DWTS Premiere Sends Conner Leavitt and Sarah Jane Nader Home

Dancing With the Stars Season 35 eliminated Conner Leavitt and Sarah Jane Nader during a chaotic two-night premiere that saw online voting crash, outlets report.

Dancing With the Stars Season 35 opened with a two-night premiere, and two celebrities' mirror ball bids ended almost immediately. Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Conner Leavitt and his professional partner Adele Zaikman were sent home on Tuesday's opening night after a salsa to Tag Team's "Whoomp! (There It Is)" earned 4s from all three judges for 12 out of 30, Yahoo reports. On Wednesday, influencer Sarah Jane Nader and partner Hailey Bills were eliminated after a jive to Avril Lavigne's "Sk8er Boi" scored 14 out of 30, leaving 14 couples in the competition.

Nader and Bills were the third same-sex pairing in the show's 35-season run, according to Yahoo, though USA Today's premiere gallery describes them as the second same-sex couple paired on the show. After her routine, Nader said, "I think that us being on this ballroom floor together as two women is just so powerful," adding that she hoped it showed people "can dance with whoever you want" and that "being yourself is the best power." Vulture's recap argues the elimination was especially brutal coming minutes after that statement, noting the pair faced low expectations as a lesser-known star paired with a new pro.

Vulture's reviewer argues week-one survival on Dancing With the Stars comes down less to technique than to built-in fan bases, especially when lesser-known celebrities are handed to first-time pros — a combination that failed both Leavitt with Adele Zaikman and Nader with Hailey Bills. The recap also notes Derek Hough gave Nader's choreography a 4, and that no one in the ladies' night field truly floored, with low scores owed mostly to nerves. Leavitt took the setback gracefully, telling the audience, per Yahoo, "This has been the most fun. I have the greatest dance partner in the world in Adele."

Adding to the drama, the Season 35 premiere was hit by technical problems when the show's online voting system crashed during Tuesday's live broadcast, Yahoo reports. Julianne Hough told viewers online voting was temporarily unavailable and encouraged text voting, and Alfonso Ribeiro later announced online votes would be thrown out for the night, meaning only text votes counted. Online voting was restored for Wednesday's episode. Going forward, ABC says fans can vote online at dwtsvote.abc.com or by SMS, with up to 10 votes per couple per method, combined with judges' scores to determine jeopardy.

Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson, and Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas, finished premiere week tied atop the leaderboard with 21 points each, per Yahoo — Shum for a cha cha to Earth, Wind & Fire's "Let's Groove" and Higgins for a foxtrot to "Black Velvet." Vulture calls Higgins's Traitors-themed routine a "declarative sentence," praising its smooth, slinky quality. Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy scored 19 despite dance backgrounds, while Amber Glenn, Julia Stiles, and Giada De Laurentiis each landed at 18, 18, and 16 respectively, according to Vulture's recap.

The show returns to its regular Tuesday schedule this week, with new episodes airing Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming on Disney+, and available on Hulu the next day. Tuesday, Sept. 22 brings "Viral Hits Night" with all 14 remaining couples, and USA Today Network's Bergen Record reports announced routines including Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy's jive to KATSEYE's "Animal" and Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson's Viennese waltz to "Iris." The season's theme slate also includes Mariah Carey, Disney, Horror Movie and Grammy nights before the finale.