‘DWTS’ Season 35 Week 5 Recap: Guillermo Rodriguez’s Elimination Sparks Cries of Protest

Down! Together! Samba!

It was “Super Bowl Night” Dancing with the starswhich, after 35 seasons, still finds ways to keep the dance-tacular show fresh. Many footballers have participated in the reality TV series. Four even won: Emmitt Smith (season 3), Hines Ward (season 12), Donald Driver (season 14) and Rashad Jennings (season 24). That’s more wins than any other type of athlete in DWTS history, so the very first night of the series dedicated to the biggest game in sports was destined for glory.

If the evening started without a hitch, a certain veil hung over the debates following the consecutive eliminations of Summer house star Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong last week, and Hanson frontman Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart the week before. Aside from being the only black pros in the current cast, Armstrong and Stewart are fan favorites, with their fans even outnumbering some of the celebrities competing for the crown this season.

But as always, the show must go on.

Monday Night Football Host and Week 5 guest judge Joe Buck preempted some online grumbling by proudly announcing at the top of the episode, “I know absolutely nothing—nothing!—about dancing.” Fair enough! But he noted that his wife, Michelle Beisner-Buck, was a Denver Broncos cheerleader, so he hoped to channel her expertise while passing judgment and handing out scores.

Last week’s big winner, The traitors runner-up Maura Higgins, was first this week, and she performed a typically tantalizing tango with her professional partner (and Traitors costar), Mark Ballas. Apparently, upon summoning his wife, Buck gave her the following gem: “You, Maura, made me proud to be Irish tonight. » Once again, that’s fair enough! The rest of the judges praised Higgins, but in a slightly less complimentary tone, with Carrie Ann Inaba noting that some of his “moves could be more punctuated.”

Higgins may have dipped slightly from his Week 4 lead, but that just allowed Savannah Bananas second baseman Jackson Olson to climb the rankings. The standout baseball player also had to compete in an event called the “Banana Bowl” this week, and after losing that game, he worried, “If I don’t dance well, I’m going home.” Well, Olson can rest easy, because Inaba called her salsa dancing with professional partner Emma Slater “what we’ve been waiting for.”

Olympian Amber Glenn’s masterful samba with professional partner Pasha Pashkov is what the real dancers at home have all been waiting for, as she earned the highest score of the evening to that point with a 34. Bachelor senior Tyler Cameron, who has been stagnant at the bottom of the field since week one, performed a jazz routine with his professional partner, Sharna Burgess, which received polite praise from the judges. “I can say you really listened to everything we said,” Bruno Tonioli told him, “your timing was so much better.”

Buck may have continued to inflate the judges’ total scores, but the buck stopped with podcaster Connor Wood. The middle pillar of the peloton fell back to its outer perimeter with a samba that made the judges cry foul. Tonioli praised *checks notes* Wood’s blue fringed pants, but lamented that the garment “really hides a multitude of sins.” Inaba didn’t have much positive to say, and Hough simply noted that “the energy in the room is a 10.”

Things changed with the performances of the season’s two ’90s icons. First up, Julia Stiles, who finally channeled – or should we say redeemed? – its infamous Save the Last Dance choreography of the audition scene. Dancing to Jennifer Lopez’s “Jenny From the Block,” Stiles recalls performing alongside the singer on the 2019 show. The scammers. “She said her heart was pounding,” Stiles shared in disbelief. “Even J. Lo is getting nervous!”

With that bit of encouragement, Stiles pulled out a great jazz routine that Tonioli called his “best yet,” prompting Hough to stand up and invite him for a hug. Stiles and his professional partner, Ezra Sosa, won their first 8 of the competition, while co-host Alfonso Ribeiro Fresh Prince of Bel Air his costar Tatyana Ali danced a solid salsa to Kendrick Lamar’s “Squabble Up” that earned reserved praise. “That dance seemed a little too casual for a salsa,” Hough mused, while noting that perhaps it was the choice of song and not Ali’s interpretation.

Jimmy Kimmel live his sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez, meanwhile, scored his first 6! The season’s undisputed underdog hasn’t received direct praise – has he ever? – but his salsa dancing with professional partner Witney Carson redeemed him in the eyes of his harshest critic, Inaba. She asked where her joy was last week, and this week she praised pregnant Carson for being “a testament to the woman who can do anything” and praised Rodriguez for killing her “hardest routine” and “bringing back the joy.”

They still rounded the bottom with a low 22, while The rookie Star Jenna Dewan earned a new record score of 36. The first all-around 9s of the season went to Dewan and pro Val Chmerkovskiy, whose paso doble Tonioli touted for evoking “the feeling of Spain.” This score would be matched by Paralympic athlete Ezra Frech and professional Daniella Karagach, who would be hard not to find at the top of a ranking. DWTS list of fan winner predictions. Their episode-closing salsa was so exquisite that it brought Inaba to tears.

Before the last three are called, Grey’s Anatomy Star Harry Shum Jr. and his professional partner, Jenna Johnson, gave the judges their best samba. Despite being on top all season, Inaba and Tonioli had some slight criticism. The latter told Shum that he was “overcutting” him. Inaba told Tonioli, “I agree 100 percent” and warned Shum and Johnson to “put more substance into your dances,” which led to a small argument with Johnson.

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates and what to watch with our EW Dispatch Newsletter.

Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas

Dance: Tango to “Only Girl (In the World)” by Rihanna
Score: 33

Jackson Olson and Emma Slater

Dance: Salsa to “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson with Bruno Mars
Score: 31

Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov

Dance: Samba on “Mi Gente” by J Balvin and Willy William
Score: 34

Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess

Dance: Jazz to “The Time (Dirty Bit)” by the Black Eyed Peas
Score: 30

Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold

Dance: Samba to “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira ft. Wyclef Jean
Score: 25

Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa

Dance: Jazz on “Jenny From the Block” (Track Masters Remix) by Jennifer Lopez ft. Jadakiss & Styles P
Score: 33

Tatiana Ali and Jan Ravnik

Dance: Salsa for “Squabble Up” by Kendrick Lamar
Score: 29

Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson

Dance: Salsa to “Tití Me Preguntó” by Bad Bunny
Score: 22

Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy

Dance: Paso Doble to Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance”
Score: 36

Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson

Dance: Samba to “Yeah!” by Usher ft. Lil Jon & Ludacris
Score: 33

Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach

Dance: Salsa to “Chaud à Herre” by Nelly
Score: 36

After Frech and Karagach danced their final step, Ribeiro and her co-host, Julianne Hough, lined up the couples to prepare for the evening’s dreaded elimination. Eleven couples were reduced to just two: Cameron and Burgess, and Rodriguez and Carson.

In the end, Ribeiro called Rodriguez and Carson’s names.

“You know what I mean, thank you to all the audience and everyone. Thank you to everyone on Dancing with the starsthank you so much,” Rodriguez shared after the confetti fell. “I had a lot of fun, it was awesome. Witney, I love you for teaching me how to dance.

Carson thanked Rodriguez for “making this season so fun, so enjoyable. He took such good care of me throughout this season,” which the season 34 winner felt was “a challenging season.”

Dancing with the stars airs every Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+, and streams the next day on Hulu.