The ballroom competition heated up last Tuesday as “Dancing with the Stars” returned for Viral Hits Night, bringing strict judging, record fan engagement and another elimination.

The second week of competition aired live on Tuesday, Sept. 22, at 8 p.m. Eastern on ABC and Disney+. With the competition continuing to narrow, the remaining couples took on the Viral Hits Night theme while fans determined who would continue dancing toward the Mirrorball. 

Fan engagement reached a new high this week, with voting surpassing the numbers from last season’s finale in Season 34. The increased participation added pressure for the couples as they look to impress not only judges but viewers as well. 

The judges also brought a stricter scoring approach to the ballroom that Tuesday night. Due to time restraints, one judge could give only a single word to describe each dance, while the other two judges provided more detailed feedback. With fewer words from one judge, every step had to speak for itself. 

The night ended with Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten being eliminated from the competition. The pair performed a Salsa to “Bella Ciao” by Becky G and received a 12 out of 30 points from the judges, with each judge awarding the couple a four. 

The elimination leaves the remaining couples preparing to dance another week and shake up the leaderboard. 

Heading into week 3, Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach, Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy and Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov sit tied at the top with 21 points. Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas follow with 19 points. 

Four couples share third place with 18 points, Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik, Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong, Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson and Jackson Olson and Emma Slater. 

Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa and Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess are tied for fourth with 16 points. Connor Wood and Riley Arnold and Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart follow with 15 points each, while Guillermo Rodriguez and Whitney Carson sit at the bottom of the leaderboard with 12 points.

Next week, the remaining couples will sail into Yacht Rock Night. On Thursday, the official “Dancing with the Stars” podcast, hosted by Andy Richter, announced the songs and dance styles for week three. 

Frech and Karagach will perform a Foxtrot to “Just the Two of Us” by Grover Washington Jr. featuring Bill Withers. Dewan and Chmerkovskiy will perform a Samba to “Africa” by Toto, while Glenn and Pashkov will dance a Foxtrot to “Hold the Line,” also by Toto.

Higgins and Ballas will perform a Quickstep to “Turn Your Love Around” by Hall & Oates, while Ali and Ravnik will Quickstep to “Maneater,” also by Hall & Oates. Miller and Armstrong will perform a Cha Cha to “Never Too Much” by Luther Vandross. 

Shum Jr. and Johnson will dance a Jive to “You Make My Dreams” by Hall & Oates. Olson and Slater will perform a Paso Doble to “Easy Lover” by Philip Bailey and Phil Collins, while Stiles and Sosa will perform as Salsa to “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” by Hall & Oates. 

Cameron and Burgess will perform a Jive to “Still the One” by Orleans. Wood and Arnold will dance a Foxtrot to “Everywhere” by Fleetwood Mac, Hanson and Stewart will perform a Foxtrot to “What a Fool Believes” by The Doobie Brothers, and Rodriguez and Carson will dance a Foxtrot to “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes.