DANCING WITH THE STARS - “Premiere: Night Two” - The female celebrities make their competition debut, performing to a No. 1 song from the year they were born, with one eliminated at the end of the night. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 16 (8:00-10:03 p.m. EDT) on ABC. (Disney/Eric McCandless) MAURA HIGGINS, MARK BALLAS
Dancing With the Stars Recap for 9/16/2026
This is night two of the Dancing With the Stars 35 premiere on ABC. Tonight, the ladies will dance!
As always, Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough host while Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli judge.
After a fun opening act, we get down to business.
Celebrity: Tatyana Ali
Claim to Fame: Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star
Pro: Jan Ravnik
Dance: Jive
Song: Knock on Wood by Amil Steward
Sammi: What a way to begin the night! She is cute, fun and has a great rapport with Jan. The two of them have a lot of potential to do well and go far.
Carrie Ann: It was a bit rough, but she sees the fire within.
Derek: She is a ball of sunshine but a bit flat footed.
Bruno: He liked it, but saw some mistakes throughout it.
Score: 4-4-4=12/30
Celebrity: Amber Glenn
Claim to Fame: Olympic star
Pro: Pasha Pashkov
Dance: Cha cha cha
Song: Smooth by Santana and Rob Thomas
Sammi: There is a lot of good technique and artistry and they seem to really work well together. Her figure skating background is working in her favor and despite not working with a partner, she is doing well in that respect.
Derek: She is the ice queen and wants to see her become more grounded.
Bruno: He loves the attitude but wants to see her break those figure skating habits.
Carrie Ann: She did amazing, but remember this is a partnership.
Score: 6-6-6=18/30
Celebrity: Ciara Miller
Claim to Fame: Summer House star
Pro: Brandon Armstrong
Dance: Foxtrot
Song: Exhale (Shoop Shoop) by Whitney Houston
Sammi: Beautiful and elegant and it really gives movie star vibes. She is certainly a contender.
Bruno: It is sophisticated elegance.
Carrie Ann: She is in tears and feels Ciara’s pain.
Derek: She wants her to expand her movement.
Score: 5-5-5=15/30
Celebrity: Giada de Laurentiis
Claim to Fame: Food Network star
Pro: Alan Bersten
Dance: Tango
Song: Venus by Shocking Blue
Sammi: The chef theme is cute. This song always reminds me of Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion. As for the dance, she seems nervous, but seems to be putting her all into everything.
Carrie Ann: She loves how she is showing her daughter how to do something scary.
Derek: She was a bit fragile, but joyous.
Bruno: He wants to see the steps blend more.
Score: 6-5-5=16/30
Celebrity: Julia Stiles
Claim to Fame: Nineties teen idol/icon
Pro: Ezra Sosa
Dance: Quickstep
Song: 9-5 by Dolly Parton
Sammi: She was always one of my favorite actresses growing up and now she is one of my favorites on the show. Her joy, her dedication, her personality coupled with his choreography is not only the best dance of the night, but also a wonderful tribute to Dolly Parton.
Derek: It was beautiful and graceful, but wanted to see more attack and energy.
Bruno: He loved the character but wanted more gusto.
Carrie Ann: She wants her to extend more, but it was radiant.
Score: 6-6-6=18/30
Celebrity: Maura Higgins
Claim to Fame: Reality star
Pro: Mark Ballas
Dance: Foxtrot
Song: Black Velvet by Alannah Myles
Sammi: She did soooo well and proved she is in it to win it…..we may have a contender on her hands.
Bruno: She is a foxy traitor.
Carrie Ann: She told a story with her whole body.
Derek: It was smooth and she set their expectations high
Score: 7-7-7=21/30
Celebrity: Sarah Jane Nader
Claim to Fame: Reality star
Pro: Hailey Bills
Dance: Jive
Song: Sk8er Boi by Avril Lavigne
Sammi: They look like two fun friends dancing in the clubs and there is so much joy on the dance floor.
Carrie Ann: It was out of sync, but super hot.
Derek: It took a long time to get into it, but it had a lot of good moves.
Bruno: He wants better timing and precision, but likes the attitude.
Score: 5-4-5=14/30
Celebrity: Jenna Dewan
Claim to Fame: The Rookie star
Pro: Val Chmerkovskiy
Dance: Tango
Song: Call Me by Blondie
Sammi: What a way to end the night! Fun, fiery, full of chemistry and fantastic!
Derek: She put the GO in tango.
Bruno: She was on fire, but needs refinement.
Carrie Ann: It was a great way to end the night.
Score: 6-6-7=19/30
Results! Maura and Mark, Jenna and Val, Amber and Pasha, Julia and Ezra and Ciara and Brandon are all safe!
The maybe bottom three are Tatyana and Jan, Giada and Alan and Sarah Jane and Hailey, with Sarah Jane and Hailey going home.
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