Dancing With the Stars Season 35 Week 5 recap brings all the glitz, nerves and halftime-show energy fans could want. ABC’s Super Bowl Night theme turned the ballroom into a pop spectacle, with routines set to songs made famous by iconic halftime performers and a leaderboard that tightened dramatically by the end of the night.
From breakthrough performances to scoring debates and an emotional elimination, this episode showed how quickly momentum can shift in the competition. Here’s a full breakdown of the standout dances, top scores and what the results mean going into next week’s Dedication Night.
Dancing With the Stars Season 35 Week 5 Recap: Super Bowl Night Highlights
Super Bowl Night was built for big personalities and high-octane performances. The remaining couples danced to tracks associated with major halftime stars including Rihanna, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, Usher and Bad Bunny. The theme gave the show a built-in sense of scale, but it also exposed a familiar truth: flashy production can’t hide technical flaws for long.
Guest judge Joe Buck joined the panel for the night, adding a sports-broadcast crossover that fit the theme, even if the sharper dance analysis still came from Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli.
The highest scorers of the night
Two couples finished at the top with 36 out of 40, earning straight 9s and making the race feel more competitive than ever:
- Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy — paso doble to “Bad Romance”
- Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach — salsa to “Hot in Herre”
Dewan’s routine had the drama and control the judges wanted, while Frech continued building on last week’s momentum with another performance that felt polished, confident and crowd-pleasing.
Middle of the leaderboard stays crowded
A major takeaway from this Dancing With the Stars Season 35 Week 5 recap is just how packed the middle tier has become. Several contestants landed within a narrow scoring band, which makes fan voting increasingly important.
- Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov — 34
- Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas — 33
- Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa — 33
- Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson — 33
- Jackson Olson and Emma Slater — 31
- Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess — 30
- Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik — 29
That kind of clustering means one uneven dance or a weak voting night could send a solid contender into danger.
Best Performances and Biggest Judge Reactions
Jenna Dewan embraced the assignment
Dewan’s paso doble to Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” felt tailor-made for a theme week like this. It was theatrical without losing technique, and the judges clearly responded to the intensity. Bruno called the routine thrilling from start to finish, and the score reflected that enthusiasm. In a season where consistency matters as much as breakout moments, Dewan may have delivered both.
Ezra Frech keeps rising
Frech has become one of the most compelling competitors to watch. His salsa to “Hot in Herre” closed the show on a high note, and Derek Hough praised how immersive the performance felt. More importantly, Frech is no longer just earning goodwill — he is putting up top-tier scores.
Amber Glenn found the party vibe
After strong feedback in previous weeks, Glenn returned with a samba to “Mi Gente” that leaned fully into performance quality. The judges noted she finally seemed to be dancing more naturally within the style rather than simply executing steps. That distinction matters late in the season.
Scoring Controversies and Mixed Feedback
No Dancing With the Stars Season 35 Week 5 recap would be complete without talking about the judging inconsistencies. A few contestants seemed to be graded as much on song fit and expectations as on the dancing itself.
Harry Shum Jr. impressed, but not technically enough
Shum Jr. brought energy and showmanship to his samba to Usher’s “Yeah!” but Carrie Ann’s critique summed up the judges’ hesitation: the number looked more like a halftime routine than a pure samba. It was entertaining, but the panel wanted more authentic Latin content.
Tatyana Ali may have been hurt by the concept
Ali’s salsa drew criticism for feeling too laid-back, though some of that may have come down to the music choice rather than her commitment. Joe Buck even named it his favorite performance of the night, highlighting the gap between entertainment value and technical judging.
Connor Wood and the never-ending hip action debate
Wood’s samba to “Hips Don’t Lie” earned one of the sharper technical critiques of the evening. The judges wanted better samba fundamentals, particularly in the hip and foot action. Still, he remained entertaining, which could help him survive future close calls.
Who Was Eliminated on Dancing With the Stars?
The biggest result in this Dancing With the Stars Season 35 Week 5 recap was the elimination of Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson. After another low-scoring week, their exit felt likely, even if the audience reaction suggested many viewers were hoping for a surprise save.
Guillermo brought charm and humor to the competition, and his partnership with Carson had an underdog appeal. But by Week 5, technique gaps become harder to overcome, especially when the leaderboard is tightening and stronger dancers are separating from the field.
What This Means for Week 6
Next up is Dedication Night, which usually brings a more emotional tone and often leads to career-best performances. Based on this Dancing With the Stars Season 35 Week 5 recap, a few storylines are now worth watching closely:
- Can Jenna Dewan and Ezra Frech hold the top spot?
- Will Harry Shum Jr. translate showmanship into stronger technique?
- Can middle-tier contestants avoid a shocking elimination?
- Will Julia Stiles continue her late-season surge?
Emotion-heavy theme nights often reshape the competition because they reward connection as much as clean execution. That could benefit contestants who are improving quickly, even if they are not yet the most technically refined.
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Final Thoughts
This Dancing With the Stars Season 35 Week 5 recap proves theme nights can do more than add spectacle — they can clarify who is truly growing and who is simply surviving week to week. Jenna Dewan and Ezra Frech emerged as the night’s standout leaders, several contenders stayed bunched together in a volatile middle pack, and Guillermo Rodriguez’s departure showed that fan affection alone can only carry a couple so far.
With Dedication Night ahead, expect the competition to get even more personal, more emotional and far less predictable. If Super Bowl Night was about performance scale, next week may be about heart — and on this show, that can change everything.
