professional after winning the competition series "Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro." The night's highest score went to actor Harry Shum Jr. and professional partner Jenna Johnson, who earned a 21 out of 30 for their cha-cha. Paralympic gold medalist Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach followed closely with a 20 for their tango.