'Dancing with the Stars' Season 35 Week 2 Sends Home a Surprising Couple — and the Pair Fans Are Calling the Real Winners May Shock You

Dancing with the Stars Season 35 delivered another elimination on September 22, but the couple sent packing was not the only pair making headlines after Viral Hits Night. One low-scoring duo survived the danger zone — and viewers had a very different opinion of their performance than the judges did.

The 35th season of Dancing with the Stars is underway, with a new lineup of celebrities competing for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy and facing the familiar combination of judges' scores and viewer votes.

According to ABC News, the competition began with two eliminations during the September 15 and 16 premiere episodes. Conner Leavitt and his professional partner, Adele Zaikman, were eliminated on the first night after performing a salsa to Tag Team's "Whoomp! (There It Is)."

The following night, Sarah Jane Nader and her professional partner, Hailey Bills, became the second celebrity couple eliminated after dancing a jive to Avril Lavigne's "Sk8er Boi." That left the remaining couples heading into Week 2 knowing that another celebrity would have to leave the ballroom.

Viral Hits Night Brings Bigger Stakes

The Sept. 22 episode, dubbed Viral Hits Night, featured the remaining celebrities dancing to songs that have made an impact online and in popular culture.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the night immediately produced some significant movement on the leaderboard. Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy opened the show with a jive to Katseye’s "Animal,” earning 21 out of 30 from the judges.

Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong followed with a tango to Disco Lines and Tinashe’s "No Broke Boys," receiving 18 points. Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach also reached 21 points after performing a cha cha to Flo Rida’s "Low," tying Jenna and Val at the top at that point in the night.

Then Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov joined them at 21/30, after performing a tango to Harrison’s "All the Things She Said," an homage to Heated Rivalry. With three couples sitting at the top of the leaderboard, the competition at the other end became even more important.

The Ballroom's Bottom Two Suddenly Looked Very Different

Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas were just behind the leaders with 19 points, while several other couples remained within striking distance. Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik earned 18 points for their foxtrot to Billie Eilish's "What Was I Made For?"

Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson also earned 18 points, while Jackson Olson and Emma Slater scored the same. Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess received 16 points, matching Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa. Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart scored 15 points, while Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold received 15 as well.

But at the very bottom were Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten — alongside Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson. Both couples finished the judges' portion of the night with just 12/30. And that is where the evening took its unexpected turn.

Giada's Final Dance Leaves the Judges Wanting More

Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten performed a salsa to Becky G's "Bella Ciao," hoping to improve on their previous performance and stay in the competition.

Instead, the judges remained unconvinced by the routine. As reported by E! News, Bruno Tonioli described the performance as a "salsa without spice" and told Giada that she needed to "go for it" like "jumping off a cliff."

Carrie Ann Inaba offered an even shorter assessment, summing up the performance with one word, "Shaky." The feedback immediately became a talking point among viewers. One commenter argued, "Way underscored! She's 56 and trying her best."

Another viewer wrote, "Wow, harsh judging and harsh questions from Julianne." A third commenter questioned the pace of the performance, asking, "Why was she moving so slow 😭"

Another viewer was stunned by the score, writing, "a lower score than her premiere dance is CRAZY i'm sorry 😭😭" The criticism continued as one commenter said, "Their dancing felt too small."

But other viewers saw something different in Giada's performance. One supporter wrote, "She's doing incredible! She's out of her comfort zone, but so much more confident than last week. Those scores were just insulting."

Another viewer speculated, "She is so ready to go home! I truly think she wants to but would never say it lol!" The reaction also extended to the questions being asked during the emotional portion of the episode. One commenter wrote, "Im sorry but why is julianne asking people their reactions when they are about to cry…"

Another said, "Voting for her in defiance of Julianne's really cruel questions that would’ve made me sob." And amid the broader discussion of the night, one viewer admitted, "Is it or me the dances tonight aren’t doing it? Tonight seems very off and boring…"

Still, Giada's fate was not determined by the judges' scores alone.

The Votes Changed Everything

On Dancing with the Stars, the couple with the lowest combined total of judges’ scores and viewer votes is eliminated at the end of the episode. Live voting takes place while the show airs on the East Coast and closes shortly after the final performance, meaning West Coast viewers have a limited window to submit their votes.

The Hollywood Reporter noted that host Alfonso Ribeiro announced something particularly striking during Viral Hits Night: the episode had already received more fan votes than both of the Season 35 premiere nights combined.

Just before the eliminated couple was announced, Alfonso also revealed that the night's vote total had surpassed the number of votes received during the Season 34 finale. So even with the judges placing two couples at the bottom with identical scores, the viewer vote still had plenty of power to change the outcome. And it did.

Giada Is the Third Celebrity to Leave

When the final results were revealed, Giada and Alan were eliminated from the competition. The couple's 12/30 judges' score ultimately was not enough to keep them safe once the viewer vote was factored into the result.

That made Giada the third celebrity eliminated from Season 35, following Conner and Sarah Jane. The first photo shows Giada De Laurentiis and her professional partner, Alan Bersten, during their Season 35 run, capturing the pair whose competition came to an end during Viral Hits Night.

But while Giada was leaving the ballroom, another couple with the same 12/30 judges' score was still standing. And that is where the night's biggest surprise began.

Guillermo and Witney Had the Same Score — But a Very Different Story

Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson also received 12/30 from the judges, putting them alongside Giada and Alan at the bottom of the leaderboard. On paper, that made Guillermo and Witney just as vulnerable. But their Paso Doble quickly became one of the most debated performances of the night.

The official Dancing with the Stars Instagram account highlighted the routine, writing, "Where have Guillermo and Witney been all our lives? 🥰 They delivered a fun Paso Doble for #ViralHitsNight 🎉 #DWTS"

The photo shows Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson performing their Paso Doble during Viral Hits Night, the routine that would become a major talking point despite the pair receiving one of the night's lowest scores. What happened next was a striking contrast between the judges' numbers and the audience reaction.

Fans Saw a Performance Worthy of Much More

While Guillermo and Witney sat at the bottom of the judges' leaderboard, viewers flooded the comments with praise for their Paso Doble. One viewer simply declared, "Best of the night." Another went even further, writing, "Best dance on DWTS to date." A third commenter said, "Dare I say that was my favorite dance of the night lol 🤣💃"

The frustration over the score was just as obvious. One viewer wrote, "he was ROBBED of a better score." Another crowned Guillermo "The people's champ 🏆"

Someone else called the judging "Diabolical scoring from the judges. That was truly a work of art." And another viewer praised the improvement, writing, "Deserved better scores he gave that his ALL 😭 so much improvement!!!!"

Another photo from the performance shows Guillermo and Witney in the middle of their Paso Doble, highlighting the energetic routine that prompted viewers to question how the pair could receive the same 12/30 score as the eliminated couple.

The reaction gave Guillermo and Witney a very different kind of victory, even though their score placed them at the bottom of the official leaderboard.

With Giada and Alan gone, the Season 35 field continues with celebrities including Tatyana Ali, Tyler Cameron, Jenna Dewan, Ezra Frech, Amber Glenn, Taylor Hanson, Maura Higgins, Ciara Miller, Jackson Olson, Guillermo Rodriguez, Harry Shum Jr., Julia Stiles and Connor Wood.

The Week 2 results also established an intriguing pattern for the weeks ahead: the judges can put a couple in danger, but the audience can still have the final say.

As we previously reported, Guillermo's journey as the fan-favorite underdog began on the very first night of the season — when his 10/30 landed near the bottom of the show's all-time leaderboard, yet viewers kept him around anyway.

Guillermo and Witney's Pairing Was Never a Sure Thing

Guillermo had already heard speculation that his partnership with Witney might not last long because she is pregnant. He rejected that idea completely, insisting, “That’s not going to happen because I’m trying my best and I’m working hard and I want to go all the way to the finals.”

Witney had her own message going into the season. She revealed that someone suggested disguising her growing bump with fringe and rhinestones, but she had no interest in hiding it.

Then Guillermo and Witney performed their Cha Cha Cha, and the judges’ numbers appeared. Carrie Ann gave them a 4, while Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli each gave a 3 — for a total of 10/30.

The audience in the ballroom booed the scores, and the number carried even more weight once it was put into historical context. Their 10/30 was one of the lowest in the show’s history, with only Master P’s infamous 8/30 in Season 2 coming in below it.

Technically, Guillermo had just landed at the very bottom of the night. But the judges were specific about what had gone wrong: Derek Hough said Guillermo needed to work on his timing and power and also called out the heel leads in his Cha Cha.

One viewer wrote, “deserved higher scores!!!” while another said, “funniest performance ever. gooooo Guillermo.”

His place in the cast also had more history behind it than the result might suggest. The team behind the show revealed that Guillermo had been wanted on DWTS for years, with Conrad Green saying he “is Dancing with the Stars to the core”and Deena Katz saying he “melts your heart.”

That description made a lot more sense once Guillermo stopped talking about his own dance and turned toward Witney instead. The line that followed had nothing to do with his 10/30 — and it quickly became one of the moments viewers remembered most.

Witney Was Dancing for Two

After the performance, Guillermo praised his pregnant partner instead of dwelling on the judges’ reaction. “She’s an example that women can do anything. She’s pregnant and she’s dancing,” he said of Witney.

Fans immediately latched onto it. “‘Women can do everything’ is going to keep him in this competition LOL I love it,” one viewer wrote.

Another comment was even more direct about what the moment meant for their vote: “him commenting about witney being pregnant saying ‘women can do anything’ you got my vote for sure guillermo 🫶🏻.” Suddenly, his lowest result of the night was competing with something the judges could not put on a paddle.

And that contrast became even more important when it was finally time for someone to leave. The first elimination was about to show why the leaderboard could never tell the entire story.