Dancing with the Stars voting
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The gist
Pro dancer Val Chmerkovskiy is suspended from the Oct.
His absence and an unconfirmed elimination plan are the open questions on Dedication Night.
Background
Dancing with the Stars is ABC's celebrity ballroom competition, where live viewer votes are combined with judges' scores and the couple with the lowest combined total goes home each episode. Val Chmerkovskiy, a pro dancer on the show and the husband of pro Jenna Johnson, was suspended from the Oct. 20 episode over a social media comment about judge Carrie Ann Inaba. In his place, actress and dancer Jenna Dewan is dancing with pro Alan Bersten on Dedication Night, when the 10 remaining couples honor influential people and places.
How it unfolded
- Sep 15, 2026Week 1, night 1: Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman are eliminated.
- Sep 16, 2026Week 1, night 2: Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills are eliminated.
- Week 2On Viral Hits Night, Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten are eliminated.
- Week 3On Yacht Rock Night, Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart are eliminated.
- Week 4On Mariah Carey Night, Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong are eliminated.
- Oct 13, 2026Week 5, Super Bowl Night: Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson are eliminated after scoring 22/40, the lowest of the night, despite being saved by viewer votes in earlier weeks.
- Oct 14, 2026An ABC release says all 10 remaining couples will deliver heartfelt performances honoring influential people and places.
- Oct 20, 2026Week 6, Dedication Night, airs at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+; Kym Johnson is guest judge, and Val Chmerkovskiy sits out while Alan Bersten dances with Jenna Dewan.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- ABC and the show have not confirmed whether there will be an elimination on Dedication Night.
- Public
- Some fans wonder whether Dedication Night could again be elimination-free, as it was in Season 34.
- Party
- Eliminated contestant Guillermo Rodriguez thanked his partner: "Witney, I love you for teaching me how to dance."
Still unverified
Whether there will be an elimination on Dedication Night is speculation; ABC and the show have not confirmed an elimination-free night.