Dancing With the Stars Season 35 Reveals New Voting Rules
Are Mayci Neeley and Layla Taylor Leaving ‘Secret Lives of Mormon Wives?’ Conner Leavitt Says…
Dancing With the Stars is waltzing into a new season with a brand-new set of voting rules.
During the Sept. 15 premiere, host Alfonso Ribeiro revealed that fans have to be extra specific when voting during season 35 because the cast includes two stars with the same name: The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Conner Leavitt, who is paired with Adele Zaikman, and comedian Connor Wood, who is paired with Rylee Arnold.
“This is important since we have two stars with the same first name,” Ribeiro explained at the top of the episode. “For these two stars—and only these two—you have to include the first letter of their last name when you text. To vote for Conner Leavitt and Adele, text Conner L. To vote for Connor Wood and Rylee, text Connor W.”
He confirmed that first names are still acceptable for text voting for all the other contestants, including their fellow male stars Ezra French, Guillermo Rodriguez, Harry Shum Jr., Jackson Olson, Taylor Hanson and Tyler Cameron who are competing during the night one premiere.
Another big voting change for the premiere episode? Cohost Julianne Hough shared an update later on that voting was down on the ABC website, leading DWTS to throw out all online votes for the episode and base results solely on texts.
Ribeiro noted, “Please make sure to text all of your votes for tonight and tonight only.”
“That was a switch up,” he exclaimed, to which Hough replied, “Did we break it with the voting? This is kinda rad.”
Ribeiro quipped, “We're breaking stuff around here.”
Disney/Matt Sayles
Still, even with voting troubles, the show didn’t miss a beat as the male contestants danced their hearts out to a Billboard number one hit from the year of their birth.
Olson, a Savannah Banana player, took to the stage first, dancing the Cha-Cha to the Spice Girls’ 1996 hit “Wannabe” with partner Emma Slater, earning a combined 15 points from judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough.
“Remember, the judges did mention that they are gonna start a little bit lower with scores,” Hough explained. “So nobody should be freaking out just yet.”
To see all the stars competing to take home the famed mirror ball trophy on season 35 of Dancing With the Stars, keep reading.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Julia Stiles & Ezra Sosa
You won't hate this news—the 10 Things I Hate About You star will be saving the last dance for her pro partner.
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Giada De Laurentiis & Alan Bersten
Cha-cha-chopping away... The celebrity chef will be turning up the heat this season.
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Harry Shum Jr. & Jenna Johnson
What did you miss on Glee? The actor taking his musical talents to the dance floor.
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Taylor Hanson & Britt Stewart
The former '90s teen heartthrob will hope to MMMBop his way to the top of the leaderboard on season 35.
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Tatyana Ali & Jan Ravnik
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actress will be bringing her fresh moves to the dance floor.
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Jenna Dewan & Val Chmerkovskiy
Twenty years after starring in Step Up, the dancer is stepping up to the challenge.
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Amber Glenn & Pasha Pashkov
The 2026 Olympic figure skater will take her skills from the ice to the ballroom.
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Ezra Frech & Daniella Karagach
The Team USA Paralympic track and field athlete will show off his athleticism on DWTS.
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Sarah Jane Nader & Hailey Bills
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Connor Wood & Rylee Arnold
The comedian, also known as Fibula on social media, is ready to earn more applause on DWTS.
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Conner Leavitt & Adele Zaikman
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star is following in the footsteps of wife Whitney Leavitt—who competed on season 34.
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Tyler Cameron & Sharna Burgess
The Bachelor Nation star is trading in roses for rumbas.
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Jackson Olson & Emma Slater
The Savannah Bananas baseball player is stepping up to the plate, bringing his dance moves from the diamond to the ballroom.
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Guillermo Rodriguez & Witney Carson
The Jimmy Kimmel Live! star is ready to learn some new moves.
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Ciara Miller & Brandon Armstrong
The Summer House star is prepping for her turn in the ballrom.
"Looks are not indicative of being in shape," Ciara exclusively told E! News in June. "I do huff and puff going up the stairs, so I gotta get back into the gym and work on my stamina."
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Maura Higgins & Mark Ballas
The Love Island UK alum is hoping her love for DWTS doesn't betray her as she manifested this experience.
"I have a vision board and I redo it every year," she told E! News in May. "This year is the first year that I stayed at home by myself on New Year's Eve. I did not go out at all. I made myself a bowl of pasta and a glass of red wine and I redid my vision board for the year. Dancing With the Stars was already on it from the year before. However, I added five more Dancing With the Stars on the board."
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