‘Dancing with the Stars’ leaves the ballroom in tears on Dedication Night
DISCLAIMER: This article was written on Oct. 23, 2026.
Dedication Night brought heartfelt tributes, milestone scores and a surprise pregnancy announcement to “Dancing With the Stars” leaving the ballroom emotional before next week’s frightening double elimination.
During week six the remaining couples performed emotional routines dedicated to significant people, groups or figures in their lives. The night featured heartwarming tributes and memorable moments, with no couple eliminated from the competition.
One of the evening’s biggest surprises came during Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess’s dance. Cameron’s fiancee, Tate Madden, appeared during their dance as the couple announced her pregnancy. Following the routine, the gender was revealed, where they found out they were expecting a girl.
The evening also looked different on the professional side. Val Chmerkovskiy became the first professional to be suspended for a week following a social media comment about judge Carrie Ann Inaba. Alan Bersten stepped in to partner with Jenna Dewan in Chmerkovskiy’s absence.
Former professional dancer Kym Johnson returned as a guest judge for Dedication Night for the second consecutive year.
Johnson awarded the first 10 of the season to Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagatch. Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov received two 10s for their contemporary dance, one from Inaba and another from Johnson. Dewan and Bersten also earned their first 10 of the season from Inaba.
Glenn and Pashkov now lead the leaderboard with 38 out of 40 points. Frech and Karagatch and Dewan and Bersten are tied for second with 37 points each.
Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson and Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa follow with 36 points. Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas hold with 35 points, while Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik, Jackson Olson and Emm Slater, Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold and Cameron and Burgess are tied with 32 points.
With no elimination this week, all 10 couples remain in the competition, setting up a more intense week ahead.
Next week, the ballroom will trade dedications for frightening performances during Horror Movie Night. Shirley Ballas, a dance icon, head judge on “Strictly Come Dancing” and mother of professional dancer Mark Ballas, will join the panel as a guest judge.
The scariest part of next week is not Ballas being in the ballroom, it is that two couples will leave the competition next week in a double elimination.
Glenn and Pashkov will perform an Argentine Tango to “Perfection” by Clint Mansell, inspired by “Black Swan.” Wood and Arnold will dance Contemporary to Charles McDonald’s “You Are My Sunshine,” inspired by “Annabelle: Creation,” while Frech and Karagach will perform a Jazz routine to Ruelle’s “Madness,” inspired by “The Invisible Man.”
Dewan and Chmerkovskiy are set to perform an Argentine Tango to “Uninvited” by Damned Anthem and Kendra Dantes, inspired by zombie movies. Ali and Ravnik will dance a Paso Doble to Miles Caton’s “I Lied to You,” inspired by “Sinners,” while Cameron and Burgess will dance a Viennese Waltz to Annie Lennox’s “Love Song for a Vampire,” inspired by “Bram Stoker’s Dracula.”
Stiles and Sosa will dance an Argentine Tango to Jerry Goldsmith’s “The Dogs Attack,” inspired by “The Omen.” Higgins and Ballas will perform a Contemporary to Gerard McMann’s “Cry Little Sister,” inspired by “The Lost Boys.”
After a night of emotional tributes, the 10 remaining couples will need to face their fears and dance their way through a double elimination.
