Dancing with the Stars Season 35’s highly anticipated “Mariah Carey Night” delivered stunning ballroom performances and an outcome that left audiences stunned. During the live broadcast on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, Summer House star Ciara Miller and her professional partner Brandon Armstrong became the latest casualties of the ballroom, despite delivering what judges called their best performance of the season.
The evening celebrated the catalog of the pop icon, who kicked off the episode with a special pre-recorded video message. “What an honor to have an entire evening dedicated to my music,” Carey told the 12 remaining couples. “I can’t wait to see how these fabulous couples bring my songs to life. I wish I could be there tonight, but I’ll be watching and cheering you on from afar”. Miller and Armstrong opened the episode with an energetic jazz routine set to Carey’s hit “Emotions.” The performance was highly praised by the judges, with Carrie Ann Inaba declaring it Miller’s best dance of the competition. The duo earned a solid score of 21 out of 30, placing them safely in the middle of the leaderboard.
However, as audience votes were factored in, Miller and Armstrong found themselves eliminated. The result shocked fans, especially since lower-scoring competitors managed to survive the week. Late-night sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez and his partner Witney Carson earned the lowest score of the night with just 13 out of 30 points for their “Obsessed” samba. Similarly, comedian Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold avoided elimination despite earning a 19 out of 30 for their “Touch My Body” rumba.
“I’m so grateful for Brandon,” Miller said following her elimination. “This experience has been the moment of a lifetime, and there’s no one else I would rather have had this moment with”.
While the elimination brought a somber note to the end of the show, the night was otherwise filled with breakthrough performances. Reality television star Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas claimed the top spot on the leaderboard.
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