Week 1

Season 35 opened with an ambitious two-night premiere, dividing the sixteen couples by gender to tackle unlearned routines set to Billboard chart-toppers from their birth years. Night one handed the spotlight to the men, while the women took over night two alongside a Paris Baguette number choreographed by co-host Julianne Hough. Harry Shum Jr. set the ballroom standard with an electric week-high 27 alongside Jenna Johnson, while Jenna Dewan and Amber Glenn were close behind with dazzling 26-point showcases. At the bottom of the judges’ sheets, Guillermo Rodriguez managed a week-low 16 alongside reigning champion Witney Carson.

In the league matchup, Paul and Max drew first blood by flexing serious firepower at the top of the roster. Powered by Shum’s 27, Dewan’s 26, and a strong 24 from Ciara Miller, Paul and Max piled up 177 points. Beth and Aiden stayed competitive behind Amber Glenn’s 26 and Ezra Frech’s 25, but their lower tier dragged them down. Sub-20 tallies from Conner Leavitt, Sarah Jane Nader, and Rodriguez blunted their momentum, leaving Beth and Aiden with 168 points for the week.

That leaves Paul and Max sitting in first place with an early nine-point lead, 177 to 168. It is a manageable gap for Beth and Aiden to chase down, but their underdogs will need to find cleaner footwork quickly. Keep an eye on rehearsal adjustments heading into next week to see if Beth and Aiden can mount a comeback or if Paul and Max will widen their lead.