Why Did Tyler Cameron Score Only 16 on DWTS? His Viral Hits Salsa Explained

Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess delivered one of the flashiest performances of Dancing With the Stars Season 35‘s Viral Hits Night, complete with difficult lifts, dramatic drops and a shirtless Tyler paying tribute to a viral Off Campus dance. The crowd responded, but the judges were considerably less impressed with the actual salsa content.

The pair finished with only 16 points out of 30, a slight drop from the 17 Tyler earned for his premiere tango. Carrie Ann Inaba gave the routine a 6, while Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli each scored it a 5. The problem was not Tyler’s commitment or physical ability. The judges felt the choreography emphasized spectacle more than the technique they expected from a salsa.

Related: Why Did Conner Leavitt Score So Low on DWTS? His Premiere Salsa Explained

Tyler Cameron’s Salsa Was Packed With Lifts

Tyler and Sharna danced to The Kid LAROI’s “Girls,” a song that became closely associated with Off Campus after Belmont Cameli’s dance went viral.

Their routine leaned heavily into that connection. Tyler recreated the recognizable fist-to-hips movement from the series, while the choreography also included one-handed lifts and several ambitious drops.

Those moments played directly to Tyler’s athletic strengths. However, they also became the main reason the judges held back on their scores. Derek acknowledged how easily Tyler was lifting Sharna, joking that he was holding her up like a He-Man sword, but he felt the performance resembled a cabaret routine more than a true salsa.

Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli Wanted More Salsa

The main criticism was not that Tyler performed badly. It was that the dance did not contain enough of the qualities the judges wanted to see from the assigned style.

Bruno agreed with Derek’s assessment and described the routine as more of a display of strength than a salsa. Carrie Ann was more positive about the overall effect, calling the performance impressive, but even she did not push her score beyond a 6.

That distinction is important on DWTS. A performance can be entertaining and technically difficult without necessarily scoring highly if the judges believe it does not sufficiently represent the assigned dance.

Tyler’s lifts required strength and trust between the partners, but lifts alone do not replace salsa timing, hip action, footwork and partnering technique.

Why Did Tyler Get Only 16 Points?

The 16 was therefore less about a major mistake and more about the balance of the choreography.

Tyler clearly committed to the performance and handled the physically demanding sections well. The judges simply wanted more recognizable salsa between those big moments.

His final breakdown was:

Carrie Ann Inaba: 6
Derek Hough: 5
Bruno Tonioli: 5

That left Tyler and Sharna with 16 out of 30. They also ended the episode as one of the final three couples waiting to hear their result, alongside Guillermo Rodriguez and Giada De Laurentiis, although the couples were announced safe in no particular order. Giada and Alan Bersten were ultimately eliminated.

Tyler Cameron Still Has Room to Improve

The result does not necessarily mean Tyler has fallen out of contention. His first two performances have already shown that athleticism and stage presence are not his biggest problems. The challenge is converting those strengths into the specific ballroom and Latin technique the judges are rewarding this season.

Viral Hits Night also continued Season 35’s unusually strict scoring trend. Several celebrities who had performed well during premiere week saw their scores stall or drop, including Julia Stiles and Harry Shum Jr.

For Tyler, the message from the judges was fairly clear. The lifts and showmanship made the routine memorable, but if he wants his scores to rise, the next performance will need to show just as much attention to the actual dance style as it does to the spectacle.