Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson eliminated on Dancing With the Stars

On Tuesday, October 13, 2026, Dancing With the Stars held its first-ever Super Bowl Night for season 35, where late-night sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez and professional partner Witney Carson were eliminated from the competition after finishing at the bottom of the leaderboard with a score of 22 out of 40, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson eliminated on Super Bowl Night

The duo performed a salsa to Bad Bunny’s Tití Me Preguntó, which left them trailing the other 10 competing couples. Page Six noted that Rodriguez told the audience after his exit, I had a lot of fun, it was great. Witney, thank you for teaching me how to dance! Carson praised her partner for making the season enjoyable and for taking care of her and her unborn baby throughout the run.

Deadline reported that Jimmy Kimmel’s right-hand man joked the judges might have simply had a bad day. The elimination leaves 10 couples remaining in the competition for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.

Joe Buck joins judges table as guest commentator

ABC’s Monday Night Football host Joe Buck served as the first guest judge of season 35, joining main judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli. Deadline observed that Buck told the audience early on he had no technical knowledge of dance but was eager to share his perspective.

Buck’s presence gave couples an opportunity to earn additional points on a 40-point scale. NFL stars from past seasons of the show—including Emmitt Smith, Donald Driver, DeMarcus Ware, and Danny Amendola—also appeared during the broadcast.

Top-scoring routines and leaderboard standings

Contestants performed routines choreographed to songs from past Super Bowl halftime acts, including Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and Usher.

Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach matched that top score with a 36 out of 40 for their salsa to Nelly’s Hot in Herre. Additional routines included Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess performing a jazz routine to The Time (Dirty Bit) by Black Eyed Peas for a score of 30 out of 40; Jackson Olson and Emma Slater dancing a salsa to Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars; Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold tackling a samba to Hips Don’t Lie by Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean for 25 out of 40; Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa performing a jazz routine to Jenny from the Block by Jennifer Lopez featuring Jadakiss and Styles P for a 33 out of 40; Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik dancing a salsa to Squabble Up by Kendrick Lamar for 29 out of 40; and Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson performing a samba to Yeah! by Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris.

Kym Johnson joins panel for Dedication Night

Host Alfonso Ribeiro announced toward the end of the episode that former professional dancer Kym Johnson will join the judges panel for the next installment. Season 35 continues with Dedication Night, where the remaining celebrities will honor someone or something special in their lives.

Dancing With the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET, simulcasting across ABC and Disney+ while streaming the following day on Hulu.