The Ciara Miller Dancing with the Stars run has come to a stunning end. On Tuesday night’s “Mariah Carey Night,” the Summer House star and her pro partner Brandon Armstrong were eliminated from season 35. The twist? She had just earned the best score of her entire season.
Miller and Armstrong opened the October 6 show with a jazz routine to Carey’s “Emotions.” The judges gave straight 7s for a 21 out of 30. It beat last week’s 18, and Carrie Ann Inaba called it their most polished dance yet. However, strong dancing was not enough. When hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough revealed the results, Miller’s name was called. Her ballroom journey was over.
Why Ciara Miller’s Dancing With the Stars Exit Shocked Fans
This was not a normal elimination. For the second week in a row, the couple with the better scores went home while a lower-scoring pair survived.
The bottom three were Miller, Jackson Olson, and Guillermo Rodriguez — Jimmy Kimmel’s longtime sidekick. Rodriguez and his partner Witney Carson had the lowest score of the night: a 13 for their samba to “Obsessed.” Yet the viewer vote kept them in the competition. As a result, Miller’s 21 lost to a 13, and fans were stunned.
So how does that happen? On Dancing with the Stars, judges’ scores and viewer votes are combined to decide the outcome. A couple can impress the judges and still fall short if their fan base is smaller than a rival’s. In addition, the live voting window gives passionate fan communities enormous power. Guillermo Rodriguez, for example, clearly has a loyal audience from years on late-night television.
Meanwhile, this is the second straight shocker. Last week on Yacht Rock Night, singer Taylor Hanson and partner Britt Stewart were sent home. As Startefacts noted, putting up the best score of your run does not actually keep you on Dancing with the Stars.
DWTS Season 35: Every Elimination So Far
Here is how the season’s exits have played out:
| Week | Theme Night | Eliminated Couple | Their Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening weeks | Premiere | Sarah Jane Nader & Hailey Bills | 14/30 |
| Opening weeks | Premiere | Conner Leavitt & Adele Zaikman | 12/30 |
| Opening weeks | Premiere | Giada De Laurentiis & Alan Bersten | 16/30 |
| Week 3 | Yacht Rock Night | Taylor Hanson & Britt Stewart | 16/30 |
| Week 4 | Mariah Carey Night | Ciara Miller & Brandon Armstrong | 21/30 |
The pattern is hard to miss. The three lowest-scoring eliminations happened early, but the last two weeks flipped the script. First Taylor Hanson, now Ciara Miller — both went home after posting some of their best numbers. Meanwhile, fan favorites with weaker scores keep surviving. Clearly, the judges’ leaderboard no longer predicts who is safe.
Full Scoreboard From Mariah Carey Night
The night belonged to Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas. Their waltz to “If It’s Over” earned the season’s first 9 and finished at 25 out of 30 — the highest score so far. Parade published the full scoreboard, and it shows just how stacked the field is:
- 25/30 — Maura Higgins & Mark Ballas (waltz, “If It’s Over”)
- 24/30 — Ezra Frech & Daniella Karagach (rumba, “Anytime You Need a Friend”)
- 24/30 — Harry Shum Jr. & Jenna Johnson (tango, “It’s Like That”)
- 24/30 — Jenna Dewan & Val Chmerkovskiy (rumba, “My All”)
- 23/30 — Amber Glenn & Pasha Pashkov (rumba, “Hero”)
- 21/30 — Ciara Miller & Brandon Armstrong (jazz, “Emotions”) — eliminated
- 21/30 — Tyler Cameron & Sharna Burgess (foxtrot, “#Beautiful”)
- 21/30 — Julia Stiles & Ezra Sosa (Viennese waltz, “Vision of Love”)
- 21/30 — Jackson Olson & Emma Slater (waltz, “Without You”)
- 20/30 — Tatyana Ali & Jan Ravnik (jazz, “Fantasy”)
- 19/30 — Connor Wood & Rylee Arnold (rumba, “Touch My Body”)
- 13/30 — Guillermo Rodriguez & Witney Carson (samba, “Obsessed”)
Who Is Left in Dancing With the Stars Season 35?
Eleven couples remain, and the race for the mirrorball is wide open. Maura Higgins has emerged as the one to beat, while Jenna Dewan, Harry Shum Jr., and Ezra Frech are all within striking distance. Guillermo Rodriguez keeps surviving on fan love alone, which makes him the most unpredictable player left.
For Miller, the exit is a bitter end to a short but memorable run. The Summer House star improved every single week, and she leaves with her best dance behind her. That is small comfort, but it is something no one can take away.
Reality TV stars continue to dominate the entertainment conversation in 2026. Just this week, Chet Hanks’ confrontation with Eric André at ComplexCon blew up online. And Hollywood said goodbye to a true legend with Eva Marie Saint’s passing at 102.
Season 35 of Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT. It simulcasts on ABC and Disney+, and streams the next day on Hulu. Just Jared has the full elimination recap for anyone who missed the night. With fan votes now deciding everything, no couple — no matter how high they score — is safe next week.
