Voting Glitch Disrupts 'Dancing With the Stars' Season 35 Premiere
During the Season 35 premiere of 'Dancing With the Stars,' online voting went down after the second dance, forcing viewers to vote by text. Hosts announced that any online votes already cast would be discarded, and only text votes would count for the night. The glitch also required viewers to specify 'Conner L' or 'Connor W' to avoid confusion between two contestants with similar names.
The technical failure struck early in the live broadcast, forcing hosts Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro to pivot mid-show and instruct the audience to switch to text-based voting. Producers chose to invalidate any online ballots already submitted, meaning only text votes determined the premiere's outcome. The situation grew more complicated when viewers were told to distinguish between two similarly named competitors, Conner Leavitt and Connor Wood, by texting "Conner L" or "Connor W" respectively.
This disruption highlights how dependent modern reality competition shows have become on digital voting infrastructure. When that system fails, shows must improvise quickly to maintain fairness and keep audiences engaged. The name clarification requirement added an extra layer of friction for viewers already adapting to a last-minute voting method change.
This glitch could affect viewer trust in the voting process, as discarded online ballots may discourage participation in future episodes. Fans who took time to vote may feel their engagement was wasted, potentially impacting retention. The confusion between similarly named contestants may also create frustration, though the hosts' clear instructions likely mitigated lasting damage. For the show's producers, this incident may prompt investment in more robust voting systems, as audience participation is central to the format's appeal.