Dancing With The Stars Recap: Season 35 Night 2 Elimination Results

Oh, yes, it’s Ladies’ Night on “Dancing With the Stars,” and the feeling’s… well, a little nervous!

ABC’s reality competition continued its two-part Season 35 premiere on Wednesday night, with the eight female celebrities performing after this season’s men had their turn on Tuesday. “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” personality Conner Leavitt (and his partner, brand-new pro Adele Zaikman) had already gotten the boot the night before, and the looming threat of another elimination at the end of tonight’s episode seemed to get the best of some contestants. (We know you can do better, Tatyana Ali!)

But Wednesday’s broadcast also featured some pleasant surprises from the likes of Maura Higgins and Ciara Miller, and this quite solid batch of performances got me wondering: Will it be a woman who takes home that Mirrorball this time around?

Let’s ponder that more as we break down the night, shall we? Keep scrolling for our take on the evening’s routines, then hit the comments with your own!

DANCE STYLE: Jive (to “Knock on Wood” by Amii Stewart)

As with Jackson Olson on Night 1, it’s hard to hold anything against the person who performs first; can you even imagine the nerves? Unfortunately for Tatyana, there was some objectively rough dancing here, particularly when she blanked on choreography at the very beginning of the number. But when she and Jan got into the meat of the jive, Tatyana looked more sure of herself, and the side-by-side section when the chorus hit was a lot of fun. Plus, she had a great attitude about her feedback and scores, when I suspect many of us would have dissolved into tears after flubbing the very first steps of our very first dance. Here’s hoping she’s given the grace and time to improve in the next couple of weeks.

JUDGES’ SCORES: 12 out of 30

DANCE STYLE: Cha-cha (to “Smooth” by Santana ft. Rob Thomas)

Amber’s Week 1 showing went, almost to the letter, the way you probably expected it to go, especially if you’ve been watching “Dancing With the Stars” for a while. A little bit of awkwardness as she adjusts to a ballroom floor instead of an ice rink? Check. Some uncertainty in her partner work? Check. But gorgeous lines, a strong sense of musicality, and plenty of reason to believe she can win that Mirrorball? Check, check, and check. (Plus, kudos to Amber on nailing what must have been a very intimidating solo section in the middle of the piece.) I suspect this Blade Angel will be around for a while, and I’m thrilled that the underrated Pasha is paired with someone so promising.

JUDGES’ SCORES: 18 out of 30

DANCE STYLE: Foxtrot (to “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” by Whitney Houston)

I have a major bone to pick with both Carrie Ann Inaba and Julianne Hough after this performance. Did we need to make this moment so inorganically emotional for Ciara? Carrie Ann’s insistence that Ciara’s pain (after that “Summer House” scandal) was radiating off her, Julianne pointing out that Ciara’s cheeks were shaking during Carrie Ann’s feedback… it all felt very weird, as though Ciara was having A Big Moment forced upon her for the premiere. Just me? Yes? Anyway, the important thing here is that Ciara’s debut was lovely, and this foxtrot was hopefully just the start of a long Season 35 journey for her.

JUDGES’ SCORES: 15 out of 30 (Seems low, no?)

DANCE STYLE: Tango (to “Venus” by Shocking Blue)

Not bad! Giada was probably the most visibly nervous contestant of the night, and yet her grasp on the choreography remained strong from start to finish. I hope, as Giada’s confidence and stamina build in subsequent weeks, that Alan can start to give her more legitimate content in her dances, rather than filling the time with kooky cooking pantomimes. But it makes sense why he went that route for a nerve-fueled Week 1 performance, and Giada’s face never betrayed any hint of, “This is a little goofy, huh?” And that can’t be said for everyone!

JUDGES’ SCORES: 16 out of 30 (Huh? A six from Carrie Ann here, but a five for Ciara? I’m puzzled.)

DANCE STYLE: Quickstep (to “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton)

This recapper is a longtime Julia Stiles stan — that final “Save the Last Dance” choreography is emblazoned in my millennial brain — and I was heartened to see that her nerves from rehearsal didn’t overtake her when it came time to perform. In fact, her acting chops came in handy here, as so much of the routine’s success came from her and Ezra’s very smiley (but watchable!) facial expressions. Weirdly, it feels like the “Dancing With the Stars” fandom has higher expectations for Julia Stiles (who isn’t a professional dancer, but played one in a movie) than it does for Jenna Dewan (who is a professional dancer, and also played one in a movie); here’s hoping Julia ignores the pressure and continues radiating joy like she did tonight.

JUDGES’ SCORES: 18 out of 30

DANCE STYLE: Foxtrot (to “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles)

Whoa. That was good. And y’know, I had my suspicions that Maura was selling herself short in her pre-season interview with my colleague Ryan Schwartz; she said she was awful on the U.K.’s “Dancing on Ice,” and she definitely wasn’t. But after seeing so much of Maura’s authentically goofy personality on “The Traitors,” and even in her “DWTS” rehearsal package, I wasn’t expecting her to commit so stunningly (and effortlessly!) to this foxtrot’s sultry vibe. And the quality of movement? Holy moly. That Mirrorball might be hers, folks.

JUDGES’ SCORES: 21 out of 30 (the highest of the night!)

DANCE STYLE: Tango (to “Call Me” by Blondie)

As with Harry Shum Jr. on Night 1, we all kinda knew Jenna’s first dance would be excellent, and indeed it was (though Jenna, like Harry, suffered from some overexaggeration in her top half, especially in this tango’s most passionate moments). But Jenna’s hurdle here won’t be dancing well: It’ll be convincing the home audience — an audience that’s frequently wary of contestants with substantial dance experience — that she ought to stay in this competition beyond the first few weeks. I don’t envy that for Jenna, as her arc will be defined by her authenticity and her personality instead of her dance chops. But she seems up for the challenge — and hey, it’s nice to know we’re in for at least two weeks of spectacular dancing, right?

JUDGES’ SCORES: 19 out of 30 (Again I say: Huh? Two sixes here? Were Carrie Ann and Derek trying not to play favorites or something?)

DANCE STYLE: Jive (to “Sk8er Boi” by Avril Lavigne)

There was a lot working against Sarah Jane and Hailey before they even danced a single step. Sarah Jane is one of the less recognized names on the Season 35 roster, and her relationship to Brooks Nader — whose time on “DWTS” a few seasons ago was defined by her lusty relationship with partner Gleb Savchenko — might even have been a disadvantage when faced with a voting audience that’s inclined to roll its eyes at reality TV stars. Plus, Hailey is a brand-new pro this season that many viewers don’t know well yet, and a same-sex partnership can be a hard sell for some.

With all of those hurdles, Hailey and Sarah Jane’s first dance would have had to be flawless for them to stay in the competition, and unfortunately, it was pretty messy. The side-by-sides were often unsynchronized, and Hailey’s lack of experience as a pro showed in her choreography, just as Adele Zaikman’s did on Night 1. Their elimination is a real shame, though. Hailey is tremendous in this show’s group numbers, and I would have liked to see how her partnership with Sarah Jane progressed.

JUDGES’ SCORES: 14 out of 30

Your turn, “Dancing” fans! What do you think of Sarah Jane’s elimination? And who impressed you most on Night 2 of this super-sized premiere? Cast your vote in our poll below, then drop a comment with your reactions to Wednesday’s episode!