ABC DWTS voting has become an important part of the Season 35 competition after the opening night featured a major online voting problem and the first elimination of the season. The new season launched with a special two-night premiere on September 15 and 16, 2026, giving viewers a chance to influence the results alongside the judges.
The voting process is especially important this season because eliminations began immediately. One couple left after the first night, while another elimination followed the second night. Viewer votes are combined with judges’ scores to determine which couples remain in the competition.
Season 35 features 16 celebrity contestants paired with professional dancers. The premiere divided those couples across two nights, with the male celebrities performing first and the female celebrities taking the ballroom floor the following night.
For viewers following the competition, understanding when and how to vote is essential. Voting takes place during the live show, and the available voting window is limited.
How Season 35 Voting Works
The Season 35 voting format combines two elements: judges’ scores and votes from the audience.
Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli returned to the judging panel. Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough returned as co-hosts.
Each couple receives scores from the judges after performing. Audience votes are then combined with those scores as part of the elimination process.
This means the judges’ leaderboard does not independently determine who leaves.
A couple can receive a lower score from the judges but continue because of audience support. Conversely, a strong performance does not guarantee safety.
The voting process therefore gives viewers an active role in the competition.
For Season 35, online voting is available to eligible viewers in the United States, U.S. territories and Canada. SMS voting is also available to eligible viewers in the United States and its territories through participating wireless carriers.
Canadian viewers can vote online but cannot use the SMS option.
When Voting Opens and Closes
Voting is tied directly to the live broadcast.
For the Season 35 premiere, voting opened when the live episode began at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. The voting period closed shortly after the final competitive dance.
This timing is important because votes cannot simply be submitted whenever viewers happen to watch the episode.
Fans watching a replay or a delayed stream should not expect the voting window to remain available.
The live nature of the process also means viewers should have their accounts or phones ready before the voting period begins.
The show provides the active voting instructions during each broadcast.
Online Voting Details for Season 35
Online voting is handled through the show’s official voting platform.
Viewers who want to vote online need to sign in or create an account. New users must complete the account verification process before submitting votes.
Once an account is established, viewers can use the voting page during the active voting period.
The online system allows viewers to distribute their available votes among eligible couples. Current Season 35 rules allow up to 10 online votes per couple during a voting window.
The process is designed to let fans support more than one contestant.
For example, viewers do not have to put all of their available votes behind a single couple. They can distribute votes across multiple couples before the voting period closes.
The most important requirement is completing the voting process before the deadline.
The Major Online Voting Problem During Night One
The first night of Season 35 produced an unexpected complication.
Online voting experienced technical problems during the September 15 broadcast. Viewers attempting to use the website encountered difficulties while trying to submit their choices.
The problem became significant enough for the show to change how the first night’s audience votes were handled.
Hosts Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro addressed the issue during the live broadcast. Online votes were ultimately disregarded for Night One, while text votes were counted.
That decision changed the voting process for the opening elimination.
Viewers who had attempted to vote online therefore could not rely on those submissions being included in the final results.
The situation also highlighted the importance of having another voting option available.
Text Voting Became Crucial on Premiere Night
When online voting was unavailable, text voting provided the alternative method for eligible viewers.
Fans could send the appropriate contestant keyword by SMS to 21523.
Each successful text counted as a vote within the applicable limits. Viewers could submit up to 10 SMS votes per couple during the voting window.
Message and data rates can depend on a viewer’s wireless plan.
The SMS method is restricted to viewers in the United States and its territories who use participating wireless carriers. Canadian viewers cannot vote by text.
The voting rules also prevent viewers from exceeding the established limit for an individual couple.
What Happened to the First Online Votes?
The first-night technical issue produced a specific outcome.
The online votes submitted during the affected premiere broadcast were not included in the first elimination. Instead, the show’s audience component relied on text voting.
The decision was announced during the live broadcast rather than after the results had been finalized.
That distinction matters for fans reviewing the first elimination.
The first result was therefore not based on a normal combination of online and SMS voting. The online component was removed because of the technical failure.
The show still proceeded with the elimination as planned.
Who Was Eliminated After the First Night?
Conner Leavitt and professional partner Adele Zaikman became the first eliminated couple of Season 35.
The pair performed a salsa during the opening episode. Their routine received 12 points out of 30 from the judges.
Leavitt and Zaikman were among the couples placed in danger before the elimination was announced.
The result ended their Season 35 competition after only one performance.
Zaikman entered the main professional cast after winning the inaugural season of Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro. Her Season 35 appearance marked her professional debut on the main competition.
Leavitt was also connected to the previous season through his wife, Whitney Leavitt, who competed on Season 34.
Their elimination reduced the field from 16 couples to 15 after the first night.
The First-Night Judges’ Scores
The opening-night leaderboard showed how widely the judges’ scores varied.
Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson recorded the highest score among the first eight couples. Their cha-cha received 21 points out of 30.
Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach followed with 20 points.
Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess received 17 points.
Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold and Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart each received 16 points.
Jackson Olson and Emma Slater earned 15 points.
Leavitt and Zaikman received 12.
Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson received 10, the lowest judges’ score of the night.
Yet the lowest judges’ score did not result in elimination.
Rodriguez and Carson remained in the competition, while Leavitt and Zaikman were sent home.
The result demonstrates the role of viewer participation in determining the final outcome.
Why Judges’ Scores Are Not Enough
The first elimination provided a clear example of the show’s combined scoring structure.
Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson finished at the bottom of the judges’ leaderboard with 10 points. However, the audience component helped determine the final result.
Leavitt and Zaikman left despite receiving two more judges’ points.
The difference illustrates why viewers continue to play an important role in the competition.
A judges’ score measures the performance from the panel’s perspective. Viewer voting adds a separate component to the result.
The two are combined to determine which couples advance.
Because the show does not publish complete individual vote totals for every contestant, fans should avoid treating specific vote counts as confirmed unless the show releases them.
The Season 35 Contestants Still Competing
After the first elimination, 15 couples remained in the competition.
The remaining celebrity and professional pairings include:
- Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa
- Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy
- Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik
- Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart
- Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach
- Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov
- Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold
- Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills
- Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess
- Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten
- Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson
- Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson
- Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas
- Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong
- Jackson Olson and Emma Slater
The second premiere night added the remaining eight female celebrity contestants to the competition before another couple was eliminated.
The Two-Night Premiere Changed the Voting Schedule
Season 35 opened differently from a standard single-night premiere.
The first episode featured eight male celebrities.
The second episode featured eight female celebrities.
Each night had its own voting period.
That distinction is important because viewers could vote only for the contestants competing during that particular live episode.
The September 15 voting period applied to the male contestants. The September 16 voting period applied to the female contestants.
The arrangement prevented votes from being carried across the two premiere nights.
It also meant that fans needed to follow the voting instructions for each episode separately.
What Viewers Need to Know About Voting Limits
Voting limits are designed to prevent unlimited submissions for a single couple.
For the current season, viewers can cast up to 10 online votes per couple during an eligible voting window.
Eligible viewers using SMS can also submit up to 10 votes per couple through that method.
The two methods operate separately.
However, fans should always follow the specific instructions displayed during the live broadcast because voting rules and technical availability can affect the process.
The system may also send confirmation messages or notices when a voter reaches the applicable limit.
Voting Problems Can Change the Process
The opening night showed why viewers should pay attention to live announcements.
The online voting platform experienced problems while the episode was airing. Instead of allowing the technical issue to prevent audience participation entirely, the show relied on text voting for that night’s audience votes.
That decision also meant online submissions were excluded from the Night One result.
Fans should therefore avoid assuming that the same procedure will apply if a technical issue occurs during a future episode.
The safest approach is to follow the instructions given during that specific live broadcast.
Voting information from an earlier episode may not apply to a later one.
What Happens After the Premiere?
Following the two-night opening event, the regular Season 35 schedule moves to Tuesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on ABC and Disney+.
Episodes become available on Hulu the following day.
The competition then continues with the remaining couples performing each week.
Viewer voting remains part of the elimination process.
As the number of couples decreases, each voting period becomes connected to a smaller field of competitors.
Fans who want to support their favorite couples should therefore pay attention to each live episode rather than assuming that one vote carries forward.
How West Coast Viewers Should Approach Live Voting
The live voting system is particularly important for viewers outside the Eastern Time Zone.
The show broadcasts simultaneously in the relevant live markets, and voting takes place during the designated live window.
Viewers should not wait for a later local replay before attempting to vote.
For anyone in the Pacific Time Zone, checking the live schedule ahead of the episode can help avoid missing the deadline.
The same principle applies to viewers in other U.S. time zones.
A viewer can watch an episode later, but the opportunity to vote may already have closed.
What the First Night Revealed About Season 35 Voting
The first episode established several important facts about this season.
First, eliminations began immediately.
Second, viewer votes remain a major component of the results.
Third, the voting system can be affected by technical problems.
Finally, the show has a backup voting method through SMS for eligible U.S. viewers.
The first elimination also showed that the judges’ leaderboard does not tell the entire story.
Leavitt and Zaikman left after receiving 12 points, while Rodriguez and Carson remained despite receiving 10.
That result reinforced the significance of audience participation.
What Fans Should Remember Before the Next Vote
The most important details are straightforward.
Viewers should make sure they are eligible to vote, know when the live voting period opens and submit their votes before it closes.
Online voters should have an active account and complete any required verification.
Text voters should use the correct contestant keyword and send it to 21523.
Fans should also remember that SMS voting is limited to eligible U.S. viewers and participating wireless carriers.
Most importantly, viewers should follow the instructions shown during each live episode.
The first-night voting disruption demonstrated that the process can change when technical problems occur.
Season 35 has already delivered an unusual opening, with a two-night premiere, immediate eliminations and an online voting disruption. With 15 couples remaining after Night One and the competition continuing, audience participation will remain a central part of the results.
Keep following the latest Season 35 voting developments, and share your favorite couples and voting experiences in the comments as the competition continues!