Ronny Sianturi
The ballroom atmosphere on Dancing With the Stars reached a fever pitch as Season 35 continued its high-stakes run with an internet-themed spectacle: Viral Hits Night. Stepping away from traditional ballroom standards, the remaining celebrity and professional dancer pairings took to the floor to interpret some of the most recognizable songs, memes, and viral moments that have dominated digital culture in recent years. Broadcast live across ABC and Disney+ on Tuesday evenings at 8 p.m., the competition is quickly narrowing its focus as the initial premiere week eliminations give way to fierce weekly battles for survival.
The Evolution of Season 35: From Premiere Week to Viral Phenomenon
Season 35 of the long-running reality competition series launched with a unique two-night premiere event designed to showcase an expansive and diverse celebrity roster. The opening episodes set an intense pace, dividing the workload across the male and female celebrity lineups to establish early baselines for the judges and the viewing audience.
During the Tuesday night premiere opener, the male celebrities made their debut, setting a competitive tone that ultimately culminated in the season’s first elimination. Conner Leavitt found himself at the bottom of the cumulative leaderboard and was sent home, marking an abrupt end to his ballroom journey. The following night, the female celebrities took center stage, delivering dynamic routines that tested their endurance and rhythm. However, the evening concluded with a second departure, as Sarah Jane Nader became the second celebrity eliminated from the competition, underscoring the unforgiving nature of the show’s scoring and voting matrix.
With the opening casualties behind them, the surviving contestants entered Viral Hits Night with heightened awareness of the razor-thin margins separating safety from elimination. The remaining roster features a eclectic mix of actors, reality television personalities, athletes, and musicians, including Tatyana Ali, Tyler Cameron, Giada De Laurentiis, Jenna Dewan, Ezra Frech, Amber Glenn, Taylor Hanson, Maura Higgins, Ciara Miller, Jackson Olson, Guillermo Rodriguez, Harry Shum Jr., Julia Stiles, and Connor Wood.
Inside the Ballroom: Viral Hits Night Performances and Scores
Viral Hits Night challenged the contestants to bridge the gap between classic dance technique and contemporary internet culture. The choreography drew heavy inspiration from social media trends, viral dance challenges, and ubiquitous streaming hits, offering a fresh visual landscape for viewers accustomed to traditional waltzes and tangos.
Leading the leaderboard for the evening was Jenna Dewan, paired with professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy. The duo delivered a polished and technically sound performance that earned them a score of 21 out of 30, capturing the judges’ praise for their execution and stage presence.
Close behind, several couples navigated the delicate balance of translating internet-famed audio clips into structured choreography. Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong earned an 18 out of 30 for their energetic routine, while Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess, alongside Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa, each secured a score of 16 out of 30.
The remainder of the competitive lineup featured performances by Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik, Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten, Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach, Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov, Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart, Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas, Jackson Olson and Emma Slater, Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson, Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson, and Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold. While full score breakdowns for these couples remained part of the ongoing live broadcast tallies, the collective standard of athleticism demonstrated across the board highlighted the rigorous preparation required of the celebrity cast.
Mechanics of Survival: The Scoring and Voting Equation
The structural integrity of Dancing With the Stars relies heavily on a dual-metric evaluation system that combines professional critique with public sentiment. Each couple’s fate at the end of every episode is determined by a combined total derived from the judges’ scores and live viewer votes.
The voting window remains a critical element of the broadcast strategy. Live voting opens during the East Coast airing of the show and closes shortly after the final performance concludes. This operational framework introduces a significant logistical hurdle for West Coast viewers. Because voting concludes immediately following the last routine, audiences in the Pacific Time Zone must cast their votes between 5:00 p.m. PT and approximately 6:45 p.m. PT. Failure to participate within this narrow timeframe means West Coast fans rely entirely on existing judge scores and the rest of the national voting pool to keep their favorite contestants safe.
This system has historically created dramatic shifts in the leaderboard, where fan-favorite personalities with lower technical scores manage to outlast higher-scoring competitors due to passionate audience mobilization. Conversely, exceptional dancers who fail to capture viewer engagement can find themselves vulnerable to sudden elimination.
Production and Broadcasting Landscape
As a cornerstone of ABC’s unscripted programming slate, Dancing With the Stars continues to adapt to the modern media consumption habits of its audience. In addition to its traditional linear broadcast on ABC, Season 35 maintains a simultaneous streaming presence on Disney+, offering real-time accessibility for cord-cutters and digital-first viewers. For audiences unable to catch the live broadcasts, full episodes are made available for streaming the following day on Hulu, ensuring the franchise maintains a continuous footprint across multiple digital platforms throughout the week.
The integration of thematic evenings, such as Viral Hits Night, reflects the production team’s ongoing effort to maintain cultural relevance and engage younger demographic cohorts who heavily influence social media discourse. By aligning ballroom choreography with viral internet moments, the show successfully bridges generational viewing habits, drawing long-time loyalists alongside digital natives.
Broader Implications for the Competition
As Season 35 progresses past its formative weeks, the psychological and physical demands on the contestants are mounting. The early exits of Conner Leavitt and Sarah Jane Nader served as a stark reminder that no participant is immune to the volatile combination of judges’ critiques and public voting fluctuations.
The remaining celebrities face an increasingly steep learning curve. As technical expectations rise in subsequent weeks, performers will need to demonstrate consistent improvement in posture, timing, and emotional connection to avoid slipping into the danger zone. With genres shifting weekly and competition tightening among the heavy hitters like Jenna Dewan and the surging mid-tier contenders, Viral Hits Night has effectively established the baseline for the grueling physical journey ahead in the ballroom.
