Dancing with the Stars Season 35 Premieres With Double Elimination Format

Dancing with the Stars returned for its 35th season on September 15–16 with a special two-night premiere split by gender. Eight male celebrities performed on Tuesday, September 15, while eight female celebrities took the stage on Wednesday, September 16. Each couple danced to a number-one song from the year the celebrity was born.

The premiere marked the first double elimination format in years for the show's opening episode. On Tuesday night, Conner Leavitt, husband of "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" star Whitney Leavitt, was eliminated after performing with Adele Zaikman, the inaugural winner of "Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro." On Wednesday night, Sarah Jane Nader from the "Love Thy Nader" reality series was eliminated after dancing with Hailey Bills, a first-time professional who had previously been part of the show's troupe.

The male celebrities competing included The Bachelorette alum Tyler Cameron, Paralympic gold medalist Ezra Frech, Hanson band member Taylor Hanson, Savannah Bananas baseball player Jackson Olson, Jimmy Kimmel Live! star Guillermo Rodriguez, Grey's Anatomy actor Harry Shum Jr., and comedian Connor Wood. Harry Shum Jr. earned the night's highest score of 21/30. The female competitors included The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Tatyana Ali, celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis, Step Up and The Rookie star Jenna Dewan, Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn, The Traitors and Love Island alum Maura Higgins, Summer House star Ciara Miller, and 10 Things I Hate About You actress Julia Stiles. Maura Higgins led Wednesday's leaderboard with 21/30, tying Tuesday's highest score.

The two-night premiere drew 6.67 million viewers for Tuesday's episode, representing a 24 percent increase from the previous season's premiere and marking the most-watched premiere since season 29 in 2020. Technical difficulties affected voting during Tuesday's live show, with ABC's website experiencing a crash; the show announced it would accept votes via text only for that evening. Voting during both nights combined judges' scores with viewer votes to determine eliminations.

The season features returning co-hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough, alongside judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough. Returning professional dancer Sharna Burgess competed for the first time since season 30 in 2021. The full cast of 16 celebrity-professional pairs competes for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, with subsequent episodes airing Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.