‘Dancing with the Stars’ season 35 premiere night 2 sees strong dances, 2nd week 1 elimination

FAIRFAX DISTRICT, LOS ANGELES — The ballroom was back in action on Tuesday for the second night of the “Dancing with the Stars” season 35 premiere. The men had their time in the spotlight for the first night of competition, and now it’s up to the ladies.

The premiere was split into two episodes: one featuring the male celebrities, and the other featuring the female stars. Each night featured an elimination.

NIGHT ONE RECAP: ‘Dancing with the Stars’ season 35 premiere brings 8 dances, lots of nostalgia and 1st elimination

Week one’s theme? The stars are bringing the nostalgia with performances to No. 1 songs from the year they were born.

“Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” husband Conner Leavitt was the first star to be sent home on Tuesday.

‘DWTS’ Season 35 premiere night 2 recap and scores

Tatyana Ali

Actress Tatyana Ali and pro Jan Ravnik opened the night with a jive to “Knock on Wood” by Amii Stewart. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba called the jive a bit of a rough start, but said she sees a fierce fire brewing that shows a powerful woman. Judge Derek Hough reminded the group that week one is a huge learning curve, and said he’d like to see Tatyana in week two and is looking forward to seeing her in a ballroom dance style. Judge Bruno Tonioli told Tatyana she has talent and said this gives her a reason to work hard and get better.
Score: 4,4,4 – 12 out of 30

Amber Glenn

Olympic ice skater Amber Glenn and pro Pasha Pashkov performed a cha-cha to “Smooth” by Santana feat. Rob Thomas. Derek complimented the awareness that Amber has for her body and the space around it, but said he would like her to be more grounded. Bruno thought she attacked the dance like a warrior queen, and said he loves her attitude and the fact she really went for it. Carrie Ann reminded her she’s not a solo skater, she’s now part of a duo and told her to keep Pasha in mind.
Score: 6,6,6 – 18 out of 30

Ciara Miller

“Summer House” star Ciara Miller and pro Brandon Armstrong performed a foxtrot to “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” by Whitney Houston. Bruno said Ciara fit the foxtrot’s sophisticated elegance to a T, but reminded her that control and flow are important. Carrie Ann told Ciara she’s a stunning dancer when she’s feeling and showing her emotions, and encouraged her to believe in herself. Derek agreed there is work to do but asked her to go to rehearsal, get out of her own head, and know that she is good.
Score: 5,5,5 – 15 out of 30

Giada De Laurentiis

Television chef Giada De Laurentiis and pro Alan Bersten did a tango to “Venus” by Shocking Blue. Carrie Ann praised Giada for showing her daughter that it’s OK to do something scary and go for it, and said she did it with class. Derek thought it felt a little too careful and fragile and said he’d like to see more power and conviction. Bruno advised her to blend the steps into an actual dance and set a very clear intention with each routine.
Score: 6,5,5 – 16 out of 30

Julia Stiles

Actress Julia Stiles and pro Ezra Sosa performed a quickstep to “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton. Derek called the dance beautiful and graceful, and said he thought Julia was beaming throughout the routine. He recommended she attack the dance a bit harder moving forward with more energy. Bruno praised her for being in character and said he sees plenty of potential. Carrie Ann said she thinks Julia is radiant and thought the routine was clean, but asked her to work on learning the difference between leaning and extending.
Score: 6,6,6 – 18 out of 30

Maura Higgins

Reality TV star Maura Higgins and pro Mark Ballas performed a foxtrot to “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles. Bruno called the dance smooth as silk, with high-quality movement for week one. He said he’s expecting a lot out of her! Carrie Ann thought the dance was mesmerizing and said her jaw dropped at the quality. Derek said the dance was smooth, sultry, mysterious and elegant — all the things you want to see in a foxtrot.
Score: 7,7,7 – 21 out of 30

Sarah Jane Nader

Model and “Love Thy Nader” star Sarah Jane Nader and pro Hailey Bills did a jive to “Sk8er Boi” by Avril Lavigne. Carrie Ann said out loud what many were thinking… the dance was “super-hot.” And a lot of people in the queer community felt seen with Sarah Jane paired with a female pro. Derek said there were plenty of good moments with lots of potential, but that Sarah Jane needed more content, and said the dance was out of sync. Bruno said he loved her attitude and the way she portrayed herself, but said she was off with her timing and synchronicity.
Score: 5,4,5 – 14 out of 30

Jenna Dewan

“The Rookie” star Jenna Dewan and pro Val Chmerkovskiy performed a tango to “Call Me” by Blondie. Derek said Jenna put the ‘go’ in tango, and told her she has broad strokes, but he now wants to see the fine details since she’s not a rookie (pun intended). Bruno thought she was “on it and in it” with the character, but wanted Jenna to work on her shoulders and called it a bad hip-hop habit. Carrie Ann scolded the couple for a lift and said they don’t need it to be amazing.
Score: 6,6,7 – 19 out of 30

Who was sent home?

After Tuesday night’s voting issues, hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough announced that online voting was back up and running for night two of the premiere. They also announced that Tuesday’s episode was the highest-rated in nine years.

The judges’ scores are combined with viewer votes to determine who will advance and who will go home. Safe this week? Maura and Mark, Jenna and Val, Amber and Pasha, Julia and Ezra, Ciara and Brandon, Tatyana and Jan plus Giada and Alan.

That means the second couple sent home for week one was Sarah Jane and Hailey.

What’s next?

Next week’s theme is viral hits night.

Going into week two, actor Harry Shum Jr. and pro Jenna Johnson are tied at the top of the leaderboard with reality TV star Maura Higgins and pro Mark Ballas. At the bottom of the pack? Actress Tatyana Ali and pro Jan Ravnik, followed by Guillermo Rodriguez of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and his pro, Whitney Carson.

Tune in to “Dancing with the Stars” season 35 on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on and Disney+. Episodes stream the next day on Hulu.

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