One star is unfortunately evacuating the dance floor.
After the male celebrities competed on night one of theDancing With the Starsseason 35 premiere Sept. 15, Secret Lives of Mormon Wives starConner Leavitt andhis pro partnerAdele Zaikmanwere eliminated and will officially be hanging up their dancing shoes.
“This has been the most fun,” Leavitt said after being cut. “I have the greatest dance partner in the world in Adele. I can’t wait for the world to get to see her talent.”
Zaikman, who joined the cast after winning Next Pro, added of the 32-year-old—whose wife Whitney Leavitt competed last season—”It’s a dream come true no matter what, and I’m so lucky that I had Conner. I had so much fun, and thank you so much for everything.”
It was a tough decision for America—and the judges—to make over the two-night premiere, which was split by sex, withthefemale stars set to perform on Sept. 16 ahead of a second elimination.
Not to mention, every duo had quite the personal performance, as the theme enlisted the pairings to dance to a song that debuted the year each contestant was born. WhileLeavitt and Zaikman ultimately couldn’t best their competition, their salsa dance to “Whoomp! There It Is” was certainly a sight to behold.
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Dancing With the Stars‘ Surprise Elimination Twist Revealed Ahead of Season 35 Premiere
For contestant Guillermo Rodriguez, the Jimmy Kimmel Live!starshared how he is planning to give it his all this season, despite being an underdog, as he danced the Cha Cha to “Mr. Big Stuff” with pro partner Witney Carson.
“People told me, ‘Guillermo, you’re not gonna pass the first week,'” he shared in his pre-taped video package. “But I’m gonna work real hard and I’m gonna try my best.”
Meanwhile, the evening also served a heavy dose of nostalgia, with younger duos like OlympianEzra French, 21, and proDaniella Karagachdancing toKelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” and Savannah Bananas player Jackson Olson, 28, andEmma Slaterdoing the Cha Cha to “Wannabe” bythe Spice Girls.
Although the special circumstance certainly raised the stakes for the competitors, it of course came with added pressure. EvenDWTScast members expressed shock upon confirmation that not one, buttwoof the initial 16 couples would be eliminated during the two-night premiere.
“It’s not an even playing field, right?”Mark Ballasposited during a Sept. 10 appearance on theGet Realpodcast alongside partnerDWTSMaura Higgins. “It’s like the cast is split in half and someone’s going. It’s kind of like boys over there, girls over there, one of you is going from each group, right?”
But trust, stars are bringing their A game to the ballroom.In fact, before 10 Things I Hate About YouactressJulia Stiles, 45, and her partnerEzra Sosahonor the lateDolly Parton—performing a quickstep to “9 to 5″ on Sept. 16—Sosa emphasized that Stiles wasn’t saving her skills for the premiere to be their last dance.
“She’s doing absolutely incredible,” Sosa told E! News Sept. 6 as the pair prepared for theDWTSpremiere. “I will confidently say I’ve never worked with someone who’s working so hard and who’s so passionate about doing this, and it just makes me so excited to see their journey on the show.”
For a look at all the pairings onDWTSseason 35, keep reading…
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
“Looks are not indicative of being in shape,” Ciara exclusively told E! News in June. “I do huff and puff going up the stairs, so I gotta get back into the gym and work on my stamina.”
“I have a vision board and I redo it every year,” she told E! News in May. “This year is the first year that I stayed at home by myself on New Year’s Eve. I did not go out at all. I made myself a bowl of pasta and a glass of red wine and I redid my vision board for the year. Dancing With the Stars was already on it from the year before. However, I added five more Dancing With the Stars on the board.”
