One more couple has gotten off on the wrong foot.
After Conner Leavittand Adele Zaikmanwere eliminated during night one of the Dancing With the Stars season 35 premiere, another pair have met the end the road.
This time, during part-two of the premiere on Sept. 16 which saw all the female celebrities perform, it was Love Thy Nader star Sarah Jane Nader and pro partner Hailey Bills whose time in the ballroom came to an end.
Though the pair pulled off a fiery jive to “Sk8er Boi” byAvril Lavigne, they were out of sync and their score of 14 combined with votes from the public wasn’t enough to earn them a spot in week two.
Before the reveal, Sarah Jane had expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to be a part of a same-sex pairing on DWTS.
“I think that us being on this ballroom floor together as two women is just so powerful,” she said after her routine. “And I hope that it shows you can dance with whoever you want, you can love whoever you want, and being yourself is the best power.”
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Dancing With the Stars Season 35 Eliminates First Celebrity During Surprising Premiere
Gratitude was a feeling echoed by Conner, whose wife Whitney Leavittmade it to during week 10 of season 34 with partner Mark Ballas.
“This has been the most fun,” Conner said from the ballroom stage after his elimination. “I have the greatest dance partner in the world in Adele. I can’t wait for the world to get to see her talent.”
Indeed, it was his partner Adele’s first year on the cast after she won Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro. And though her cha-cha to “Whoomp! There It Is” wasn’t enough to best her and Conner’s competition, she doesn’t have any regrets.
“It’s a dream come true no matter what, and I’m so lucky that I had Conner,” Adele said during the premiere. “I had so much fun and thank you so much for everything.”
As for those celebrity-pro pairings who landed on their feet? There are a few whose twinkle toes ushered them into the upper echelon of contestants after week one.
Among them are Harry Shum Jr.and Jenna Johnson, whose cha-cha earned 21 points and Ezra Frechand Daniella Karagach, who stunned with a 20-point tango.
And though some armchair experts may call foul when it comes to celebrities enter the competition with prior experience on a dance floor—Harry previously danced for Beyoncé while Jenna Dewan starred in the 2006 dance film Step Up—celebrities and pros alike have defended the casting choices.
Harry, for his part, pointed out during an interview with E! News, “A lot of people who had dance backgrounds don’t make it very far. That tells you everything you need to know about what the show is. It’s beyond just dancing.”
Mark, too, emphasized that prior experience only takes someone so far in the ballroom.
“Just because someone danced in high school or they danced for an artist or something,” he said during a Sept. 10 appearance on the Get Realpodcast, “that doesn’t mean they can’t take this on and improve every single week.”
Plus, “I also think that even though there is dancing on the show and you want to root, you want to see great dancing, it’s also like about experience,” he added. “Some fans want to see banger dances. Some fans want to see someone from ground zero make it.”
For a closer look at those pairings hoping to make it all the way to the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, read on.
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.”
