Jenna Dewan made her "Dancing With the Stars" debut count. Closing out the second night of the Season 35 two-night premiere on September 16, 2026, the "Rookie" star and her professional partner Val Chmerkovskiy performed a tango to Blondie's 1980 hit "Call Me" — earning 19 points out of a possible 30, the second-highest score of the night behind only Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas.
The premiere paired each of the show's female celebrities with a song that topped the charts the year they were born, a format that has become a signature of the season's opening week. For Dewan, that meant leaning into Blondie's new wave classic for a routine judge Derek Hough said had serious punch. "You put the go in tango," Hough told her, praising the power and energy of the performance while noting it occasionally tipped into "frantic" territory and that her shoulders crept up during the more intense sections. He encouraged her to sharpen the "fine strokes" in the weeks ahead, adding that as a trained dancer, she's held to a different standard than a true beginner.
jenna with one of the strongest premiere performances you'll ever see like anyone is shocked 😭#DWTS pic.twitter.com/nQvn2czx7i
— 𝐤𝐚𝐢 ෆ｡ (@bluecarthenist) September 17, 2026
Judge Bruno Tonioli was similarly enthusiastic, calling the routine "passion, drama, love" and comparing the performance to "watching a dark movie." He told Dewan she was "so on it and in it" with the tango's character, though he flagged a shoulder habit he attributed to her background in hip-hop choreography. Carrie Ann Inaba rounded out the critiques by docking the couple a point over a lift in the routine, telling them they didn't need it to land the performance.
The strong showing followed weeks of online debate over Dewan's casting. The actress, who danced professionally as a backup performer for Janet Jackson before starring in the 2006 dance film "Step Up," was one of the most discussed names when the full Season 35 cast was unveiled on "Good Morning America" on September 2. Some fans argued her formal dance training — including ballroom-adjacent choreography from her film work — gave her an advantage over castmates with little to no dance background. Dewan addressed the criticism directly in an interview with Entertainment Weekly ahead of the premiere, saying that despite her résumé, ballroom is its own discipline: "I do not know how to ballroom dance. Let's be clear. It's two different languages." Her partner Chmerkovskiy, a three-time Mirrorball Trophy winner, has also pushed back on the idea that the competition is purely a technical showcase, noting the show rewards personal growth as much as skill.
Dewan's 19/30 score reignited that same conversation online after Wednesday's broadcast, with some viewers arguing the marks should have been even higher given her experience, and others questioning whether her background was fairly reflected in the judging. She and Chmerkovskiy were among the five couples announced safe from elimination at the end of the night; Sarah Jane Nader and pro partner Hailey Bills were sent home in night two's cut.
Night one of the premiere, held September 15, saw Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson top the leaderboard, with Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman eliminated. Dancing With the Stars Season 35 continues Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, with new episodes streaming the next day on Hulu.
