Another week, another shocking “Dancing With the Stars” elimination.
Jenna Dewan and her controversial partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, were sent packing in the final moments of Tuesday’s “Grammy Night,” landing them seventh place for Season 35.
“Dancing again, getting to share my joy with my family, who’s over here, every single night … I had a great time and I loved getting to share that with the world,” Dewan said moments after she was eliminated. “Honestly, all love.”
Their elimination stunned the ballroom as Dewan is a former professional dancer who was expected to make it to the finale.
The episode saw the seven remaining couples perform routines set to “iconic Grammy-nominated and Grammy-winning artists, songs and unforgettable moments in music history,” including “chart-topping hits to legendary anthems,” per an ABC press release.
Connor Wood and partner Rylee Arnold performed an Argentine tango to “SexyBack” by Justin Timberlake (feat. Timbaland), which won the 2007 Grammy for Best Dance Record.
Derek Hough hailed the performance as one of Wood’s “best dances” of the season. The duo earned a 27/30 from the judges.
Ezra Frech and partner Daniella Karagach put their sibling energy aside to perform a “sexy” Argentine tango to “Crazy in Love (Remix)” by Beyoncé, which won the 2004 Grammy for Best R&B Song.
Carrie Ann Inaba praised the duo’s “fantastic” intimacy and storytelling, bizarrely joking that Frech did an impressive job of “turning your sister into your lover for one night.” They earned a 27/30 from the judges.
Amber Glenn and partner Pasha Pashkov channeled their inner angst when they performed a paso doble to “Bring Me to Life” by Evanescence, which won the 2004 Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance.
Bruno Tonioli said their dance was “everything a paso doble should be: power, beauty, passion and Pasha’s pecs,” pointing to the shirtless pro. The judges gave them a 28/30.
Powering through a painful rib injury, Maura Higgins and her pro partner Mark Ballas performed an Argentine tango to “Thong Song” by Sisqó, which was nominated for the 2001 Grammy for Best R&B Song.
Inaba described their performance as a “work of art,” while Tonioli told Higgins her “poise was excellent.” The three judges scored them a 27/30.
Dewan and Chmerkovskiy performed a jazz routine to “All For You” by Janet Jackson, which won the 2002 Grammy for Best Dance Recording.
It was a full-circle moment for Dewan, who was a backup dancer in two of Jackson’s music videos and on the singer’s All For You Tour in the early aughts.
Hough gushed over Dewan’s ability to inspire “generations of dancers,” while Inaba said it “hit different seeing” the actress perform that dance in particular. They earned a 28/30.
Tatyana Ali and partner Jan Ravnik performed a tango to “Boom Boom Pow” by the Black Eyed Peas, which won the 2010 Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video.
Tonioli said Ali “turned into a Tarantino leading lady” during the performance, with the judges scoring them a 27/30 — the duo’s highest score of the season.
Harry Shum Jr. and partner Jenna Johnson — who broke her nose during rehearsal on Monday —performed a salsa to “Die With a Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, which won the 2025 Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
Inaba held back tears as she gushed over the “heart” Shum Jr. displayed during their dance, noting that he had “the moment that is ‘Dancing With the Stars.’” They earned a 29/30.
This week also saw the return of the dreaded dance-offs, which saw couples facing off two at a time in head-to-head battles, performing the same style to the same song at the same time in the hopes of winning extra points added to their judges’ totals for the night.
Shum Jr. and Johnson were immune from this twist thanks to their scores last week as well as their cumulative scores across the season thus far. They will receive the bonus points as part of their immunity.
The first dance-off saw Glenn and Pashkov face off against Frech and Karagach, pitting the two athletes — as well as their married pros — against each other in a rumba to “The Boy Is Mine.” Brandy and Monica performed their hit 1998 song live on the show.
The judges had a hard time choosing a winner. Hough said their performance was “one of the most satisfying dance-offs” he’s ever seen, while Tonioli praised their “sportsmanship” and ability to “celebrate each other’s talents.”
Glenn and Pashkov ended up winning the dance-off, adding two points to their score. They concluded the night with a 30/30.
Dewan and Chmerkovskiy went up against Ali and Ravnik in a cha-cha to the 2018 hit “The Middle” by Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey, with Morris singing live from the ballroom.
Both Inaba and Tonioli agreed that judging their dance styles was like “comparing apples and oranges.” They ultimately gave the win to Dewan and Chmerkovskiy, whose new score became 30/30.
The third dance-off saw Wood and Arnold battle Higgins and Ballas in a cha-cha showdown set to “All I Want to Do” by Sheryl Crow, who performed the breezy 1994 tune live on the show.
While Hough said their dance-off was “really interesting in the best possible way,” Inaba was critical of Wood and Arnold’s use of “country line dancing” in what was supposed to be a cha-cha.
Higgins and Ballas won the round, putting their final score at 29/30.
New episodes of “DWTS” air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern on ABC and Disney+, and stream on Hulu the following day.
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