DWTS Dedication Night 2026: How to Vote, Air Time, Couples and Every Season 35 Elimination So Far

Get the tissues ready, ballroom fans. Dancing With the Stars season 35 hits one of its most emotional weeks of every year: Dedication Night. The 10 remaining couples will "deliver heartfelt performances honoring the influential people and places that have shaped their lives," according to ABC's official episode listing. Here's everything you need to know before the music starts.

Julia Stiles says she was “crying” during “Dancing With the Stars” rehearsals while preparing her tribute to Heath Ledger for Dedication Night. #DWTS

“I know that Dedication Night is emotional, but I thought I was distanced from it enough. Like, oh, it was so many years ago.… pic.twitter.com/MXo5tte2dh

— Variety (@Variety) October 16, 2026

After Val Chmerkovskiy received a one-week suspension from "DWTS" following his comments about judge Carrie Ann Inaba, his partner Jenna Dewan will dance with another pro on Dedication Night. https://t.co/B3HAgLZKtI pic.twitter.com/8451ezXK5k

— E! News (@enews) October 18, 2026

When does Dedication Night air?

Dedication Night is episode 3507 and airs Tuesday, October 20, from 8:00 to 10:01 p.m. ET on ABC, per ABC. It also streams live on Disney+, and episodes stream on Hulu the next day, ABC News reports.

Kym Johnson returns as a guest judge, ABC says, joining the regular panel of Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli, per ABC News. Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough are your hosts, as E! News noted when the season premiered.

How to vote on DWTS

ABC's official voting FAQ lays out two ways to vote:

• Online: create or log in to an account at dwtsvote.abc.com, verify your email with the one-time code ABC sends, then pick your couples. Hit "Save Votes" every time you change your picks.
• By text: text the couple's keyword to 21523. ABC lists the keywords on its FAQ page when voting begins. Text votes can't be changed once they're sent.

The fine print matters. Voting opens at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT) and closes shortly after the final competitive dance. It's only open during the live simulcast in the Eastern and Central time zones, not during later broadcasts or streams. You can cast up to 10 votes per couple per method, for 20 in total. You must be 18 or older and in the U.S. (including its territories) or Canada to vote online, and text voting works only in the U.S. and its territories, ABC says. Viewer votes are combined with the judges' scores to decide who goes home, according to ABC News.

The couples and their dedications

Here's who's dancing what, per the dedication lists from PEOPLE and ABC News:

• Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa: contemporary to "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," for her late 10 Things I Hate About You co-star Heath Ledger
• Jenna Dewan and Alan Bersten: Viennese waltz to "Unchained Melody," for her mom, Nancy (see below)
• Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson: foxtrot to John Mayer's "Stop This Train," for his wife, Shelby
• Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik: Viennese waltz to "(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am," for her Fresh Prince of Bel-Air co-star James Avery
• Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess: contemporary to Ed Sheeran's "Supermarket Flowers," for mothers everywhere
• Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas: paso doble to "I'm Shipping Up to Boston," for Ireland
• Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov: contemporary to Sia's "Breathe Me," for her sister, Brooke
• Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach: contemporary to "Bloodline," for his mom, Bahar
• Jackson Olson and Emma Slater: quickstep to Nat King Cole's "L-O-V-E," for his mom, Laura
• Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold: Viennese waltz to Billy Joel's "Piano Man," for his dad, Pete

A partner swap for Jenna Dewan

Dewan's regular partner is Val Chmerkovskiy, but he is sitting out this week. Variety reports she will dance her waltz for her mom with pro Alan Bersten instead. Catch up on the full story: Val Chmerkovskiy benched from DWTS for a week.

Last week's leaderboard

On Super Bowl Night (October 13), Dewan and Chmerkovskiy earned the season's first straight nines for a 36/40 paso doble, and Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach matched them with 36/40, The Hollywood Reporter reports. Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov were next with 34/40.

Who has been eliminated from DWTS season 35?

According to ABC News:

• Week 1, night one (Sept. 15): Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman
• Week 1, night two (Sept. 16): Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills
• Week 2, Viral Hits Night (Sept. 22): Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten
• Week 3, Yacht Rock Night (Sept. 29): Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart
• Week 4, Mariah Carey Night: Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong
• Week 5, Super Bowl Night: Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson

What's next

PEOPLE reports that Horror Movie Night, Disney Night and Grammy Night are still to come, with the semifinals in week 10 and the season finale on November 24. We'll update this guide as the results come in. Who are you voting for?