‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 35 Week 5 Live Recap: Dances, Scores and Elimination

Before Season 35 began this autumn, Dancing With the Stars unveiled all of its planned theme nights—except for this week’s. After some teasing, the program officially announced the secret theme was “Super Bowl Night,” with all the stars *tackling* tunes by artists who’ve made memorable moments at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. The episode will also feature Season 35’s first guest judge, as ESPN announcer Joe Buck joins the panel alongside Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli.

Don’t have time to see which stars make it to the proverbial endzone for a victory dance? Worry not, teammates! We’ve got you covered with our full live recap so you don’t miss any of the action—but first, let’s get you all caught up on what you might’ve missed last week.

Who was eliminated last week on DWTS?

Last week was the first-ever “Mariah Carey Night” on DWTS, and the judges were *obsessed*—pun intended.

At the top of the leaderboard were reality TV sensation Maura Higgins and her pro partner Mark Ballas, with their dreamy waltz to the icon’s ballad “If It’s Over.” The judges praised the dynamic routine, and Inaba called it “artistry in motion.” She also gave them the first 9 of the season, with Hough and Tonioli giving two 8s for a total of 25 out of 30. There was also a three-way tie for second, with Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach, Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson and Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy all close behind with scores of 24 out of 30.

Unfortunately, comedian Guillermo Rodriguez and his pro partner, Witney Carson, landed at the bottom of the leaderboard again, scoring 13 out of 30 for their playful samba to “Obsessed.” Overall, the judges were mixed on the dance number, with Inaba concerned that Rodriguez was “dimming his light” for the routine.

However, after all the stars took their turn on the dance floor, Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong were the duo sent home in Week 4. This left many fans surprised, as the duo earned a 21 out of 30 for their energetic jazz routine to “Emotions,” further underscoring the importance of fans’ votes each week.

To read our full recap of last week’s episode, click here.

What is the theme this week on DWTS?

As noted above, this week is “Super Bowl Night,” where the pros choreographed routines to songs by former halftime performers. With that in mind, fans could expect high-energy dance numbers set to Shakira, Nelly, Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny and more. Also, with Buck as the first guest judge, duos could score up to 40 points instead of the usual 30.

Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas

Higgins and Ballas kicked off the show, coming hot off their victory from the previous week. For the NFL-inspired routine, the duo danced a tango to “Only Girl (in the World)” by Rihanna. In behind-the-scenes footage, the model revealed she’d been struggling with a neck injury, but planned to fight through it.

Buck kicked off judging by confirming he didn’t know much about ballroom, but joked that Higgins made him “proud to be Irish” and gave them a 9. Tonioli loved the energy of the “stylish” routine, but gave them an 8. Inaba gave Higgins constructive criticism, noting that some moves were “cut short,” giving them a second 8. Hough concurred, commenting on a moment when she “broke the line” of her posture and giving them a third 8. Total score: 33/40

Jackson Olson and Emma Slater

Olson and Slater were up next, dancing a sultry salsa to “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars. In behind-the-scenes footage, Olson was concerned about their scores from the previous week, noting that this week was also the “biggest” game of the year for his team, the Savannah Bananas, at the Bananas Bowl.

Tonioli called the dance “footloose and fancy-free” and applauded Olson’s improvement, giving them a 7. Inaba said that Olson was “kicking a--,“ giving them an 8. Hough said it was Olson’s “best dance,” giving them another 8. Buck shared his love of the Savannah Bananas with Olson, giving them a third 8. Total score: 31/40

Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov

Dancing a samba choreographed to “Mi Gente” by J Balvin and Willy William, Glenn and Pashkov were next to hit the hardwood floor. During practice, the pair talked over the criticism they received last week and celebrated their success, focusing on improving to get back to the top of the leaderboard.

Inaba said that Glenn “ate that samba,” giving them an 8. Hough called the routine “fierce” and loved Glenn’s impressive split, giving them their first 9 of the season. Buck agreed, saying the dance was “hot” and “amazing” and giving them a 9. Tonioli loved the “variety of interpretation” and gave them an 8. Total score: 34/40

Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess

Cameron and Burgess danced a jazz routine to “Dirty Bit” by Black Eyed Peas. In behind-the-scenes footage, the Bachelor Nation alum opened up about his past as a football player and hoped to channel that same passion and energy into the choreography.

Hough “loved” the dance and applauded their chemistry, giving them a 7. Buck was impressed by Cameron’s mobility and gave them an 8. Tonioli “appreciated” how much work Cameron put into improving his lines and gave them a second 7. Inaba especially loved the lifts in the choreography and gave them a another 8. Total score: 30/40

Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold

Wood and Arnold danced a samba to “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean. During practice, they talked about their goal of improving their scores, and Arnold also hoped Wood would continue to grow in his confidence; however, the comedian was “stressed” about the difficult dance.

Buck said he was “smiling the whole time” and gave them a 7. Tonioli especially loved their connection, but gave them a 6. Inaba thought it was “fun” and liked the “humor,” but felt it was missing several samba moves, giving them another 6. Hough applauded the energy that Wood brought to the room, giving them a third 6. Total score: 25/40

Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa

After having a “breakthrough” last week, Stiles and Sosa tackled a jazz routine to “Jenny from the Block [Track Masters Remix]” by Jennifer Lopez featuring Jadakiss and Styles P. Stiles chatted about how she worked alongside Lopez in the movie Hustlers and hoped to bring some of the artist's energy to the dance.

Tonioli said Stiles got into the groove “brilliantly,” giving them an 8. Inaba joked that the panel “just got served,” giving them another 8. Hough gave Stiles a big hug and applauded her charisma, giving them a third 8. Buck reminisced about seeing Lopez perform at the Super Bowl and said Stiles “could’ve been on stage with her,” giving them their first 9 of the season. Total score: 33/40

Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik

The duo danced a playful salsa to “Squabble Up” by Kendrick Lamar, and Ali was excited to tackle the routine because of her family connection to the dance style. In practice, Ravnik wanted the star to channel her sultry side, which the dancer noted the judges had yet to see.

Inaba said she “saw the improvement” and applauded how smooth Ali was, giving them a 7. Hough felt the choreography was “a little too laid back for a salsa,” giving them a second 7. Buck said that it was his “favorite routine of the night,” giving them their first 8 of the season. Tonioli called Ali a “sexy mama,” giving them a third 7. Total score: 29/40

Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson

Dancing a fun salsa to “Tití Me Preguntó” by Bad Bunny, Rodriguez and Carson sought redemption after last week. During practice, Rodriguez opened up about Inaba’s comments from the previous week but committed to improving despite the difficulty of this week’s dance.

Hough joked that Rodriguez should headline the 2027 halftime show, giving them a 5. Buck concurred, loving that Rodriguez took the judges’ notes from the previous week and gave them a 6. Tonioli applauded the overall routine and gave them a second 5. Inaba liked that Rodriguez “brought the joy back,” giving them a second 6. Total score: 22/40

Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy

Dewan and Chmerkovskiy danced a paso doble to “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga. In behind-the-scenes footage, Dewan practiced the dynamic routine while on the set of The Rookie between takes, showing her full drive to earn their “highest scores yet.”

Buck joked that he “has no idea what a paso doble is, but she crushed it,” giving them a 9. Tonioli called the routine “thrilling from start to finish” and gave them another 9. Inaba joked that the dance was “the first touchdown” of the night and gave them a third 9. Hough added another pun to the panel, calling it a “Super Bowl-worthy” performance and giving them another 9. Total score: 36/40

Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson

Dancing a samba choreographed to “Yeah” by Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris, Shum Jr. and Johnson were the penultimate pair. In behind-the-scenes footage, Johnson noted that she wanted to push Shum Jr. “to his limits.”

Tonioli said the dance “felt like an event,” but noted there wasn’t enough “samba,” giving the duo an 8. Inaba concurred, adding that she wanted more “content” in the choreography and gave them another 8. Hough said the routine was “undeniably a fantastic performance,” giving them a third 8. Buck called Shum Jr. “effortless,” giving them their first 9 of the season. Total score: 33/40

Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach

Frech and Karagach closed the show with a high-energy salsa to “Hot in Herre” by Nelly. During practice, the duo playfully bonded over the fact that they didn’t go to parties when the song was at the height of its popularity, but the Paralympian still promised to bring the energy.

Inaba called the dance a “masterclass” in storytelling and gave them a 9. Hough said he “genuinely gets lost” in Frech’s performances and gave them another 9. Buck agreed with the judges, calling Frech “powerful” and giving them a third 9. Tonioli said he “doesn’t know how Frech does it,” giving them a fourth 9. Total score: 36/40

Who was eliminated on DWTS this week?

Unfortunately, after the judges’ scores were combined with the audience’s votes, Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson were the duo sent home in Week 5.

When is the next episode of DWTS?

The next episode of DWTS airs on ABC Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 8 p.m. ET, and we’ll be back in action to recap everything live!

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