‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 35 Week 7 Live Recap: Dances, Scores and Elimination

Welcome back, girls and ghouls! It’s time for another episode of Dancing With the Stars, and tonight’s promises to be the most terrifying yet—not only because of the theme, but also because two stars will be eliminated instead of the usual one.

Don’t have time to catch all of tonight’s tricks and/or treats? Worry not, dear friends! We’ve got you covered with our full live recap so you don’t miss any of the horror-adjacent 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, the stars brought judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli and guest judge Kym Johnson to tears during “Dedication Night.” The emotional evening is a staple of the show and often creates the season’s most moving moments—and this season was no exception! For the special theme, the remaining stars dedicated their routines to a person or event from their lives and danced to a meaningful song, with plenty of surprise guests in attendance.

Paralympian Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach scored the first 10s of Season 35 with their moving contemporary routine set to “Bloodline” by Mon Rovia, which was dedicated to Frech’s mother. For the feat, the duo earned a near-perfect score with 37 out of 40 points. And at the top of the leaderboard—just one point ahead of Frech and Karagach with 38—were Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov, who made their mark with an emotional contemporary routine set to “Breathe Me” by Sia, which Glenn dedicated to her sister, Brooke.

Meanwhile, the bottom of the leaderboard was a four-way tie between Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik, Jackson Olson and Emma Slater, Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold and Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess—the latter of whom dedicated his routine to “mothers everywhere” while announcing that he and his fiancée, Tate Madden, are currently expecting their first child.

Given the personal nature of the episode, no one was eliminated during Week 6; however, the judges confirmed that, as a result, two stars would be eliminated in Week 7 instead. To read our full recap of last week’s episode, click here.

What is the theme this week on DWTS?

With the spookiest holiday of the year on Saturday, Oct. 31, DWTS is celebrating “Horror Movie Night” this week! The theme will challenge the remaining stars and pros to channel iconic moments from fan-favorite scary films, including Sinners, Black Swan, The Lost Boys and more. Also, ballroom expert and Dancing With the Stars: the Next Pro panelist Shirley Ballas will be the guest judge for Week 7.

Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa

Stiles and Sosa opened the show with an intense Argentine tango to “The Dogs Attack” by Jerry Goldsmith, Lionel Newman and the National Philharmonic Orchestra, inspired by the 1976 horror classic The Omen. During practice, the duo looked back on their sweet “Dedication Night” dance before committing to their spooky routine, which was also inspired by Stiles’s role in the 2006 reboot.

Ballas felt there wasn’t enough “tracing” on the dance floor and gave the routine a 4, which elicited gasps from the audience. Tonioli called Stiles the “mistress of seduction,” applauded the choreography and gave them an 8. Inaba agreed with Ballas, noting the dance felt “tense,” giving them a 7. Hough loved the chosen song but felt the movements were a little “timid,” giving them another 7. Total score: 26/40

Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson

Dancing a quickstep to “Toxic” by 2WEI, inspired by the iconic Saw film franchise, Johnson wanted the dance to be “all about wow moments.” Unfortunately, Shum Jr.’s Grey’s Anatomy schedule made practice difficult, but the two worked through it for a breathtaking performance.

Tonioli joked that he could “literally taste the fear” through the routine, giving them a 10. Inaba gave them a standing ovation and a second 10. Hough was impressed by the “core strength” on display and gave them another 10. Ballas loved the “whole narrative” of the choreography, giving them a fourth 10 for the first perfect score of the season. Total Score: 40/40

Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik

Ali and Ravnik danced a passionate paso doble set to “I Lied to You” by Miles Caton, inspired by the 2026 Oscar-winning film Sinners. During their practice, Ali joked that being judged by Ballas may be a horror movie, but she would ultimately be “the final girl.”

Inaba said the routine was Ali’s “most embodied and passionate dance yet,” giving them an 8. Hough joked that “whatever [Ali] is selling, he’s buying,” giving them a second 8. Ballas disagreed, stating that the choreography had “no recognizable paso doble” qualities, giving them a 4. Tonioli loved that he felt “the beast within [Ali] coming out,” giving them an 8. Total Score: 28/40

Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy

Dewan and Chmerkovskiy danced an energetic Argentine tango to “Uninvited” by Damned Anthem and Kendra Dantes, inspired by the zombie film 28 Weeks Later. In behind-the-scenes footage, the star opened up about back problems she’d been “fighting through,” but wanted to continue “raising” their scores.

The routine brought Hough to his feet, and he called it “the best Argentine tango” on the show, giving them a 10. Ballas applauded the footwork and gave them a 9. Tonioli loved the “power, passion and fatal attraction,” giving them another 9. Inaba also spotlighted Chmerkovskiy’s choreography, adding that the “dance as a whole was perfection,” before giving them a third 9. Total Score: 37/40

Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold

Dancing a contemporary routine to “You Are My Sunshine” by Charles McDonald, inspired by Annabelle: Creation, Wood and Arnold took the floor next. During rehearsal, Wood shared spooky stories from his past, joking that he kept getting chills throughout practice.

Ballas loved the choreography and musicality and gave them an 8. Tonioli said that Wood “killed the routine,” giving them a 9. Inaba “crowned” Wood the “contemporary king,” giving them their first 10. Hough agreed that the routine was “unbelievable,” giving them another 10. Total Score: 37/40

Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach

Frech and Karagach danced a jazz routine to “Madness” by Ruelle, inspired by The Invisible Man. During practice, Frech talked about his love of the film genre and reminded fans that his mother actually starred in the Saw franchise. Unfortunately, he was also dealing with an injury behind the scenes, but he fought through the discomfort.

Tonioli loved the “drama” of the dance, giving them a 9. Inaba added that she felt like Frech needed to “focus” more on the acting, giving them an 8. Hough agreed, but called Frech “captivating,” giving them another 9. Ballas disagreed with the previous judges, applauding both the acting and story with a third 9. Total Score: 35/40

Jackson Olson and Emma Slater

Olson and Slater danced a contemporary routine to “That’s Life” by Frank Sinatra, inspired by the 2019 Oscar-winning film Joker. The two focused on their connection throughout practice, since the choreography relied heavily on synchronization, and Olson was committed to improving their overall scores.

Inaba called the dance “weird, but in a good way,” giving them a 9. Hough joked that he “hates clowns, but loved the dance,” giving them a second 9. Ballas loved the “momentum,” giving them an 8. Tonioli said that Olson seemed to thrive in “chaos,” giving them a third 9. Total Score: 35/40

Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess

Dancing a Viennese Waltz to Annie Lennox’s “Love Song for a Vampire,” inspired by the 1992 film Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Cameron and Burgess took a romantic turn on the ballroom floor. In behind-the-scenes footage, Cameron reminisced about his sweet announcement last week as they prepared for a horror movie switch-up this week.

Hough said seeing Cameron dance is always “impressive,” but gave him notes on his frame for a 7. Ballas noted that Cameron’s acting skills were “great” but also gave notes for a 5. Tonioli concurred with Hough and Ballas, giving them another 7. Inaba felt Cameron’s presence was too “tight,” giving them a third 7. Total Score: 26/40

Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov

Glenn and Pashkov danced an Argentine tango to “Perfection” by Clint Mansell, inspired by the Oscar-winning film Black Swan. During practice, Glenn opened up about relating to the film as an ice skater, given its exploration of perfection, and she had even danced to the music during an ice-skating competition.

Ballas enjoyed the “beautiful movement across the floor” and gave them a 9. Tonioli praised Glenn’s musicality and grace and gave them another 9. Inaba agreed but shared a note about Glenn’s frame, giving them a third 9. Hough said Glenn was “exquisite” to watch, giving them a fourth and final 9. Total Score: 36/40

Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas

Higgins and Ballas ended the episode by dancing a contemporary routine to “Cry Little Sister” by Gerard McMann, inspired by the classic 1987 film The Lost Boys. In behind-the-scenes footage, Higgins highlighted her love of Halloween, especially dressing up in playful costumes, and the two focused on getting into character all week.

Tonioli applauded the choreography and the “lyrical quality” of Higgins’s movement, giving them an 8. Inaba forgot her note during judging, but gave them a 9. Hough joked that Higgins made the character “creepily seductive,” giving them a second 8. Ballas concluded judging by applauding the “power” of the routine, giving them a 7. Total Score: 32/40

Who was eliminated on DWTS this week?

After the judges’ scores were combined with the audience’s votes, the hosts revealed the two eliminated couples. Ultimately, Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess and Jackson Olson and Emma Slater were the duos sent home.

When is the next episode of DWTS?

The next episode of DWTS airs one day early on ABC on Monday, Nov. 2, at 8 p.m. ET, and we’ll be back to recap everything live!

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