Dancing with the Stars Season 35 premieres with technical voting issues

Season 35 of Dancing with the Stars premiered with a two-night event on ABC and Disney+, featuring a split format where male celebrities performed on the first night and female celebrities on the second. The premiere was marked by technical difficulties when the online voting system crashed, forcing producers to discard digital ballots and instruct viewers to vote exclusively via SMS text messaging.

On the first night, actor Harry Shum Jr. topped the leaderboard with a score of 21 out of 30. Conner Leavitt was the first contestant eliminated. The second night featured female contestants, including the second-ever all-female pairing of the show, consisting of Sarah Jane Nader and professional dancer Hailey Bills. This pair was subsequently eliminated after receiving a score of 14 out of 30.

The season has also sparked discussion regarding contestants with professional dance backgrounds, such as Jenna Dewan and Harry Shum Jr. Judge Bruno Tonioli addressed these concerns, stating that ballroom and Latin disciplines are highly specific and that prior experience does not guarantee an advantage.