Week 1

"Opening Nights" kicked off the ballroom campaign with fireworks, quick steps, and an immediate double elimination. Setting the early benchmark atop the judges' leaderboard were Maura Higgins and partner Mark Ballas alongside Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson, who each paced the field with dazzling 21-point routines. Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach were right on their heels with a commanding 20. However, the ballroom showed no mercy at the bottom of the table, abruptly ending the mirrorball journeys of Conner Leavitt and Sarah Jane Nader on night one.

The ballroom bloodbath hit both fantasy rosters evenly, with each squad losing a dancer right out of the gate. For Paul and Max’s Husbands with Opinions, high marks from Higgins, Frech, and Jenna Dewan kept the engine running, though Guillermo Rodriguez’s league-low 10 held back their ceiling. Meanwhile, Beth and Aiden’s The Better Halves flexed superior mid-card depth. Anchored by Shum Jr.'s 21 and twin 18-point performances from Julia Stiles and Amber Glenn, The Better Halves carved out a narrow two-point advantage to capture the week 131 to 129.

Heading into Week 2, The Better Halves sit in the driver's seat of the overall standings with that razor-thin 131-129 margin. With both benches trimmed to seven couples apiece, squad depth and week-over-week growth will dictate who controls the tempo. Watch closely to see if Husbands with Opinions can shake off their low-end scores to swing the leaderboard back, or if The Better Halves can turn their early consistency into a runaway lead.