Whitney Leavitt had an emotional night in the “Dancing With the Stars” ballroom after her husband, Conner Leavitt, became the first celebrity eliminated from Season 35. Whitney, who competed on the show herself last season, was in the audience supporting Conner during his ballroom debut on September 15.
Conner was partnered with first-time professional Adele Zaikman, who earned her place on the show after winning “Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro.” The pair performed a salsa to Tag Team’s “Whoomp! (There It Is)” as part of the premiere’s birth-year song theme.
Their routine earned 12 points out of 30, with Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli each giving Conner a 4. The judges appreciated his enthusiasm but agreed that his salsa technique and timing needed improvement.
Importantly, Conner did not receive the lowest judges’ score of the night. Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson finished below him with 10 points, but “DWTS” combines the judges’ scores with viewer voting when determining who advances.
When the results were announced, Conner and Adele were eliminated, bringing their season to an abrupt end after only one competitive performance. The result was particularly difficult because Season 35 introduced premiere-week eliminations rather than automatically giving every celebrity another opportunity to dance.
Conner remained gracious immediately afterward. He described his brief time on the program as incredibly fun and praised Adele as a great partner, saying he hoped audiences would still get an opportunity to see how talented she is.
But attention soon shifted to Whitney. Video circulating after the broadcast showed her leaving the ballroom quickly with Conner, and reports characterized her as appearing visibly upset following her husband’s elimination.
The same footage appeared to show Whitney making contact with professional dancer Jenna Johnson as she moved through the crowded area. Some social-media users interpreted the moment negatively, although the available footage does not establish that the contact was intentional or that there was any dispute between the two women.
Whitney’s public message the following day offered a clearer picture of how she felt about her husband’s experience. Rather than criticizing the show or the result, she wrote an emotional Instagram tribute telling Conner how proud she was that he had stepped so far outside his comfort zone.
She praised Conner for working hard, putting himself in a vulnerable position and accepting a challenge that frightened him. Whitney also encouraged him to continue saying yes to difficult opportunities instead of allowing the early elimination to define his experience.
Conner has since spoken about the more difficult side of the elimination himself. In a video posted after leaving the competition, he said some online reactions had used his “DWTS” exit as an opportunity to revisit mistakes from his past and embarrass him, though he emphasized that he has grown and does not want those past decisions to define him.
So while Whitney’s hurried exit naturally attracted attention, descriptions that she deliberately “stormed” into another professional go beyond what the video alone can establish. What is confirmed is that she watched her husband’s “DWTS” journey end unexpectedly after one dance, left the ballroom with him afterward and then publicly stood firmly behind him, telling Conner and their followers that his elimination was only the beginning of whatever comes next.
