The Oct. 20 episode of Dancing with the Stars is Dedication Night, and the ballroom is down to 10 remaining couples. Each pair will dance for someone or somewhere that shaped their life, with Kym Johnson back at the judges’ table and one elimination expected by the end of the night.
That is why viewers searching What Time Is Dancing With The Stars Tonight are looking now: the live episode changes the shape of Season 35 in real time, and the result matters immediately to the couples still fighting for a place in the competition. Jenna Dewan is one of them, and this week she will dance with Alan Bersten instead of Val Chmerkovskiy, who is sitting out the show.
The rotation matters because Dewan and Chmerkovskiy had been a regular pair in Season 35. This week’s switch is a direct result of Studios making Chmerkovskiy sit out, after he defended Jenna Johnson in a since-deleted social media post following last week’s Super Bowl Night episode. That performance drew criticism from Carrie Ann Inaba, who called out Harry Shum Jr.’s illegal lift and even brought out the rulebook to back up the point. Chmerkovskiy later apologized for the comment.
Dedication Night is built to feel personal, but this season it also comes with a sharper edge than usual. The couples are still performing for judges and votes, yet the conversation around the show has been shaped by an offstage dispute that forced a partner change and put more attention on how the night is judged. Kym Johnson’s return adds another layer to an episode already carrying more weight than a standard themed week.
For viewers, the key detail is simple: the Oct. 20 episode is the one to watch live, because the field is narrowing and an elimination is expected when the Dedication Night performances are finished. What remains unanswered is not whether the competition is moving forward, but which couple will lose ground when the results are announced.
