Originally appeared on E! Online
The dance floor just got a little less crowded.
Dancing With the Starscontestant Giada De Laurentiis was knocked out of the season 35 competition after ranking the lowest alongside ballroom pro Alan Berstenduring week two.
In the Sept. 22 episode, the chef danced a tango to “Venus” by Shocking Blue, bringing the evening’s “Viral Hits Night” theme to life.
But judge Bruno Toniolicalled it a “salsa without spice” and told De Laurentiis she needed to “go for it” like “jumping off a cliff.” Meanwhile, judge Carrie Ann Inaba summed up the performance with one word: “Shaky.”
After the judges revealed their scores of 12 out of 30, De Laurentiis noted, “It’s disappointing, but hopefully people will vote for us, and I’ll get another shot.”
“I think I tend to go faster, and I need to learn to slow down,” the 56-year-old explained. “That’s my lesson to be learned.”
After the elimination, she noted, “I tried my best, and it wasn’t best enough, but I did try my best.”
And the elimination marked the third star to lose their spot in line for the Mirrorball following the ABC hit’s two-night premiere, beginning Sept. 15. Secret Lives of Mormon Wives‘ Conner Leavitt was the first celebrity sent home after a salsa with pro Adele Zaikman didn’t bring enough heat to the judges’ table opening night.
“Obviously, going home first was not how I wanted to end my Dancing With the Stars experience,” Conner, husband of DWTS semi-finalist Whitney Leavitt, explained on TikTok Sept. 17. “But I can genuinely say I had an incredible time. I loved being out there. I loved learning something completely new.”
Following his departure, Conner’s fellow Hulu realityverse memberSarah Jane Naderwas eliminated on night two. The Love Thy Nader personality was partnered with pro Hailey Bills, together becoming the show’s third same-sex pairing. (JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson, who placed second on season 30, were the first.)
As such, the 24-year-old was proud of how her DWTS run honored her community as a bisexual woman, despite ending sooner than older sister Brooks Nader‘s ascent to ninth place with her now-ex Gleb Savchenko in 2024.
“As sad as we are to not dance next week—we were so excited—we’re just grateful we had this opportunity,” Sarah Jane told Good Morning America after the results. “Our partnership was so special. Not only because we became best friends, but because we represent a whole community.”
But the 2026 competition is still anyone’s game. Read on to see all of the stars still waltzing in for the win.
Giada De Laurentiis & Alan Bersten
Harry Shum Jr. & Jenna Johnson
Jenna Dewan & Val Chmerkovskiy
Ezra Frech & Daniella Karagach
Sarah Jane Nader & Hailey Bills
Conner Leavitt & Adele Zaikman
Tyler Cameron & Sharna Burgess
Guillermo Rodriguez & Witney Carson
Ciara Miller & Brandon Armstrong
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