Giada De Laurentiis was eliminated from Dancing With the Stars on September 22 after her week-two salsa earned 12 points out of 30. The chef and professional partner Alan Bersten finished among the final three couples awaiting results, then became the third pairing sent home from season 35.
The departure came during “Viral Hits Night,” when De Laurentiis and Bersten performed a salsa to Becky G’s “Bella Ciao.” Her tango to Shocking Blue’s “Venus” had taken place during the September 16 premiere, not on elimination night. Two dances, two evenings, and apparently enough room for confusion.
Why did Giada De Laurentiis go home?
The judges were not especially mysterious about the problems they saw. Bruno Tonioli described the salsa as a “salsa without spice” and urged De Laurentiis to commit more fully to the routine. Carrie Ann Inaba offered an even shorter assessment: “Shaky.”
De Laurentiis and Bersten received 12 out of 30, tying Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson for the lowest judges’ score of the evening. Rodriguez survived, while De Laurentiis landed in the final group awaiting results alongside him and Tyler Cameron, who dances with Sharna Burgess.
Before the elimination was announced, De Laurentiis acknowledged that the performance had not gone as planned.
“It’s disappointing, but hopefully people will vote for us, and I’ll get another shot,” she said. “I think I tend to go faster, and I need to learn to slow down. That’s my lesson to be learned.”
Once the result was confirmed, she added: “I tried my best, and it wasn’t best enough, but I did try my best.”
Rehearsal footage showed trouble before the salsa
The live performance followed a tense rehearsal, portions of which aired during the episode. De Laurentiis forgot a step, prompting Bersten to tell her, “You know it!” He later questioned why she was “not locking in.” Television was kind enough to preserve the difficult moments for everyone.
The footage suggested the pair were struggling to settle the choreography before taking the floor. It does not establish that the disagreement caused the low score, but the hesitation noticed by the judges was already visible during practice.
After their elimination, Bersten posted a brief message to De Laurentiis: “Thank you for everything.” Ilona Maher, one of his former celebrity partners, responded, “Still so proud of you both.”
Despite the frustration shown in rehearsal, De Laurentiis consistently framed the result around her own performance and the difficulty of controlling her pace. Her comments focused on what she needed to improve rather than assigning blame to her partner, the judges or the choreography.
How judges’ scores and viewer votes decided the result
A low judges’ total did not automatically eliminate De Laurentiis. Season 35 combines the panel’s scores with live audience voting, which explains why Rodriguez could tie her at 12 points and remain in the competition.
During the live Eastern broadcast, viewers can cast up to 20 votes for each couple:
- 10 votes online
- 10 votes by text message
The combined result left De Laurentiis and Bersten short of the support needed to advance. Exact voting totals were not disclosed, so the public does not know how much separated them from the other couples. The scoreboard supplied one part of the calculation; viewers supplied the rest, privately and in considerable quantities.
The format had already attracted criticism during the season’s two-night premiere, which divided the cast by gender and eliminated one celebrity each night. Professional dancer Mark Ballas called that arrangement “not an even playing field.” Week two brought the remaining contestants together, but the premiere’s structure had already removed two couples before the full cast competed under the same conditions.
Which celebrities were eliminated before week two?
Season 35 began with 16 couples. Conner Leavitt became the first celebrity eliminated after performing a salsa with professional dancer Adele Zaikman on the opening night, September 15.
Leavitt, the husband of former Dancing With the Stars semifinalist Whitney Leavitt, later addressed the result on TikTok.
“Obviously, going home first was not how I wanted to end my Dancing With the Stars experience,” he said. “But I can genuinely say I had an incredible time. I loved being out there. I loved learning something completely new.”
Sarah Jane Nader was eliminated on the second premiere night with professional partner Hailey Bills. Their partnership was the show’s third same-sex pairing, following couples including JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson, who finished second in season 30.
Nader, who is bisexual, said the partnership allowed her to represent a broader community despite her early exit. Her older sister, Brooks Nader, had reached ninth place with Gleb Savchenko in 2024.
“As sad as we are to not dance next week, we were so excited, we’re just grateful we had this opportunity,” Sarah Jane Nader told Good Morning America. “Our partnership was so special. Not only because we became best friends, but because we represent a whole community.”
Following three eliminations, 13 couples remain. They are scheduled to return September 29 for “Yacht Rock Night,” when the judges’ paddles and the audience vote will resume their occasionally uneasy partnership.
