DWTS Season 35: First Eliminations Shock Fans

Season 35 of Dancing With the Stars has quickly narrowed its field, with two celebrity pairs eliminated after the opening week. Influencer Sarah Jane Nader and professional partner Hailey Bills were the most recent pair sent home on Wednesday. They performed a jive to Avril Lavigne's "Sk8er Boi," receiving a score of 14 out of 30, which, combined with viewer votes, was not enough to keep them in the competition. Their elimination marks the third same-sex pairing to compete on the show. Nader expressed the significance of their presence on the ballroom floor. Earlier, on Tuesday's premiere night, Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman became the first pair to be eliminated after their salsa performance earned a score of 12 out of 30. The premiere also faced technical difficulties, with the show's online voting system crashing. Viewers were initially directed to vote by text, and it was later announced that online votes from that night would be discarded. Online voting was restored for Wednesday's episode. The competition saw Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson, alongside Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas, tie for the top of the leaderboard with 21 points each following their respective performances. Dancing With the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, with episodes available to stream on Hulu the following day.