Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas on 'DWTS' season 35 Disney Night

Julia Stiles eliminated from Dancing With the Stars Disney Night

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Julia Stiles and professional partner Ezra Sosa were eliminated from Dancing with the Stars on Monday, November 2, during the season’s Disney-themed episode. Despite earning a 33/40 for their paso doble to “Satisfied” from Hamilton, the 10 Things I Hate About You star became the ninth couple sent home from the competition.

The elimination occurred during a special Monday night broadcast, a scheduling shift necessitated by ABC’s upcoming Election Day coverage on Tuesday, as reported by Yahoo News Canada. The Disney Night episode, which featured a Broadway twist and guest judge Cynthia Erivo, saw the ballroom transform into a stage for musical hits from Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Mary Poppins.

The end of the Stiles era

Stiles’s departure came as a significant shock to many viewers and cast members. Following the announcement, pro dancer Daniella Karagach described the elimination as “gut-wrenching” to Entertainment Tonight, while reality star Maura Higgins called the moment “a shock.”

Reflecting on her time in the ballroom, Stiles told the program that the experience allowed her to pull things out of herself she didn’t realize were there. Her partner, Ezra Sosa, expressed his admiration for her growth, stating it had been an “absolute honour” to share the journey with her. While Stiles’s performance was a marked improvement over her previous week, TVLine noted that her technical grasp may not have been sufficient to secure the votes needed to survive the combined total of judges’ scores and fan voting.

Social media reactions were deeply divided. While many fans expressed frustration on X, some viewers suggested the elimination was predictable. According to CBC, some critics pointed to a previous low score of 4/10 from guest judge Shirley Ballas and argued that Stiles’s heavy reliance on film nostalgia—including tributes to Save the Last Dance and the late Heath Ledger—may have hindered her ability to connect with the audience on a personal level.

Perfect scores and immunity battles

While Stiles exited the competition, the night saw high-level technical execution from the remaining eight couples. Two contestants achieved perfect 40/40 scores, creating a tie at the top of the leaderboard. Jenna Dewan and partner Val Chmerkovskiy earned a perfect score for their quickstep to “Be Our Guest,” while Harry Shum Jr. and partner Jenna Johnson received a perfect mark for their jazz routine to “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”

Because of the tie, the producers utilized a season-long scoring metric to determine immunity from next week’s dance-off. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Harry Shum Jr. and Johnson secured the immunity advantage due to a cumulative season total of 236 points, narrowly edging out Dewan and Chmerkovskiy, who sat at 235 points.

Disney Night Leaderboard and Team Standings

The evening’s competitive landscape was defined by high-scoring individual routines and high-energy group numbers. The following table outlines the solo dance scores for the evening:

Julia Stiles eliminated from Dancing With the Stars Disney Night
Photo: Yahoo News Canada
Celebrity & Partner Dance Style & Song Score
Harry Shum Jr. & Jenna Johnson Jazz / “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” 40/40
Jenna Dewan & Val Chmerkovskiy Quickstep / “Be Our Guest” 40/40
Ezra Frech & Daniella Karagach Samba / “Under the Sea” 37/40
Amber Glenn & Pasha Pashkov Quickstep / “A Star Is Born” 34/40
Tatyana Ali & Jan Ravnik Contemporary / “Easy as Life” 33/40
Julia Stiles & Ezra Sosa Paso Doble / “Satisfied” 33/40
Maura Higgins & Mark Ballas Jive / “You Can Fly!” 32/40
Connor Wood & Rylee Arnold Waltz / “I See the Light” 32/40

In the team dance segment, “Team Wildcats”—composed of Harry Shum Jr., Jenna Dewan, Connor Wood, Ezra Frech, and their pros—won with a perfect 40/40 score for their rendition of “We’re All in This Together.” They defeated “Team Slaytopia,” which featured Tatyana Ali, Maura Higgins, Amber Glenn, Julia Stiles, and Alfonso Ribeiro, who scored 36/40 for their performance to “Zoo” from Zootopia 2.

The remaining contenders

With the ninth elimination complete, seven celebrities remain in the race for the Season 35 mirror ball trophy. The field includes Tatyana Ali, Jenna Dewan, Ezra Frech, Amber Glenn, Maura Higgins, Harry Shum Jr., and Connor Wood. The competition continues to face high stakes as the season enters its final weeks, with the interplay between professional technicality and fan-driven engagement determining the ultimate winner.

Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesdays on Disney+. Following the recent scheduling shift for the U.S. midterm elections, viewers can find episodes on Disney+ and ABC, with subsequent streaming availability on Hulu.

Disclaimer: The cultural analyses and financial data presented in this article are based on available public records and industry metrics at the time of publication.

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