Season 35, Week 7 Elimination Results

The “Dancing With the Stars” ballroom doubled as the scariest haunted house in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.

Behind this corner? Guest judge Shirley Ballas, one of the toughest critics in the business! Down that dark hallway? A double elimination after all were spared last week! And what’s that unnerving silence? It’s the sound of Val Chmerkovskiy not really addressing his one-week suspension! Run!

Fortunately, Tuesday’s Halloween-themed episode delivered a few treats among all those tricks, as each couple paid homage to a different horror movie with their dance. Did Daniella Karagach manage to outdo her Halloween routine with Iman Shumpert? Was Shirley forced to pull out her “2” paddle? And which pair of pairs ultimately got the boot?

Keep scrolling for answers to all of those questions, then hit the comments with your thoughts on the episode!

DANCE STYLE: Argentine tango (inspired by “The Omen”)

What a curious Argentine tango this was. Even though Julia was noticeably tense throughout, her legwork was also somehow… floppy? It’s a regrettable adjective to use here, but it feels appropriate for the lack of crisp execution every time Julia’s lower half was lifted into the air. Cool dip at the end, though!

JUDGES’ SCORES: 26 out of 40 — including, yep, a four from Shirley Ballas. She didn’t come here to make friends!

DANCE STYLE: Contemporary (inspired by “Saw”)

In many of Harry’s performances thus far, there have been one or two elements that just haven’t meshed with the style he’s assigned: hip-hop movements in decidedly non-hip-hop genres, that bizarre scream in his Viennese waltz, you get the picture. Enter the contemporary, which allowed him and Jenna to break as many rules as they wanted — short of actually performing a freestyle, anyway — and, to the surprise of absolutely no one, they thrived with that freedom. Jenna’s choreography was complex, creative, and challenging, and Harry not only fulfilled the steps, but he delivered a top-notch horror movie performance.

JUDGES’ SCORES: 40 out of 40 — the season’s first perfect score!

DANCE STYLE: Paso doble (inspired by “Sinners”)

Tatyana gives such good face in all of her performances, and her watchability has masked technical shortcomings on more than one occasion. But once Tatyana left that barn set and linked up with Jan in this dance, I kept waiting for meatier paso doble choreography to arrive, and it never really did. There were some whispers of true paso in there, but on the whole, I was disappointed that Jan didn’t give his partner more substance to work with — especially when he knew he was facing a tough Latin dance critic in Shirley Ballas. Why not present her with as much content as possible?

JUDGES’ SCORES: 28 out of 40 (another four from Shirley!)

DANCE STYLE: Argentine tango (inspired by “28 Weeks Later”)

Thank goodness three of the four judges confirmed that Jenna had indeed gotten stuck on her dress during this dance, because Derek Hough’s standing ovation was making me question myself. But nope, those of us who spotted Jenna hopping through some of her twirls weren’t hallucinating; her shoe briefly got caught, but she kicked her way out of the tangle admirably. And that hiccup aside, this was pretty tremendous, with Jenna attacking those leg flicks as confidently as any female pro on this show would. The real disappointment, of course, was that “Dancing” once again made the least possible effort to give viewers at home any meaningful closure about what went down between Val and Carrie Ann two weeks ago. Val did apologize to Jenna in rehearsal for putting her through such a chaotic week, but was a televised acknowledgment between Val and Carrie Ann too much to ask for?

JUDGES’ SCORES: 37 out of 40

DANCE STYLE: Contemporary (inspired by “Annabelle: Creation”)

Oh, man. We’re 35 seasons in, and the thrill of a true breakout “Dancing” performance still hasn’t faded. This fantastic showing couldn’t have come at a better time for Connor, who seemed headed for elimination after a string of so-so weeks; in our reader poll last week, more than 40% of you said you would boot Connor and Rylee after their Dedication Night performance, followed by Jackson and Emma with 16% of the vote. A sizable gap! But Connor fully gave himself over to the story, choreography, and creepy mood of this contemporary, delivering footwork and lifts along the way that were some of the most impressive of the whole night.

JUDGES’ SCORES: 37 out of 40 (including 10s from Carrie Ann and Derek!)

DANCE STYLE: Jazz (inspired by “The Invisible Man”)

Expectations are always high for Daniella on the Halloween episode after she delivered the aforementioned (and legendary) “Us” performance with Iman Shumpert years ago. This “Invisible Man”-inspired routine with Ezra had some of those same elements — namely in the way of crazy lifts — but it didn’t reach the very high bar that Ezra and his pro have set for themselves this season. Perhaps it was Ezra’s under-the-blade blister that prevented him from dancing full-out, but he didn’t attack either the choreography or the theatrics of this number with his usual intensity. Here’s hoping it’s just an off week!

JUDGES’ SCORES: 35 out of 40

DANCE STYLE: Argentine tango (inspired by “Black Swan”)

Some “Dancing” routines are so exciting on paper that it’s nearly impossible for their execution to live up to expectations. That was sorta the case here — which is not to say that Amber and Pasha’s showing was weak. But when you hear that a frontrunner couple will perform a dramatic style to a dramatic piece of music, you can’t help but give them mental 10s before they’ve even danced a step; this Argentine tango, while still gorgeous, held some unexpected tension, and the choreography never seemed to swell in proportion to the crescendo of the music. Still fantastic, though! No hate!

JUDGES’ SCORES: 36 out of 40

DANCE STYLE: Contemporary (inspired by “The Lost Boys”)

Take one look at the photo above, and you needn’t wonder if Maura went all in on her vampire character for this performance. (You could say she really sank her teeth into it.) (Sorry.) I do wish that full-bodied passion had extended more into all of her movements; there was some surprising timidity, especially in her arms, during this routine’s most intense moments, which is especially curious after the attack she brought to last week’s paso doble. In fact, Maura might be the most curious contestant left in the competition. When she’s on, she’s so on, like the week she scored a nine before most anyone else had even achieved eights. But when expectations are at their highest, like in the closing slot of the Halloween episode, she falters just a bit. What will the next month of competition hold for her? I’m intrigued to find out. 

JUDGES’ SCORES: 32 out of 40

DANCE STYLE: Viennese waltz (inspired by “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”)

Tyler has had many compelling and charming moments on the dance floor this season, and I’m thrilled for him that he’ll always have the memory of last week’s lovely Dedication Night number. Unfortunately, this Viennese waltz was a patchwork of many of Tyler’s worst dancing habits, from hunched posture to heavy feet. (Tough wig to contend with, too.) After seven weeks of performances that were pretty decent but never quite great, this elimination result made perfect sense.

JUDGES’ SCORES: 26 out of 40

DANCE STYLE: Contemporary (inspired by “Joker”)

This result, on the other hand, really bums me out, though I suppose it’s not the most shocking. The Jackson-Tyler-Connor trifecta — a trio that I suspect overlaps in fanbase and votes a bit, and has certainly overlapped in performance quality this season — was bound to lose at least one prong as we head into the final stretch of Season 35, but it’s always a disappointment to see someone go out after turning in their best work. This contemporary was the highlight of Jackson’s journey thus far, save for some wobbly lifts. The commitment to the Joker persona, the confidence in his movements, the vastly improved musicality… really, really fun stuff, and I’m sad we won’t get to see more from him.

JUDGES’ SCORES: 35 out of 40 (including their first nines!)

OK, your turn. Do you agree with Tuesday’s eliminations? And who impressed you the most on Horror Movie Night? Tell us below!