DWTS season 35: Harry Shum Jr. scores first perfect 40 on Horror Movie Night
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The gist
Actor Harry Shum Jr. and pro Jenna Johnson earned season 35's first perfect 40/40 on Horror Movie Night.
A double elimination also thinned the field before the Nov. 24 finale.
Background
Dancing with the Stars is ABC's celebrity ballroom competition, now in its 35th season, airing on ABC and Disney+ with co-hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough and judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli. A new group of celebrities is competing for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, with couples eliminated weekly on judges' scores and viewer votes. The season premiered Sept. 15, 2026, follows Season 34 champion Robert Irwin, and runs 10 to 11 weeks.
How it unfolded
- Sep 15, 2026Season 35 premiered on ABC and Disney+; on night one, Conner Leavitt and pro Adele Zaikman were eliminated after a salsa.
- Sep 16, 2026On night two of the premiere, Sarah Jane Nader and pro Hailey Bills went home after a jive.
- Sep 22, 2026Week 2 (Viral Hits Night): Giada De Laurentiis and pro Alan Bersten were eliminated after a salsa.
- Sep 29, 2026Week 3 (Yacht Rock Night): Taylor Hanson and pro Britt Stewart were eliminated after a foxtrot.
- Oct 6, 2026Week 4 (Mariah Carey Night): Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong were eliminated after a jazz routine despite landing mid-leaderboard.
- recentlyWeek 5 (Super Bowl Night): Guillermo Rodriguez and pro Witney Carson were eliminated after a salsa.
- recentlyWeek 6 (Dedication Night): no couples were eliminated; Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov topped the leaderboard with 38 points.
- Oct 17, 2026DWTS dancer Val Chmerkovskiy was benched after an "inappropriate" social media post.
- Oct 27, 2026Horror Movie Night aired with guest judge Shirley Ballas; a double elimination sent Jackson Olson and Emma Slater and Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess home, and Val Chmerkovskiy returned after his one-week suspension.
- Oct 27, 2026Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson earned the season's first perfect score (40/40) for their Saw-inspired contemporary number.
- Nov 2, 2026A new episode is set to air on Monday instead of the usual Tuesday slot, with Disney Night and Cynthia Erivo as guest judge.
- Nov 24, 2026The season is scheduled to end.
Who’s saying what
- Judge
- Carrie Ann Inaba called Giada De Laurentiis's salsa "shaky."
- Judge
- Derek Hough said Jenna Dewan gave one of the best Argentine tangos he's seen on the DWTS floor.
- Guest judge
- Shirley Ballas said Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik's paso doble lacked enough paso doble content and gave them a 4 out of 10.
- Public
- Some fans slammed Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong's week four elimination as "ridiculous."
- Pro
- Britt Stewart, Taylor Hanson's pro partner, said she was "still in shock" over their early exit, having expected the season to be unexpected.