Last verified and updated: November 11, 2026, at 04:15 UTC (November 10, 2026, at 11:15 p.m. EST / 8:15 p.m. PST).
Actress and dancer Jenna Dewan and her professional partner Val Chmerkovskiy were officially eliminated from Season 35 of Dancing with the Stars on Tuesday night following an electrifying Grammy Night quarterfinal. Despite delivering a high-energy jazz routine that earned 28 out of 30 points and winning their head-to-head dance-off, the couple fell short when combined judges' scores and viewer votes landed them in the bottom two alongside Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik.
Meanwhile, country music superstar Maren Morris was not eliminated because she was never a competing celebrity in the ballroom. Instead, the Grammy-winning artist made a headline guest appearance, delivering a live performance of her multi-platinum anthem "The Middle" directly on the ballroom floor to accompany the night's Cha-Cha dance-off round.
Season 35, Week 9 celebrated music history with the show's inaugural "Grammy Night." The remaining seven couples performed routines set to iconic Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated tracks before engaging in decisive dance-off matchups for crucial bonus points.
Jenna Dewan tackled a demanding jazz routine dedicated to Janet Jackson, earning glowing praise from judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli. The routine secured 28 points, putting her in the upper tier of the leaderboard alongside season standouts Robert Irwin and Jordan Chiles. However, as the competition tightens ahead of the semifinals, viewer voting dynamics created razor-thin margins across all remaining competitors.
| Couple | Individual Round Score | Dance-Off Result | Episode Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jenna Dewan & Val Chmerkovskiy | 28 / 30 | Won (+3 Bonus Points) | Eliminated |
| Tatyana Ali & Jan Ravnik | 26 / 30 | Lost (0 Bonus Points) | Bottom Two (Saved) |
| Robert Irwin & Witney Carson | 30 / 30 | Won (+3 Bonus Points) | Safe (Advanced) |
| Jordan Chiles & Ezra Sosa | 29 / 30 | Won (+3 Bonus Points) | Safe (Advanced) |
Searches surged following the broadcast asking how Maren Morris "fared" and whether she was eliminated, confusing casual viewers who tuned in mid-show. Morris was invited to the ballroom as the spotlight musical guest. Dressed in a tailored metallic stage ensemble, Morris took the ballroom bandstand to sing a live arrangement of "The Middle," her acclaimed 2018 smash with Zedd and Grey.
Her live vocals provided the soundtrack for the dramatic split-floor Cha-Cha dance-off between Dewan and Ali. The judges praised the performance energy, with Derek Hough noting that Morris's live tempo elevated the speed and precision of both couples' footwork. Morris received a standing ovation from the studio audience and hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough before exiting the stage.
Dewan's elimination shocked ballroom fans due to her technical prowess and strong scores throughout Season 35. Under the Dancing with the Stars elimination formula, judges' scores are converted into percentiles and combined evenly (50/50) with real-time viewer voting tallies gathered during the live broadcast across the Eastern, Central, and Mountain time zones.
While Dewan gathered 31 total points (including the dance-off bonus), fan voting favored other fan favorites, leaving Dewan and Ali vulnerable under the red light. In the final seconds of the live telecast, Alfonso Ribeiro announced that Dewan and Chmerkovskiy had accumulated the lowest combined total, sealing their exit in 7th place.
With Dewan's departure, six couples now advance to the semifinal round scheduled for Tuesday, November 17, 2026, broadcasting live at 8:00 p.m. EST / 5:00 p.m. PST (01:00 UTC Wednesday). Semifinalists will be tasked with performing two full, unlearned routines: one ballroom standard and one Latin routine, vying for one of four spots in the season finale.
No. Maren Morris was never a contestant on Season 35. She was invited strictly as a special musical guest performer for the Grammy Night quarterfinal broadcast.
Actress and dancer Jenna Dewan, partnered with professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy, was eliminated in 7th place during the Grammy Night quarterfinal episode.
Maren Morris performed her hit collaboration "The Middle" live in the ballroom to soundtrack the Cha-Cha dance-off between Jenna Dewan and Tatyana Ali.
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