Dancing With the Stars delivered another painful surprise on Mariah Carey Night as Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong were eliminated despite earning their strongest scores of Season 35.
The Summer House star opened the October 6 episode with a Jazz routine to Mariah Carey’s “Emotions,” hoping to show the judges how much she had improved during her first four weeks in the ballroom.
And judging by their reaction, she succeeded.
Derek Hough praised the energy and personality Ciara brought to the routine, while Bruno Tonioli highlighted how synchronized she and Brandon looked throughout the performance.
Carrie Ann Inaba offered perhaps the biggest compliment of all, telling Ciara that the routine was clean and polished and calling it her best dance of the season so far.
All three judges awarded the couple a 7, giving Ciara and Brandon a total of 21 out of 30.
That score placed them in a four-way tie for sixth place out of the 12 remaining couples — safely away from the bottom of the judges’ leaderboard.
But by the end of the night, none of that was enough to keep them in the competition.
When hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough revealed the results, Ciara and Brandon were announced as the eliminated couple.
The result immediately stood out because several dancers who received lower judges’ scores survived.
Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik received 20 out of 30, while Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold earned 19.
Most notably, Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson finished at the very bottom of the leaderboard with just 13 out of 30 for their Samba to “Obsessed” — eight points below Ciara and Brandon.
Yet Guillermo advanced again while Ciara went home.
That doesn’t mean the judges’ leaderboard was ignored.
Dancing With the Stars combines the judges’ scores with viewer votes, meaning a couple with weaker technical scores can remain in the competition if they receive enough support from the audience.
Ciara and Brandon ultimately had the lowest combined total once those two elements were factored together.
Still, the result shocked more than just viewers.
Backstage, several cast members reportedly gasped when Ciara and Brandon’s names were announced, with fellow contestants and professional dancers expressing disappointment over their departure.
The elimination became even more emotional afterward.
Ciara fought back tears while discussing her exit and admitted she was “bummed” that the journey had ended just as she felt she was beginning to show real progress. Brandon also made it clear that he believed his partner deserved more time in the competition.
Their departure comes only one week after Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart were unexpectedly eliminated despite also scoring higher than some couples who remained.
That back-to-back pattern has made Season 35 feel increasingly unpredictable.
Judges’ scores still matter, but strong audience support is becoming just as important — and Guillermo Rodriguez may be the clearest example of that so far.
For Ciara Miller, however, Mariah Carey Night ended in the most frustrating way possible.
She finally delivered the performance the judges had been waiting for, earned her highest praise of the season and finished well above the bottom of the leaderboard.
Then, only minutes later, her Dancing With the Stars journey was over.
