Dancing With the Stars: First Super Bowl Night Sends Fan Favorite Home

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Dancing With the Stars: First Super Bowl Night Sends Fan Favorite Home.

In Season 35 of Dancing With the Stars, a first has occurred: For the first time, a dedicated Super Bowl Night was on the schedule — and the episode ended with the departure of a fan favorite. The remaining couples this time danced to songs by artists who had previously taken the stage at Super Bowl halftime shows.

Joe Buck makes his guest judge debut

As the Hollywood Reporter reports, Joe Buck took his seat as the first guest judge of the current season in the judging round. According to Deadline, the song selections came from artists including Shakira, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, and Bad Bunny.

Spoiler teasers shield the name

Both the Hollywood Reporter and Deadline place the elimination at the center of the episode, unanimously describing the person sent home as a fan favorite. However, the available preview reports do not reveal which celebrity couple actually had to go — the US sources deliberately hold back the name in their spoiler teasers. The available reports are also silent on the specific jury scores.

A new format in the competition

With the Super Bowl Night, the producers have introduced a new themed episode in Season 35, according to sources: For the first time, the couples specifically danced to titles from former halftime show performers. How the rest of the season unfolds after the fan favorite's elimination remains to be seen.

As of October 14, 2026, further details to follow.