Well, that was certainly not how we expected the Dancing With the Stars Season 35 premiere to go. The ballroom officially opened its doors on Sept. 15, bringing 16 new celebrities and their professional partners into the competition. They came out swinging, but unfortunately we already have our first elimination: The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Conner Leavitt and his pro partner, Adele Zaikman. They were the first pair to be sent home on Night 1 after performing a salsa to Tag Team’s “Whoomp! (There It Is)” and received a 12 out of 30 from the judges before ultimately being eliminated.
Considering this was only the first night of the DWTS premiere — and that this season is doing things differently with two eliminations during the two-night opening — Leavitt’s exit was definitely a lot to process for him, his fans, and his wife, Whitney Leavitt. But if you were expecting him to be totally crushed after his elimination, his reaction might surprise you. In fact, his comments after leaving the competition were surprisingly genuine, with the reality star focusing less on the disappointment of going home and more on how much fun he had during his time in the ballroom. He also had nothing but praise for Adele, who made her professional DWTS debut this season after winning Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro.
“For anyone who doesn’t know, dancing is hard,” Leavitt said in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Tonight. “So to go out there, perform all-out, and then to get that kind of disappointing result, it does [hurt] and it’s sad. But I could not be more thrilled to be part of such a wonderful cast and to have such a wonderful dance partner.” That feels like a pretty sweet way to leave the ballroom.
Even Zaikman had nothing but praise for Leavitt and her time on the show, sharing that he was “the best first partner” and that she “loved working with him.” She did acknowledge her disappointment because of how competitive she is, but the two were all smiles, and even laughing a bit as they recounted their short-lived time on the show.
As for Leavitt’s wife, Whitney, she took to Instagram on Sept. 26 to share her love for her husband, and his hard work on the show. “Conner, I am so proud of you 🤍 I hope you never let this ending take away from what you just did. You stepped so far outside of your comfort zone, worked your ass off, put yourself out there, and went for it. People can have their opinions, but I know you. They’ve only seen a fraction of what you’re capable of. And I can’t wait for them to find out,” she said. “I hope this lit a fire in you! Keep saying yes. Keep putting yourself out there. Keep going after the things that scare you. F*ck the noise and go after whatever you want next baby! Sedona, Liam and Billy are so proud of their dad 🥹 I’m so proud and lucky to be your wife, and I hope you’re so f*cking proud of yourself too! This is just the beginning, babe 🤍.”
As for how fans took the elimination, let’s just say that there were definitely mixed feelings.
When the two were asked if online votes not counting hurt their chances, Leavitt stated that he thought it was completely fair. “At the end of the day, I’m a mathematician by trade,” Leavitt said. “As long as the texting was a large enough number, it should be a fair representation. I don’t think there was any unfairness involved. Everyone deserves to be here, it’s just a bummer that we had to go first.”