Dancing with the Stars delivered its cruellest night of the season on Tuesday, October 27, 2026. Two couples went home in a Horror Movie Night double elimination: Tyler Cameron and his partner Sharna Burgess, and Jackson Olson and his partner Emma Slater. The field for season 35 is now down from ten couples to eight — and the way the results were decided explains why a strong dance on the night was not enough to save either man.
The key fact is this: nobody was eliminated last week on Dedication Night. Instead, judges’ scores and viewer votes from both Dedication Night and Horror Movie Night were combined. So Tuesday’s exits reflect two weeks of dancing and voting, not just one routine — which is why Olson could score 35 out of 40 on the night and still go home.
Who went home, and how they danced
Olson, the Savannah Bananas baseball player, performed a Joker-inspired contemporary routine to Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life” with Slater. The regular judges — Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli — each gave him a 9, and guest judge Shirley Ballas gave an 8, for 35 out of 40. Across the two weeks, his combined total was 67 out of 80, according to recaps — above some couples who survived.
Cameron, the Bachelorette star, danced a Dracula-themed Viennese waltz to Annie Lennox’s “Love Song for a Vampire” with Burgess. He scored 26 out of 40, tied for the night’s lowest score, after Ballas gave him a 5 for posture and technique while the regular judges gave 7s. His two-week total was 58 out of 80. Cameron was visibly upset after his dance and apologised at the end, saying he felt he had let Burgess down, before giving her a gracious farewell. Olson, who had campaigned publicly for a place on the show before joining the cast, described the experience as a wonderful journey.
The final three couples waiting for a result were Olson and Slater, Cameron and Burgess, and Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik. Hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough announced Ali and Ravnik were safe, leaving the other two couples to leave.
The night’s highs
Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson earned the season’s first perfect score — 40 out of 40 — for a contemporary routine inspired by Saw. Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy scored 37 for an Argentine tango inspired by zombie films, and comedian Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold also scored 37 for a contemporary routine inspired by Annabelle: Creation. Guest judge Ballas, head judge of the UK’s Strictly Come Dancing and mother of professional dancer Mark Ballas, joined the panel for the horror-themed night, which featured routines inspired by films including Sinners, The Omen, Black Swan and The Lost Boys.
What is next
The eight remaining couples return next week for Disney Night. The couples declared safe on Tuesday were Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold, Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov, Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson, Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy, Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach, Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas, Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa, and Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik.
Key takeaways
- Eliminated October 27: Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess; Jackson Olson and Emma Slater.
- Why two left: no elimination last week, so scores and votes from two weeks were combined.
- Scores on the night: Olson 35/40, Cameron 26/40; season’s first perfect 40 went to Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson.
- Remaining: eight couples, heading into Disney Night next week.
- Not public: raw viewer-vote totals, so the exact vote ranking cannot be verified.
Bottom line: Horror Movie Night lived up to its name — for two couples who danced well enough on the night but could not survive two weeks of combined voting. From here, every week is a single-elimination fight for the Mirrorball.
