The season 35 premiere of Dancing with the Stars was interrupted by a technical problem Tuesday night when the show’s online voting system stopped working only minutes after the live broadcast began.
Co-host Julianne Hough, 38, was forced to alert viewers to the problem shortly after the second performance of the evening, telling fans that voting through ABC’s website was temporarily unavailable.
Viewers attempting to submit their votes instead encountered an “Error 503 Too Many Variants” message, leaving them unable to use the online voting platform.
Julianne Hough Alerts Viewers to the Problem
The malfunction was announced shortly after former Bachelorette contestant Tyler Cameron performed with professional dancer Sharna Burgess.
“A quick update for everyone who is voting at home,” Hough told viewers roughly 25 minutes into the broadcast.
“This is coming through live right now: Voting on ABC is currently down live.”
She encouraged fans to use the show’s text-voting option while the technical issue was being addressed.
“Please make sure that you guys are texting for everyone,” Hough said, adding that viewers would receive further updates as the night continued.
Alfonso Ribeiro Confirms Online Votes Will Be Dropped
The problem was still unresolved roughly 20 minutes later when co-host Alfonso Ribeiro returned with another update.
Ribeiro explained that the show was continuing to experience difficulties with online voting.
By around 8:45 p.m. ET, he confirmed that online votes would not be counted for that night’s broadcast.
“For tonight, and tonight only, we are throwing out online votes,” Ribeiro announced.
The decision meant that viewers could still participate through text messages, but online voting would no longer be available as part of the first night of the two-part premiere.
Hough Jokes About the Voting Breakdown
Despite the disruption, Hough attempted to keep the atmosphere light during the live broadcast.
“Did we break it with the voting? This is kind of rad!” she joked.
Ribeiro responded with a similar tone, saying, “We’re breaking stuff around here.”
The hosts continued with the night’s competition while the show’s voting arrangements were adjusted.
Fans Turn to Text Voting
With online voting unavailable, viewers in the United States and its territories were directed to cast their votes by text message.
Fans can vote by sending the appropriate keyword for the male celebrity they support to 21523.
Normally, viewers text the celebrity’s first name, but two contestants sharing the first name Connor required a distinction.
Supporters of TikTok personality Connor Wood must text “Connor W,” while those voting for Connor Leavitt must text “Connor L.”
Leavitt is married to Whitney Leavitt, who appears on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
Text Votes Limited to the Premiere’s First Night
Under the show’s normal voting rules, viewers can submit up to 10 votes for each couple through each available voting method during a show.
However, because online voting was unavailable during Tuesday’s broadcast, texting was the only voting method available for the first part of the season 35 premiere.
Ribeiro also explained that elimination decisions would be based on the combination of judges’ scores and audience votes, with the couple receiving the lowest combined total being eliminated at the end of each night.
Season 35 Premiere Split Across Two Nights
The unusual voting arrangement coincided with the structure of the season 35 premiere, which is being broadcast across two nights.
Tuesday’s episode featured the male celebrities and their professional dance partners.
The female celebrities are scheduled to make their season 35 debuts during Wednesday night’s episode.
The second part of the premiere is scheduled to air Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and stream on Disney+. Episodes are also available on Hulu the following day.
