A Night of Viral Trends on the Ballroom Floor
Season 35 of Dancing With the Stars continued its momentum on Tuesday, September 22, with an episode dedicated to "Viral Hits Night." The celebrity contestants took to the floor, performing routines set to tracks that have dominated social media feeds.
Top Performers Lead the Pack
The competition was fierce at the top of the leaderboard, resulting in a three-way tie for first place. Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy opened the show with a high-energy routine to Katseye’s "Animal." Judge Bruno Tonioli praised Dewan’s intensity, calling her a "fast and furious sexy beast" who performed with impeccable timing.
Ezra Frech also impressed the panel with his cha-cha alongside professional dancer Daniella Karagach. Following the performance, Carrie Ann Inaba commended the Paralympian for his commitment to excellence, while Derek Hough admitted he was "blown away" by the execution. The pair earned a score of 21.
Rounding out the top tier, Olympic athlete Amber Glenn and her partner Pasha Pashkov also achieved a score of 21. Their tango was a standout of the evening, with Tonioli labeling it the "best tango of the night" and Inaba noting that the performance gave her "full body chills."
A Difficult Goodbye
While some dancers thrived, others struggled to impress the judges. Giada De Laurentiis and her partner, Alan Bersten, found themselves at the bottom of the scoreboard after their salsa failed to land with the panel. Tonioli remarked that the routine lacked "spice," while Inaba described the performance as "shaky."
«I tried my best and it wasn’t best enough. But I tried my best,» said De Laurentiis following her elimination.
With a score of 12, De Laurentiis and Bersten tied with Guillermo Rodriguez and his partner Witney Carson for the lowest marks of the evening, resulting in De Laurentiis's departure from the show.