Season 35 of Dancing With The Stars launched with a two-night premiere on September 15–16, 2026, featuring male celebrities on night one and females on night two, each performing an unlearned routine to a Billboard No. 1 song from their birth year. Judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli scored the field, with viewer votes determining the final outcomes alongside those marks. Harry Shum Jr. and Maura Higgins led their respective nights with 21/30, while lower-scoring couples like Conner Leavitt (12/30) and Sarah Jane Nader (14/30) faced the first eliminations, reflecting a combination of technical execution, audience engagement, and the show’s established voting dynamics. New pro Adele Zaikman and returning dancer Sharna Burgess added fresh storylines, while same-sex pairing Hailey Bills with Nader and pregnant pro Witney Carson introduced additional narrative layers. The next live episode on September 22 will test momentum for the remaining 14 couples as the competition narrows.