The ballroom had barely recovered from the first elimination of Dancing With the Stars Season 35 when the doors opened again Wednesday night — and this time, it belonged entirely to the women.
After the male celebrities competed on September 15, eight female stars made their competitive debuts on September 16 during the second half of the show’s unusual two-night premiere. There were tears, mistakes, unexpectedly strong performances and a leaderboard that didn’t look quite the way many viewers might have predicted.
And then came another goodbye.
By the end of the evening, Sarah Jane Nader and professional partner Hailey Bills were eliminated, becoming the second couple sent home from Season 35. (ABC News)
What made the result particularly striking was that Sarah Jane wasn’t actually at the very bottom of the judges’ leaderboard.
That spot belonged to someone else.
The Women Finally Took Over the Ballroom
Season 35 began differently from the typical DWTS premiere.
The competition was divided across two nights, with the male celebrities performing first and the women getting the ballroom to themselves the following evening. One contestant would be eliminated after each broadcast. (ABC News)
That meant Wednesday wasn’t simply an opportunity for the women to introduce themselves.
Someone’s DWTS experience was going to last approximately two hours.
The evening opened with Tatyana Ali, remembered by generations of viewers as Ashley Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Her appearance also created a sweet reunion with co-host Alfonso Ribeiro, who played her onscreen cousin Carlton.
Ali and Jan Ravnik attempted a jive to “Knock on Wood.”
It wasn’t the beginning she had hoped for.
Ali stumbled over some of the choreography early in the routine, and the judges acknowledged the problems. Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli each gave her a 4.
Total: 12 out of 30.
It would remain the lowest score of the entire night. (TVLine)
And yet, hours later, Ali would discover she was safe.
Maura Higgins Became the Surprise of the Night
One of the evening’s biggest stories arrived when Maura Higgins stepped onto the floor with Mark Ballas.
Higgins came into the competition without the extensive dance background associated with some of her competitors. That made what happened next considerably more interesting.
She and Ballas performed a foxtrot to Alannah Myles’ “Black Velvet,” incorporating imagery inspired by Higgins’ time on The Traitors.
And something clicked.
Carrie Ann called the performance mesmerizing, while Bruno Tonioli praised the quality of Higgins’ movement. Derek Hough also made it clear that the performance had raised expectations for what she could accomplish next. (TheWrap)
Then came the numbers.
21 out of 30.
It was the highest score of Ladies’ Night.
Not Jenna Dewan, who had worked professionally as a dancer.
Not Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn.
Not Save the Last Dance star Julia Stiles.
Maura Higgins.
Entertainment Weekly described her rise to the top as one of the evening’s surprises, with Higgins finishing two points ahead of Dewan. (EW.com)
Suddenly, the woman who might have entered the ballroom as something of a question mark was sitting at the top of the leaderboard.
Julia Stiles Had Something Special Behind Her First Dance
Julia Stiles entered the competition carrying some unusual expectations.
After all, millions of people remember watching her dance in the 2001 movie Save the Last Dance.
Her first DWTS performance was therefore always going to attract extra attention.
Paired with Ezra Sosa, Stiles performed a quickstep to Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.”
There was an unexpectedly poignant story behind the music.
According to TheWrap, Parton had cleared the use of the song weeks before her death, and Stiles described performing to it as an honor. (TheWrap)
The judges gave Stiles and Sosa 18 points, putting them among the night’s stronger couples.
Jenna Dewan Had Expectations Following Her Into the Ballroom
If any contestant entered Ladies’ Night with people expecting immediate technical ability, it was Jenna Dewan.
Long before becoming widely known as an actress, Dewan worked professionally as a dancer, including performing with Janet Jackson. Then came Step Up, the 2006 dance movie that became an enormous part of her public image.
Dewan acknowledged that her experience also created pressure.
She and Val Chmerkovskiy closed the competitive portion of the evening with a tango to Blondie’s “Call Me.”
The judges responded positively, although Carrie Ann deducted a point over a lift.
Their score was 19 out of 30. (TheWrap)
It was excellent.
But it still wasn’t enough to catch Maura Higgins.
Giada De Laurentiis Became Emotional
There were quieter surprises, too.
Giada De Laurentiis arrived without dance experience and performed a tango to “Venus” with Alan Bersten.
The celebrity chef became emotional while discussing the reason she had pushed herself into such unfamiliar territory: her daughter had encouraged her to leave her comfort zone and try the show.
Carrie Ann expressed surprise that this had truly been De Laurentiis’ first dance, while Derek Hough thought the performance was somewhat careful but saw potential.
She received 16 points. (TheWrap)
It wasn’t enough to challenge the leaders, but it was enough to get her through the night’s most stressful moment.
Then It Was Time for Sarah Jane Nader
Sarah Jane Nader had already made a little DWTS history before performing her first competitive dance.
The Love Thy Nader personality had specifically requested a female professional partner because she wanted to represent a same-sex partnership in the ballroom. She was paired with first-time pro Hailey Bills. (TheWrap)
For their debut, they chose a jive to Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8er Boi.”
There was plenty of attitude.
Technically, however, the judges saw problems.
Carrie Ann said the pair struggled with synchronization, while Bruno wanted tighter timing.
The result was 13 points out of 30. (TheWrap)
Only Tatyana Ali had scored lower.
That single point would soon become particularly significant.
The Leaderboard Told One Story — The Elimination Told Another
By the end of the performances, the standings looked like this: Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas led with 21, Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy followed with 19, while Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov and Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa each earned 18.
Giada De Laurentiis received 16, Ciara Miller 15, Sarah Jane Nader 13 and Tatyana Ali 12. (AOL.com)
Based purely on judges’ scores, Ali appeared to be in the most precarious position.
But Dancing With the Stars isn’t decided by the judges alone.
Viewer votes also matter.
And when the results arrived, Tatyana Ali was safe.
Sarah Jane Nader wasn’t.
Sarah Jane and Hailey Were Going Home
After just one competitive dance, Nader and Bills’ season was over.
The pair became the second elimination of Season 35, following Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman, who had been eliminated during the men’s premiere the previous night. (E! Online)
It was an especially unforgiving way to begin a season.
There was no first week where everyone could simply enjoy being there. No guaranteed second performance. No opportunity for the lowest-scoring couples to digest their criticism and immediately demonstrate improvement.
One dance could be everything.
For Sarah Jane and Hailey, it was.
It Was an Emotional Night Even Before the Elimination
The episode wasn’t defined only by scores.
Ciara Miller’s foxtrot to Whitney Houston’s “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” became emotional when Carrie Ann Inaba spoke about seeing pain in Miller’s performance and the way dance can become an outlet for difficult emotions. (TheWrap)
Giada De Laurentiis cried.
Several of the stars became visibly emotional.
And by the time the elimination arrived, eight women who had spent weeks preparing for this single moment knew one of them wasn’t coming back.
That pressure gave the second half of the premiere an unusually nervous energy.
And Now 14 Celebrities Remain
With both halves of the premiere complete, the competition has already shrunk from 16 celebrities to 14.
Among the women still competing are Tatyana Ali, Giada De Laurentiis, Jenna Dewan, Amber Glenn, Maura Higgins, Ciara Miller and Julia Stiles. The surviving male celebrities include Tyler Cameron, Ezra Frech, Taylor Hanson, Jackson Olson, Guillermo Rodriguez, Harry Shum Jr. and Connor Wood. (AOL.com)
The remaining couples return on Tuesday, September 22, when the season moves into its regular weekly schedule. ABC7 reports that the next theme will be Viral Hits Night. (ABC7 Los Angeles)
But after two nights, Season 35 has already produced its first genuine shake-ups.
The lowest-scoring woman survived.
A contestant with no previous dance experience topped a field containing performers with serious movement backgrounds.
And Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills walked into the ballroom hoping their partnership would become one of the stories of the season — only to discover before the night was over that their journey had already ended.
On Dancing With the Stars, sometimes the first dance really can be the last.
I can also keep an eye on DWTS Season 35 and give you the elimination + biggest viral moment after each episode.
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