Why Are the DWTS Season 35 Scores So Low? The Tougher Premiere Judging Explained

Dancing With the Stars returned for Season 35 with plenty of familiar ingredients, but the judges did not spend premiere night handing out generous scores simply because everyone was dancing for the first time. The opening routines brought 4s, 5s and 6s from Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli, making it immediately clear that contestants will have to earn their way toward the higher end of the paddles.

There has not been a change to the scoring system. The three judges are still marking each performance out of 10, giving couples a possible total of 30 points. What has changed, or at least been emphasized more strongly this season, is the standard the panel intends to apply from the beginning.

Hough made that clear after the first performance of Season 35, while Tonioli had already warned before the premiere that expectations would be higher and that nobody should expect a “free ride.”

Derek Hough Warned the Cast About the Season 35 Scores

Jackson Olson and Emma Slater were the first couple onto the ballroom floor on Night 1, performing a cha-cha to the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe.” Before getting too far into his critique, Hough used the moment to establish what contestants should expect from the judging panel this year.

He said the judges had “high expectations” for the Season 35 cast. Olson was praised as a natural performer, but his technique kept the score firmly in premiere-week territory. Hough, Tonioli and Inaba each gave him a 5, leaving Olson and Slater with 15 points out of 30.

The scores were not intended to suggest that Olson’s routine had been a disaster. The judges enjoyed the performance, while also identifying issues with his footwork and overall movement. That distinction appears important to the way Season 35 is being scored. Entertainment value can earn praise without automatically producing a 7 or 8.

Conner Leavitt’s 4s Showed How Strict the Judges Will Be

The clearest example came when Conner Leavitt made his debut with new professional dancer Adele Zaikman.

Their salsa to “Whoomp! (There It Is)” leaned into the fun of the song, but the judges were much less convinced by the technique. Inaba described the routine as entertaining but chaotic, while Hough wanted Leavitt’s movement to become more refined. Tonioli focused on a more fundamental problem, saying the performance lacked the rhythm needed for a salsa. All three judges reached for a 4, giving Leavitt and Zaikman a total of 12 out of 30.

A score like that can look severe in a modern DWTS season, particularly when the contestant is performing his first live routine. The comments, however, explain why the number was so low. The panel was judging whether the celebrity was actually performing the assigned ballroom or Latin style, not simply whether the routine was enjoyable to watch.

That approach could become particularly important as the season continues. A celebrity can have stage presence, athleticism or previous dance experience and still lose points if the required technique is missing.

Tyler Cameron Was Praised but Still Received a 17

Tyler Cameron’s first performance showed the other side of the judging approach.

Cameron and returning pro Sharna Burgess performed a tango to Lenny Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way.” Tonioli was pleasantly surprised by Cameron’s movement and musicality, while Inaba praised the commanding quality of the performance.

Those comments might have sounded like the setup for much bigger numbers, but Cameron received two 6s and a 5 from Hough for a total of 17 out of 30. Hough saw considerable potential but specifically wanted Cameron to improve his posture.

The score reinforced the idea that positive feedback and high marks are not going to mean the same thing this early in Season 35. The judges can see potential in a contestant while still scoring the routine that was actually performed rather than the dancer they might become several weeks later.

Bruno Tonioli Said Nobody Would Get a Free Ride

The tougher approach was not invented during the premiere. Before Season 35 began, Tonioli said expectations were higher and promised that the judges would be honest with the contestants. He specifically warned that nobody would receive a free ride from the panel.

There was another clue before the first live show. Connor Wood revealed that Hough had already made him nervous by discussing the possibility of judges using scores as low as 3. Carrie Ann Inaba also noted that very low paddles remain available, although she said she generally does not go below a 4.

In other words, the 4s seen during the premiere were not accidental. Season 35 entered the ballroom with the judges openly preparing contestants for a wider scoring range than viewers sometimes see later in the competition.

DWTS Is Leaving Room for the Scores to Grow

There is also a practical reason for being conservative during Week 1. Dancing With the Stars is built around improvement.

If judges begin handing out 8s and 9s for imperfect premiere routines, there is very little space left on the scoring scale to reflect how much a contestant develops over the following weeks.

Hough made essentially the same point during the Season 34 premiere. At the time, he warned that first-week scores could be lower than contestants hoped because the judges wanted to leave room for improvement as the competition progressed.

Season 35 therefore does not appear to be introducing a completely new judging philosophy. What viewers saw on Night 1 was a more visible commitment to using the lower end of the existing scale when a routine still needs significant technical work.

That also makes later scores more meaningful. A contestant who begins with a 5 and eventually earns an 8 has a measurable progression that would be harder to see if the judges started everyone near the top of the scale.

Will the Women Get Low Scores on Night 2?

Night 2 will provide the real test of how consistently the judges apply that standard.

The female half of the Season 35 cast includes several contestants entering with significant performance experience. Jenna Dewan previously worked as a professional dancer, while Julia Stiles trained extensively for Save the Last Dance. Ciara Miller has years of childhood dance training, and Amber Glenn brings the movement and performance skills of an elite figure skater.

That makes their first scores particularly interesting. If Hough, Inaba and Tonioli apply the same technical standard used on Night 1, previous experience may actually raise expectations rather than guarantee high marks.

ABC confirmed that the female contestants make their debuts on September 16, with another couple eliminated at the end of the second premiere episode.

For now, the surprisingly low Season 35 scores do not point to a new scoring system or a mistake. They reflect a judging panel that appears determined to use more of the 10-point scale, separate performance quality from ballroom technique and give contestants somewhere to grow.

After one night, the message from the judges is already fairly clear. A crowd-pleasing performance may keep viewers entertained, but higher paddles will require stronger dancing.