DWTS Week 9 Results: Who Was Eliminated on Grammy Night?

Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy were eliminated on DWTS Week 9’s Grammy Night, finishing their run just before the semifinals. Their exit came after a jazz routine that earned 28 out of 30 and a dance-off victory that added two points. They finished tied for second on the night’s scoreboard.

Yes, second. If you checked the scores and thought they looked safe, the final announcement probably caught you off guard.

Seven couples entered the ballroom for an evening built around Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated music. Six left with a semifinal spot. Along the way, there were personal song choices, a message from Janet Jackson, live performances from music stars, and a dance-off critique that drew boos from the audience.

The elimination made the biggest headline, but it was not the only story worth catching up on. Here is how the night unfolded, what the judges noticed, and where the competition stands.

DWTS Week 9 Results and Full Scoreboard

Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson led the evening, while Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov matched Dewan and Chmerkovskiy’s total. Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas followed them, with Ezra Frech, Tatyana Ali, and Connor Wood tied on 27.

These are judges’ scores and bonuses, not a ranking of viewer votes. The separate columns matter. Dewan and Glenn reached 30 by adding a two-point bonus to a 28-point routine; neither received a perfect 30 for the main dance. Shum’s 31 also includes a bonus.

Us Weekly’s Grammy Night recap confirms the elimination and provides the individual routines and bonus-point breakdown: dancing-with-the stars grammy night recap who went home.

The main scores were remarkably close: just two points separated the highest-scoring routine from the lowest. Four partnerships earned 27. In that company, a strong performance could still leave a couple searching for an extra advantage in the next round.

That set up the dance-offs nicely. Before those head-to-head contests, though, each couple had a very different musical story to tell.

Inside the DWTS Week 9 Grammy Night Theme

Grammy Night gave the remaining celebrities songs associated with some of music’s biggest names. Beyoncé, Janet Jackson, Evanescence, the Black Eyed Peas, Sisqó, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, and Bruno Mars all featured in the main-round selections.

The choices made for an appealing mix. Some songs carried personal memories for the celebrities; others presented the challenge of turning a familiar hit into something that suited a specific dance style. “Thong Song” as an Argentine tango was certainly a combination likely to make viewers curious.

Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli judged the routines, with Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough hosting. The three-judge panel meant the main performances were scored out of 30.

The song choices also reflected different Grammy histories. “Bring Me to Life” won Best Hard Rock Performance, while “Thong Song” was nominated for Best R&B Song. The theme included nominees as well as winners, so every selection did not need a trophy behind it. The dancers still had a separate assignment: turn that music into the required style.

DWTS Week 9 Performances: Ezra, Amber and Maura

Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach: Argentine tango

Frech and Karagach opened with Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love (Remix),” earning 27. The judges’ feedback recognized the difficulty and close connection of the routine, while Tonioli also identified balance issues.

TVLine’s review highlighted a specific choreographic choice: Frech performed the Argentine tango’s quick kicks and flicks with his running blade—a curved prosthetic limb designed for running. The review praised that challenge while finding some of the lifts less smooth.

The quick leg movements gave Frech a chance to show speed and precision. The lifts required him to support Karagach and bring her back down smoothly. Those were two different challenges within the same short routine, and the feedback showed that some parts worked better than others.

Their 27 tied for the lowest main-round score, alongside Higgins, Ali, and Wood. That sounds harsher than it looked on the table: they were only two points behind the leader. Frech would have another chance to gain ground in a very different style during the rumba dance-off.

Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov: Paso doble

Glenn and Pashkov followed with “Bring Me to Life” by Evanescence. They earned 28 for a paso doble that gave the episode a harder musical edge.

The judges praised Glenn’s strong body positions and knee spins, although Inaba noted a foot leaving the floor. The feedback gave her credit for the routine’s strength while identifying a detail to clean up.

The paso doble is a dramatic dance built around strong posture and bold movements. Evanescence’s rock sound gave this one an obvious sense of urgency. The challenge was keeping the poses clear and the timing controlled while matching the music’s force.

Glenn’s knee spins were a specific highlight in the judges’ feedback. They gave the performance a memorable detail beyond its score: a moment viewers could point to when explaining what they liked.

It also changed the pace after the opening tango. Two routines into the show, Grammy Night had already moved between close partnering and a more confrontational, dramatic mood.

Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas: Argentine tango

Higgins and Ballas danced to Sisqó’s “Thong Song” and received 27. Behind the performance was a rehearsal rib injury that had made preparation more difficult.

The unusual song-and-style pairing was part of the appeal. A track many listeners associate with a party setting had to support the tension and control of an Argentine tango. That gave Ballas and Higgins an opportunity to surprise people before a score was announced.

Higgins had to prepare the routine while dealing with rib pain, adding a physical concern to the usual pressure of learning steps. Completing the dance gave her a chance to show the work she and Ballas had put into it, despite the difficult rehearsal.

The number brought Higgins through the main round level with several rivals. She later improved her total in the cha-cha dance-off, where the judges compared her technique with Connor Wood’s crowd-friendly approach.

For viewers following her progress, that made Grammy Night a two-part story: first completing the tango, then making the most of the chance to separate herself from a tied score.

DWTS Week 9 Highlights: Jenna Dewan’s Janet Jackson Tribute

Dewan and Chmerkovskiy’s jazz routine to “All for You” carried a connection that could not be created simply by choosing a popular song. Dewan had worked as a dancer with Janet Jackson, so the performance brought part of her own history into the ballroom.

Jackson sent a supportive video message, recalling their time together and expressing affection for Dewan. The surprise visibly moved the actress. For a moment, the judges’ scores could wait. Dewan was hearing from someone who had played a real part in her career.

There is a difference between performing to an artist you admire and performing to music you once helped bring to the stage. For a viewer, that background offers a reason to pay attention to the person within the routine, not just its steps.

Dewan received 28, putting her alongside Glenn in the main round. She then won her dance-off, building the sort of evening that would ordinarily give supporters reason to relax.

That is why her exit landed so sharply. The episode had just given her a celebration of her dance history, positive marks, and a successful head-to-head performance. The final result brought that momentum to a sudden stop.

Her closing remarks focused on the joy of dancing again and sharing the experience with her family. She left with appreciation for the opportunity, even as the announcement changed a happy night into a farewell.

The Jackson tribute remained a bright part of her final episode. Even with the disappointment of leaving, Dewan had a performance tied to her own history and a message from a former colleague to remember.

DWTS Week 9 Performances: Tatyana, Connor and Harry

Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik: Tango

Ali and Ravnik performed a tango to “Boom Boom Pow” by the Black Eyed Peas. Will.i.am attended the show to support Ali, adding another personal connection between a celebrity and the music.

The pair earned a nine from each judge. TheWrap’s recap also noted praise for Ali’s personality in the routine. Those three nines gave her a clear achievement on a night when the competition was closely matched.

For Ali, that gave the number a different meaning from the same score earned by another couple. A shared place on a weekly table can hide a personal breakthrough. Her three nines were worth celebrating, even though they left her tied with several competitors.

That is one of the pleasures of watching a season develop. The question is not always who was closest to perfection. Sometimes the memorable moment is watching someone reach a standard they had been working toward.

Ali’s tango gave her supporters something to enjoy before the tense final announcement. Sharing the lowest score of the round did not mean the performance had gone badly; in a field this close, several good routines could finish level.

Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold: Argentine tango

Wood and Arnold took on “SexyBack” by Justin Timberlake featuring Timbaland. They also scored 27.

Hough’s feedback drew attention to Wood’s supporting role in the partnership: Arnold’s lifts and movements depended on his control. It was a useful reminder that the most eye-catching action in a couple’s routine is not always the only difficult work happening.

That is what judges mean by partnering: how well dancers lead, support, and respond to each other. When Arnold moved into a lift or turn, Wood needed to be in the right place at the right time. Her movement might catch the eye first, but his support helped it happen.

Wood’s main-round performance gave him credit for that responsibility. His dance-off later produced a more divided response, with personality helping the entertainment value while the amount of cha-cha content became a point of criticism.

Taken together, the two rounds offered a clearer picture than either one alone. There was progress to recognize and still something specific to work on.

Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson: Salsa

Shum and Johnson closed the main round with a salsa to “Die with a Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars. Their 29 was the highest routine score of the evening.

Shum connected the dance to his Costa Rican roots and his family’s move to the United States. TheWrap described the performance as a personal return to a social dance tradition he had watched growing up.

Johnson also entered the broadcast after revealing that she had broken her nose during rehearsal. Despite that setback, the pair completed the routine and finished the round in front.

The personal background made the salsa more than a technical assignment. It offered Shum a way to bring a part of his life into a performance viewers could respond to immediately.

Shum and Johnson had earned dance-off immunity after the previous week, when they held the season’s highest cumulative score—their judges’ points added together across the competition. That meant they skipped the head-to-head round and received its two-point bonus automatically. He finished with 31, while the other six couples prepared for their direct matchups.

DWTS Week 9 Dance-Off Winners and Standout Moments

The dance-offs placed two couples on the floor in the same style to the same song. Each winner received two extra points.

Unlike the main round, where seven separate routines had their own moods, these contests invited an immediate side-by-side comparison. They also featured live musical performances, giving the episode the feel of a concert as well as a competition.

Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov defeated Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach.

Brandy and Monica performed “The Boy Is Mine” as the couples danced the rumba. TheWrap reported coordinated moments between the partnerships and a partner switch near the end.

Those choices made the matchup interesting as a shared performance, rather than simply two routines happening nearby. The couples were competing for points, but their choreography also created moments that belonged to the group.

Glenn and Pashkov won the bonus, taking their total to 30. Dewan and Chmerkovskiy would match that total in the next dance-off.

Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy defeated Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik.

Maren Morris performed “The Middle,” credited to Zedd, Morris, and Grey, for the cha-cha matchup. Dewan and Chmerkovskiy took the two points.

The cha-cha uses quick steps and changes of weight, so the same song gave the judges a direct way to compare the couples’ timing and control. Dewan’s win lifted her total above Ali’s, creating a three-point gap between them on the judges’ scoreboard.

The two would be standing together again at the end of the night, this time waiting for the elimination announcement.

Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas defeated Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold.

Sheryl Crow performed “All I Wanna Do.” Inaba criticized the amount of country line dancing in Wood and Arnold’s cha-cha, and the audience booed. She preferred how Higgins and Ballas stayed with the assigned style.

That exchange brought the judging question into plain view. A routine can be fun to watch while leaving a judge wanting more of the required dance. The audience could enjoy Wood’s performance while Inaba wanted more recognizable cha-cha steps.

Higgins and Ballas took the bonus, ending the final matchup with a move up the leaderboard.

Why the DWTS Week 9 Elimination Surprised Viewers

Dewan and Chmerkovskiy were still waiting for their result alongside Ali and Ravnik when the elimination was announced. Dewan’s name was called, and Ali advanced. Being the last two couples waiting does not, by itself, establish their exact positions in the viewer vote.

The scores explain the surprise, but they cannot explain the whole audience response. Dancing with the Stars combines judges’ marks with viewer votes. Dewan’s scores and votes together were not enough to keep her in.

A dance-off victory adds points; it does not guarantee safety. Likewise, Shum’s immunity applied specifically to the dance-off, not to the elimination.

Beyond that, the public information leaves questions unanswered. The available results do not tell us how many votes separated the couples or why individual viewers chose their favorites.

Her supporters may have different explanations, but the result alone cannot tell us what voters were thinking. It shows that a lead in judges’ points was not enough to carry Dewan through once viewer votes were included.

That does not erase the quality of Dewan’s evening. A competition result settles who continues. Viewers can still decide for themselves which performance they enjoyed most.

DWTS Week 9 Semifinalists and What Comes Next

The six remaining partnerships are:

• Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov.
• Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold.
• Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach.
• Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson.
• Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas.
• Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik.

Each arrives with a different part of Grammy Night to build on. Shum has the strongest score from the main round. Glenn has a strong routine and a dance-off win. Higgins turned a shared score into an advantage through the bonus round.

Ali has three nines to build on. Wood received praise for supporting Arnold through the tango, alongside a clear criticism in the cha-cha. Frech has a demanding tango behind him and another opportunity to bring his strengths into a new routine.

The next performances will give those strengths and weaknesses another test. Wood’s challenge is to keep his lively performance style while meeting the dance requirements. For the couples already near the top, the pressure is to deliver another routine that holds viewers’ attention.

The next episode is scheduled for Tuesday, November 17, 2026, at 8 p.m. Eastern on ABC and Disney+, with next-day streaming on Hulu in the United States. Check local listings and service availability elsewhere.

DWTS Week 9 Questions Answered

Was there a double elimination on Grammy Night?

No. One couple left, taking the field from seven partnerships to six.

Did anyone earn a perfect score for a main routine?

No. The highest main-round score was 29. Totals of 30 and 31 included bonus points.

Why did Harry Shum Jr. skip the dance-off?

He and Jenna Johnson had earned immunity through their season-long scoring lead after the previous episode. They received two bonus points automatically. They still had to perform their main routine and remain in the elimination process.

Can you watch Grammy Night after it aired?

In the United States, episodes stream the next day on Hulu. Look for Season 35’s Grammy Night episode, broadcast November 10, 2026. Availability and subscriptions vary by location.

DWTS Week 9: A Celebration With an Unexpected Goodbye

Grammy Night had enough happening to be remembered for several reasons: Ali’s three nines, Glenn’s dramatic paso doble, Shum’s personal salsa, and the live music accompanying the dance-offs.

Dewan’s farewell ultimately became the defining moment. A night that reconnected her with Janet Jackson and rewarded her dancing ended with her leaving before the semifinals.

For the remaining couples, the next challenge is now in front of them. For viewers, there is plenty to discuss beyond whether the result felt fair. Which routine made the strongest impression? Whose progress was most convincing? And who can deliver again when the ballroom gets smaller?

Those questions give the semifinals their pull. Grammy Night supplied the music, the performances, and one very unexpected goodbye.