Dancing With the Stars News: Dedication Night Shocker
This week’s dancing with the stars news comes with a twist nobody saw coming — because, for once, nobody went home. Tuesday’s Dedication Night on ABC ended with all ten remaining couples safe, the first time this season that an elimination was skipped, and a bombshell announcement about next week: two couples will be sent packing on Horror Movie Night.
The October 20 episode, the sixth week of season 35, was built around the show’s annual emotional centerpiece: each celebrity dedicated a dance to “the influential people and places that have shaped their lives,” with friends, family members, and special guests woven into the routines. Guest judge Kym Johnson — a two-time Mirrorball champion — joined Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli at the judges’ table, while hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough guided the evening. But the night’s biggest storyline had nothing to do with the scores. It was the missing pro: Val Chmerkovskiy, suspended for a week over a social media post, watched from the sidelines as Week 3 eliminee Alan Bersten stepped in to dance with Jenna Dewan.
TV Show Recaps: Who Was Eliminated on Dancing With the Stars Tonight?
For readers scanning the tv show recaps with one urgent question — who was eliminated on Dancing With the Stars tonight? — the answer is: no one. Despite Ribeiro and Hough teasing throughout the night that one couple would go home, the show closed with a surprise. “The first couple who is safe is … all of you! No one is going home tonight,” Ribeiro announced in the episode’s final minute, as reported by Page Six.
Julianne Hough explained the decision: “On such a special night, we didn’t want anyone to be sent home,” adding that “all of the scores and votes from tonight will carry over to next week.” Just Jared’s recap confirmed the twist: past Dedication Night episodes have eliminated a contestant, but this year followed last year’s precedent of skipping the elimination to preserve the emotional celebration of the evening, in which the celebrity contestants performed live tributes alongside their loved ones on the ballroom floor.
The carryover is the catch. Every point earned on Dedication Night — and every viewer vote — will count again next week, when the competition doubles its cruelty. “But this is important,” Ribeiro warned: “In keeping with ‘Horror Movie Night,’ two couples will be axed.” Ten couples enter next week’s episode; only eight will survive it. The scores from Tuesday night’s leaderboard will effectively act as a head start — or a handicap — when the double elimination arrives.
Dancing With the Stars News: The Week 6 Scores and Leaderboard
The judges’ scores for Dedication Night, as reported by Just Jared and the USA Today network, produced a tight leaderboard with Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn and partner Pasha Pashkov on top:
– **Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov: 38** — contemporary to “Breathe Me” by Sia, dedicated to Glenn’s sister Brooke
– **Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach: 37** — contemporary to “Bloodline” by Mon Rovia, dedicated to Frech’s mom Bahar
– **Jenna Dewan and Alan Bersten: 37** — Viennese waltz to “Unchained Melody” by The Righteous Brothers, dedicated to Dewan’s mom Nancy
– **Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson: 36** — foxtrot to “Stop This Train” by John Mayer, dedicated to Shum’s wife Shelby
– **Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa: 36** — contemporary to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by Frankie Valli, dedicated to Stiles’ “10 Things I Hate About You” co-star Heath Ledger
– **Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas: 35** — paso doble to “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” by Dropkick Murphys, dedicated to Ireland
– **Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik: 32** — Viennese waltz to “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am” by Nancy Wilson, dedicated to Ali’s late “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” TV dad James Avery
– **Jackson Olson and Emma Slater: 32** — quickstep to “L-O-V-E” by Nat King Cole, dedicated to Olson’s mom Laura
– **Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold: 32** — Viennese waltz to “Piano Man” by Billy Joel, dedicated to Wood’s dad Pete
– **Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess: 32** — contemporary to “Supermarket Flowers” by Ed Sheeran, dedicated to mothers everywhere
The season-long leaderboard, combining all six weeks, tells its own story. Paralympic gold medalist Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach lead with 159 points, just ahead of Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov at 158, and Jenna Dewan — dancing with Val Chmerkovskiy for most of the season — also at 158. Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson sit at 156, followed by Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas at 155. Then comes a gap: Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa at 143, Jackson Olson and Emma Slater at 135, Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess at 133, Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik at 132, and Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold at 127.
That gap matters enormously now. With next week’s double elimination combining carried-over scores and votes, the couples at the bottom of the season tally — Wood and Arnold, Ali and Ravnik, Cameron and Burgess, Olson and Slater — are dancing for their lives on Horror Movie Night.
Reality TV News: The Tributes That Broke the Ballroom
Dedication Night’s reputation as the season’s tearjerker held. The most talked-about moment of the reality tv news cycle belonged to Julia Stiles, whose contemporary routine honoring her late “10 Things I Hate About You” co-star Heath Ledger became a full cast reunion: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Gabrielle Union appeared alongside Stiles and partner Ezra Sosa, turning the ballroom into a tribute to the 1999 film and its star. Entertainment Weekly’s recap singled out the performance as the night’s emotional peak.
Ezra Frech’s dedication carried its own weight. The Paralympics gold medalist danced a contemporary to “Bloodline” by Mon Rovia for his mother, Iranian-born actress Bahar Soomekh — who appeared in the Oscar-winning film “Crash” and joined Frech and Karagach on the ballroom floor, according to Page Six. Their 37 was the night’s second-highest score.
Jenna Dewan’s Viennese waltz to “Unchained Melody,” dedicated to her mother Nancy, produced the season’s breakthrough judging moment: Carrie Ann Inaba awarded Dewan her first 10 of the season, calling the dance “the ultimate breakthrough” after what Inaba acknowledged had been “a lot” of a journey for Dewan. Nancy appeared in a portion of the dance herself.
Tatyana Ali’s Viennese waltz honored James Avery, who played her television father on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” Maura Higgins’ paso doble celebrated Ireland. Amber Glenn’s contemporary honored her sister Brooke. Each routine, per ABC’s own description of the theme, was built around “the influential people and places that have shaped their lives” — and the families and friends incorporated into the choreography gave the night its signature texture.
Entertainment News: Val Chmerkovskiy’s Suspension Explained
The biggest entertainment news story of the week, however, played out before a single step was danced. For the first time in “Dancing With the Stars” history, a professional dancer was not allowed to perform with their celebrity partner: Val Chmerkovskiy was suspended for a week after a social media post in which he implied he wanted to slap judge Carrie Ann Inaba — a reference to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.
USA Today reported that the suspension was addressed only briefly at the top of the episode, when Ribeiro simply said that “Val is not with us this week” and explained that Bersten would be subbing in. Bersten had been eliminated in Week 3 alongside celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis, making his return an unusual second act. During rehearsals, Dewan and Bersten did not dwell on Chmerkovskiy’s absence or the controversy, describing it only as an “unusual situation”; Bersten said he felt “honored to step in and help.”
The partnership worked. Dewan and Bersten’s Viennese waltz earned a 37 — tied for second on the night — and Inaba’s 10. Whether Chmerkovskiy returns next week was not addressed on air, but the show’s handling of the episode suggests the door is open: the suspension was described as a one-week penalty, and the production kept the focus on the dancing.
What’s Next: Horror Movie Night’s Double Elimination
Next Tuesday’s episode is “Horror Movie Night,” and the stakes could not be higher. Two couples will be eliminated in a single night — the season’s first double cut — with Dedication Night’s scores and viewer votes carried over and combined with the new week’s results. “Dancing With the Stars” airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+, streaming the next day on Hulu and Disney+.
The math favors the frontrunners. Frech and Karagach, Glenn and Pashkov, and Dewan — whoever her partner is — carry the season’s highest totals into the double-elimination week, along with Tuesday’s top scores. The danger zone is the bottom four of the season leaderboard: Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold (127), Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik (132), Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess (133), and Jackson Olson and Emma Slater (135). With two spots to fill on the chopping block, fan voting becomes the tiebreaker — and Dedication Night’s emotional performances may have already moved the needle.
One more wrinkle: the carried-over votes mean Tuesday’s audience already cast ballots that will count twice. The couples who connected most deeply on Dedication Night — the Ledger reunion, Frech’s tribute to his mother, Dewan’s breakthrough 10 — banked goodwill that could pay off when the Horror Movie Night results are read. In a season where no one has gone home yet, next week the ballroom finally collects its due — twice over.
The format is unforgiving: with ten couples and two eliminations, a full fifth of the remaining cast leaves in a single night. For the couples at the top of the season leaderboard, the carried-over scores are a cushion; for the bottom four, they are a deficit that only a standout Horror Movie Night performance — or a surge of fan votes — can erase.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter