DWTS Horror Movie Night Just Sent Two Couples Home, and One Perfect Score Made the Night Even Wilder

Halloween came early to the Dancing With the Stars ballroom, and it did not come quietly. On Tuesday, October 27, 2026, the show celebrated Horror Movie Night with ten couples dancing to routines inspired by legendary horror films. By the end of the night, two of them were gone.

That was the deal from the start of the episode. Because nobody had been eliminated the previous week on Dedication Night, the judges scores and the viewer votes from both weeks were combined, and two couples had to go home. It made for one of the tensest results shows of Season 35 so far, and when hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough finally read out the names, the ballroom felt it.

The double elimination that cut the field to eight

The two couples sent home were Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess, and Jackson Olson and Emma Slater. Their exits cut the Season 35 field from ten couples down to eight, with Disney Night coming up next week.

The final three couples waiting on the results were Olson and Slater, Cameron and Burgess, and Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik. When Ali and Ravnik were declared safe, the news was sealed for the other two pairs. It was a brutal way to end a night that had already been full of nerves, big costumes, and even bigger swings.

For Cameron, the night had already been a rough one before the results. The former Bachelorette star danced a Viennese Waltz to “Love Song for a Vampire” by Annie Lennox, inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The judges gave the routine 26 out of 40, with Carrie Ann Inaba and Derek Hough each giving 7, guest judge Shirley Ballas giving 5, and Bruno Tonioli giving 7. That tied Julia Stiles for the lowest score of the night, and Cameron also went into the elimination with the lowest combined two week judges total, at 58 points.

According to USA Today’s live recap, Cameron appeared very upset after the dance, apologized for the performance, and then gave Burgess a classy goodbye. It was a gracious exit after a difficult night, and the crowd clearly felt for both of them.

Olson’s exit was a different kind of surprise. The Savannah Bananas player danced a Contemporary routine to “That’s Life” by Frank Sinatra, inspired by Joker, and scored a solid 35 out of 40. The judges gave 9, 9, 8, and 9 across the panel. But with two weeks of scores and votes combined, a solid night was not quite enough. USA Today described the farewell as upbeat and classy, which fits what fans have come to expect from Olson on this show.

The perfect score that stole the night

If there was one moment that lifted the whole evening, it belonged to Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson. Their Contemporary routine to “Toxic” by 2WEI, inspired by Saw, earned a perfect 40 out of 40. It was the first perfect score of Season 35, and Shum’s first 10s of the season.

That is the kind of performance that changes a season. A perfect score this early in the competition does not just put a couple at the top of the leaderboard. It tells the other couples, and the audience, exactly who the team to beat is. Shum and Johnson had already been strong, but Horror Movie Night turned them into the clear frontrunners heading into Disney Night.

The night also marked the return of Val Chmerkovskiy, who was back in the ballroom after a one week suspension. He danced an Argentine Tango with Jenna Dewan to “Uninvited,” inspired by zombie movies, and the pair scored 37 out of 40. It was a strong comeback, and a reminder of how much the show missed him last week. Readers who followed that story can catch up on our earlier coverage of Val Chmerkovskiy’s suspension from DWTS.

Every score from Horror Movie Night

Here is how the full leaderboard looked on the night, with each couple scored out of 40 by Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli, and guest judge Shirley Ballas. Ballas, the head judge of Strictly Come Dancing and the mother of pro Mark Ballas, joined the panel as a fourth judge for the Halloween episode.

Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson led the night with 40. Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy, and Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold, each scored 37. Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov scored 36. Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach, and Jackson Olson and Emma Slater, each scored 35. Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas scored 32. Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik scored 28. Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa, and Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess, each scored 26.

Some of the other routines deserve a mention too. Tatyana Ali danced a Paso Doble to “I Lied to You” by Miles Caton, inspired by Sinners. Amber Glenn danced an Argentine Tango to “Perfection” by Clint Mansell, inspired by Black Swan. Connor Wood danced a Contemporary routine to “You Are My Sunshine” by Charles McDonald, inspired by Annabelle: Creation. Ezra Frech danced Jazz to “Madness” by Ruelle, inspired by The Invisible Man. Maura Higgins danced Contemporary to “Cry Little Sister” by Gerard McMann, inspired by The Lost Boys. Julia Stiles danced an Argentine Tango to “The Dogs Attack” by Jerry Goldsmith, inspired by The Omen.

It was a night where the themes really landed. From vampires to killer dolls to the Joker, the couples leaned into the horror, and the ballroom looked the part. But the scoring showed how unforgiving a combined two week vote can be. A couple can dance well on the night and still go home if the previous week did not go their way.

What happens next on DWTS

The eight remaining couples now head into Week 8, which is Disney Night. A teaser during Horror Movie Night announced that Cynthia Erivo will join as a guest judge next week, which should make an already big theme night even bigger.

For Cameron, the journey ends here, but the DWTS chapter has been a busy one. Just recently, we covered Tyler Cameron and Tate Madden’s pregnancy reveal, a much happier headline from his time on the show. And for fans keeping track of the whole season, our recap of Dedication Night is still the best place to catch up on the week that set up this double elimination.

Horror Movie Night did exactly what it promised. It was spooky, it was dramatic, and it was ruthless. Two couples are gone, one couple just posted the first perfect score of the season, and Disney Night is about to raise the stakes all over again. If this week proved anything, it is that nobody in this competition is safe, no matter how good one night looks on paper.

Sources: Cincinnati.com and USA Today’s live recap of Horror Movie Night.