Make Way for the Stars: Season 35 Premiere of Dancing with the Stars

Back Again// Returning for another eventful season, judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli eagerly sit at their coveted judges' table for the season premiere of Dancing with the Stars. The first two episodes of season 35 dropped on September 15th and 16th, and it is certain that the cast is in for an exciting whirlwind of a season. (Photo by Emma Fronczak)

*Will contain spoilers for the Dancing with the Stars season premiere.

One of America's most streamed television shows, Dancing with the Stars, is back for another exhilarating season. The show recently kicked off season 35 with its long-awaited premiere. Dancing with the Stars is a competitive dance show in which various celebrities with little to no dance experience are paired with a professional dancer to compete with each week. The goal of the show is for the celebrities to make it to the end of the ten week competition and survive eliminations, all in hopes of winning the beloved Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. 

This special two-night premiere began on the 15th of September and concluded on the 16th. Usually the premiere is only one night, but due to the large cast size of sixteen couples, it was broken up into two separate nights. After the premiere week, the show will return to its traditional one-episode per week schedule.

Starting off on the first night were the male stars and their performances, and following them were the female stars on night two. Ranking at the top of the leaderboard were Harry Shum Jr. (Grey’s Anatomy), and Maura Higgins (Love Island), both with a score of 21 out of 30 points. Sitting at the bottom of the leaderboard were Guillermo Rodriguez (Jimmy Kimmel Live!), scoring 10 out of 30 points, and Tatyana Ali (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), who scored 12 out of 30 points.

Unfortunately, two stars inevitably faced elimination after performing only one dance in the competition. At the end of the premiere, fans had to say goodbye to Conner Leavitt (The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives) and Sarah Jane Nader (model and reality TV star). Although Guillermo Rodriguez ended the night with the lowest score, he was adored by many fans and was therefore saved by their votes. As important as achieving good scores is on this show, the stars also need the support of fan voting in order to secure a spot in the upcoming weeks of the competition.

The professional dancers, also known as “pros,” are a very crucial part of the show. Each pro is assigned to a certain star to mentor and compete with throughout the entire competition. The responsibilities of a pro consist of choreographing a new dance every week, guiding the stars through their performances, and teaching them everything they need to know so that they can feel as prepared and confident as possible. 

With this new season came two new pros: Adele Zaikman and Hailey Bills. Zaikman claimed her position as a pro after winning the summer competition series, The Next Pro, where twelve dancers competed to become the newest addition to Dancing with the Stars. Bills achieved her spot as a new pro on season 35 by starting off as a troupe member on the show for one year, before being promoted. 

It is evident that the public is thrilled for the new season, as the dedicated fans even broke voting records on the first night of the premiere. Co-Host Julianne Hough said it best herself: this season without a doubt holds one of the most anticipated casts yet. Not only did fans send in hundreds of text votes, but they also crashed the official voting website, ABC.com, due to the extreme online traffic. 

This season is set to be exciting and unexpected, with new unique themes every week and an increasingly difficult level of competition. Be sure to tune in to ABC or Disney+ to watch the newest episodes of Dancing with the Stars, live every Tuesday at 8:00 pm Pacific Time.