What To Know
- Dancing With the Stars Season 35 began on September 15 with the eight male celebs and their pro partners hitting the dance floor.
- The judges’ scores and viewer votes will be combined throughout the episode, with one being eliminated at the end of the night.
- On September 16, the ladies and their partners will perform, and one more will be sent home.
Another season of Dancing With the Stars has begun! Season 35 kicked off with the September 15 premiere, which features eight of the 16 celeb contestants hitting the dance floor with their pro partners.
The male stars danced to songs that hit No. 1 the year they were born, and at the end of the night, one will be eliminated based on a combination of judges’ scores and viewer votes from throughout the two-hour episode.
The competition continues on September 16 with the ladies performing, followed by another live elimination. For now, though, scroll down for live updates of the Night 1 performances and check back at the end of the show to find out who was eliminated.
Jackson Olson
Savannah Bananas star Jackson Olson and his partner Emma Slater were up first. They danced a cha-cha to “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls, and since Olson is much younger than Slater’s other recent partners, she was thrilled to be able to choreograph with fewer limitations.
Jackson Olson of @TheSavBananas opens @officialdwts with @EmmaSlaterDance on @WJCLNews scoring a 15 out of 30. Can vote by texting JACKSON to 21523. 🍌🪩 pic.twitter.com/iFQJCUR0Sy
— Amy Zimmer (@AmyZimmerWJCL) September 16, 2026
Derek Hough started by warning the contestants that the judges are going to be tough on them this season, so no one should be surprised if scores are lower than expected. “You are a natural born performer,” he added. “That was a great way to start the show. With the technique, there were so many bent legs in that dance. The bottom half needs a lot of work. The upper half, I quite enjoyed, actually. Let’s marry the performance with technique.”
Bruno Tonioli added, “The audience is definitely going bananas! I see what you do is brilliant. Great entertainment. But here it’s all about the details. There’s a certain way to place your foot in the cha-cha-cha that gives you the correct action. That’s what you have to do. Performance-wise, great.”
Finally, Carrie Ann Inaba said, “You have potential to be a crowd favorite. You got the riz, you got all that going on. But you’re kind of rushing through your movements. Everything’s not hitting at the same time. All of it has to finish. Different parts are finishing at different times. So that’s something to work on, but fantastic way to start the season.”
Dancing With the Stars, Premiere Night 2, Wednesday, September 16, 8/7c, ABC