Dancing With The Stars has revealed its Season 35 semifinalists, but Jenna Dewan won’t be among them. Despite earning one of the highest judges’ scores of the night, the actress and partner Val Chmerkovskiy were eliminated during Tuesday’s Grammy Night episode, leaving viewers questioning what went wrong.
Dewan landed the second-highest score on the week’s judges’ leaderboard, earning a 28 out of 30 points for her jazz routine set to Janet Jackson’s hit song, “All for You.” She also earned high praise from judges, Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli for the high-energy dance.
Jenna Dewan Eliminated From Dancing With The Stars
Following her performance, Dewan even got a video cameo from Janet Jackson, who showed major love and reminicised about the days when Jenna was a dancer on her tour.
However, Jenna and Val’s nearly flawless routine wasn’t enough to save them from elimination. Ultimately, the decision was left in viewers’ hands, and the couple apparently didn’t receive enough votes to advance. Co-hosts, Julianne Hough and Alonso Ribeiro were even stunned by the elimination.
The Most Shocking Elimination Of The Season?
Julianne called the exit the most shocking of the season. Meanwhile, her fellow contestants were also surprised by Dewan’s elimination. “Of course, we were surprised,” pro dancer Pasha Pashkov tells TV Insider. “There isn’t any predicting what will happen,” added three-time DWTS champion Mark Ballas. “This has been kind of the vibe since the show’s inception,” he continued. “The eliminations are always hard.”
Shortly after the elimination, fans spoke out on social media about Jenna Dewan’s exit, and many didn’t hold back with their thoughts about why the actress was eliminated from competition.
Did Dewan’s Dance Background Work Against Her?
Several pointed to her former dance experience as an unfair advantage, making her journey on the show less interesting to watch. One even noted that having a video message from Janet Jackson only further reminded viewers of Dewan’s dance background.
“Shocking to who? Not me!” one fan wrote via X. “People think her professional dance background is unfair,” said another viewer. “She was a professional dancer which isnt fair,” a third person chimed in.
“They had a Janet Jackson cameo reminding viewers that Jenna used to be a pro-dancer for Janet. Perhaps the viewers want someone who didn’t have a dance background to win this season,” another fan pointed out.
Jenna Says ‘Online Noise’ May Have Contributed To Her Exit
When asked why she believed she went home this week, Dewan couldn’t give an exact answer. However, she did reference the “online noise” that comes along with appearing on Dancing With The Stars.
“This was a particularly tough week, for a lot of the online noise and all that stuff comes with the show,” the actress told Extra following Tuesday’s episode. “I’ll never know how or if any of that plays into this, but I know that we went out there and had the best time of our life.”
While Dewan didn’t elaborate on the online criticism, her elimination comes amid another controversy involving her partner, Val Chmerkovskiy. Last month, after Val’s wife, fellow professional dancer Jenna Johnson, was called out by judge Carrie Ann Inaba, Val’s social media response landed him in hot water.
Val Chmerkovskiy Was Suspended From DWTS Earlier In The Season
Chmerkovskiy shared that fans “almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom,” which many took to reference Will Smith slapping Chris Rock live at the Academy Awards for making comments about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Even Carrie Ann was stunned by Val’s response.
Val was suspended from DWTS for one week, leaving his partner to dance with another pro. He also issued a public apology for his comments.
Whether Jenna Dewan’s professional dance background worked against her or the controversy surrounding Val Chmerkovskiy affected the couple’s popularity remains unclear. Either way, their elimination has left the competition without one of its most technically accomplished contestants.
Dancing With The Stars airs Tuesday nights at 8 pm on ABC and Disney+.
