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Maura Higgins Posts Season's Best 25/30 on DWTS Mariah Night
By @sharedot · · 8 pages
- Celebrity
- Dancing With The Stars
Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas earned the first nine of DWTS season 35 on Mariah Carey Night, a 25/30 high, before another shocking elimination.
What Happened on Mariah Carey Night
Dancing With the Stars devoted week four of season 35 entirely to Mariah Carey, with couples performing her hits including "Emotions," "Fantasy," "Obsessed" and "Touch My Body," according to The Hollywood Reporter. The night ended with Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong eliminated after their jazz to "Emotions" scored 21/30 — the second week in a row the show ended with a shocking elimination, following Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart's exit on Yacht Rock Night the previous Tuesday.
The Record Score That Stopped the Night
The surprise of the night came late: Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas earned the first nine of the season from judge Carrie Ann Inaba for their Waltz to "If It's Over," landing a 25/30 — the highest score of DWTS season 35 so far, per The Hollywood Reporter. Three couples had earlier traded the lead at 24/30: Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach, Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson, and Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy, all earning three eight paddles in a row.
Why the Leaderboard Shakeup Matters
Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson fell to the bottom of the leaderboard with a 13/30 samba to "Obsessed," yet survived, while Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong's 21/30 — matched by Tyler Cameron, Jackson Olson and Julia Stiles — was not enough to save them once votes were counted.
Rodriguez drama and a fan-favorite apology
Separately, E! News reports that Savannah Bananas player Jackson Olson publicly apologized Oct. 6 after a since-deleted comment that allegedly mocked fellow contestant Guillermo Rodriguez's dancing. Olson posted an Instagram video set to Hannah Montana's "Nobody's Perfect," with Rodriguez joining him to dance, and wrote, "To G and to all of you, from the bottom of my heart I am so sorry about my comment I made the other day and that it caused this much negativity."
Video: Olson's 'Nobody's Perfect' apology
The apology itself was a video: E! News describes Olson posting an Instagram clip set to "Nobody's Perfect," in which Rodriguez appears halfway through and the two show off their dance moves together, with Olson adding in the caption, "I love this guy... now let's do what this show is meant to be about.. DANCE. ily G." E! News also reports late-night host John Oliver saying his young sons are now obsessed with the season purely because of Rodriguez.
What Comes Next
Season 35 continues Tuesdays at 8 p.m., simulcast on ABC and Disney+ and streaming next day on Hulu, with Tatyana Ali, Tyler Cameron, Jenna Dewan, Ezra Frech, Amber Glenn, Maura Higgins, Jackson Olson, Guillermo Rodriguez, Harry Shum Jr., Julia Stiles and Connor Wood still competing, per The Hollywood Reporter. Meanwhile, ABC announced Dancing with the Stars: Live! 2027, a 60-city North American arena tour launching January 2027 — including Madison Square Garden for the first time — with presale starting Oct. 8 and public tickets on sale Oct. 13, according to AOL/People and Us Weekly.
Sources
- hollywoodreporter.com › 'Dancing With the Stars' Mariah Carey Night Ends With Another Unexpected Elimination
- eonline.com › Dancing With the Stars' Jackson Olson Apologizes for Guillermo Rodriguez Comment
- usmagazine.com › 'Dancing With the Stars' Announces 2027 Tour Details
- aol.com › 'Dancing with the Stars' Announces 60-Show Live Tour Across North America in 2027