“Dancing With the Stars” is already off to a competitive start.
Conner Leavitt and his pro partner, Adele Zaikman, were sent home during a shocking elimination at the end of Tuesday night’s show, which officially kicked off the two-night Season 35 premiere.
“This has been the most fun. I have the greatest dance partner in the world in Adele. I can’t wait for the world to get to see her talent,” Leavitt — whose wife, “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Whitney Leavitt, came in fifth place last season — said following his elimination.
Zaikman, who won the first season of “Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro” to earn her spot as a pro this season, called getting to perform in the ballroom “a dream come true.”
The announcement was made after co-hosts Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro revealed two other couples in danger of elimination: “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” star Guillermo Rodriguez (with partner Witney Carson) and comedian Connor Wood (with partner Rylee Arnold).
Leavitt earned a score of 12/30 after performing a Salsa to Tag Team’s “Whoop! There It Is” during “Premiere: Night One,” which saw all of the male celebrities performing a No. 1 song from the year they were born.
During the episode, “Glee” alum Harry Shum Jr. and partner Jenna Johnson earned the top score of the night, earning a 21/30 for their Cha Cha to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Let’s Groove.”
Also at the top of the leaderboard were Paralympian gold medalist Ezra Frech and partner Daniella Karagach, who garnered a 20/30 for their Tango to Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone.”
Following closely behind was “Bachelor Nation” alum Tyler Cameron — who was hilariously misidentified as “Dylan” by judge Derek Hough — and partner Sharna Burgess, whose Tango to Lenny Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way” snagged them a 17/30.
Wood and partner Arnold’s Cha Cha to Tim McGraw’s “I Like it, I Love It” secured them a score of 16/30 while musician Taylor Hanson and partner Britt Stewart also achieved a 16/30 for their Quickstep to Billy Joel’s “Tell Her About It.”
Savannah Bananas star Jackson Olson and partner Emma Slater earned a 15/30 for their Cha Cha to “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls while Rodriguez and partner Carson’s Cha Cha to Jean Knight’s “Mr. Big Stuff” earned them a 10/30 — the lowest score of the night.
Heading into the premiere, Carson gushed about her partnership with Rodriguez, telling Page Six in an exclusive interview that Jimmy Kimmel’s beloved sidekick “is everything you want him to be.”
“He wears his heart on his sleeve, and he’s down for everything, while being naturally funny and open,” she added. “He’s a great person to have in the ballroom because we laugh and have so much fun, but he’s also such a hard worker. He is putting in the work and shows up ready to learn every day.”
Carson also admitted that “there was definitely come hesitation in agreeing to do this season” while pregnant with her third child, but that the challenge has kept her working hard” and is “pushing” her in all the right ways.
“This season I’m all about empowerment, for myself and for other women, because we can do anything,” she explained. “One of my biggest priorities for this season is to show all moms that we don’t have to lose parts of ourselves to grow a family.”
“DWTS” continues Wednesday night as the female celebrities and their pro partners take to the floor during “Premiere: Night Two.” The ladies will also be performing a chart-topper from their birth year.
Following this week’s two-night premiere event, new episodes of “DWTS” will air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, and streaming on Hulu the following day.
For more of Page Six’s “Dancing With the Stars” coverage, click here.
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