Guillermo Rodriguez Survives After Making ‘Dancing With the Stars’ History

Guillermo Rodriguez received the second-lowest score ever recorded on Dancing With the Stars — but the comedian’s run on the show is not over yet.

The 55-year-old and his professional partner, Witney Carson, scored just 10 out of 30 during the Season 35 premiere on Tuesday, Sept. 15. The pair performed a Cha Cha to “Mr. Big Stuff,” earning a 3 from Derek Hough, a 3 from Bruno Tonioli and a 4 from Carrie Ann Inaba.

Hough was blunt about the performance, saying, “Was the technique there? No. Was the effort there? Absolutely.”

The audience clearly disagreed with the judges’ scoring, booing after Rodriguez received his marks. Despite the low total, viewers’ votes were enough to keep him in the competition.

Only One Performance Has Scored Lower

Rodriguez’s 10-point total ranks as the second-lowest score in Dancing With the Stars history.

The record still belongs to rapper Master P, who received just 8 out of 30 during Season 2 in 2006. Paired with Ashly DelGrosso, Master P earned 2s from Bruno Tonioli and the late Len Goodman, while Carrie Ann Inaba gave him a 4.

His fourth-week Paso Doble drew particularly harsh reactions from the judges. Tonioli called it “a nightmare,” while Goodman criticized Master P’s lack of commitment to the performance and said it was “cruel” that viewers continued voting for him to remain on the show.

The Paso Doble ultimately became Master P’s final performance.

Rodriguez, however, has another opportunity to improve after surviving the first elimination of Season 35.

Conner Leavitt Is Eliminated

The first celebrity sent home was Conner Leavitt, who competed alongside professional dancer Adele Zaikman.

Leavitt and Zaikman earned 12 points for their Salsa to “Whoomp! There It Is,” with all three judges awarding them 4s. Despite scoring higher than Rodriguez, they were eliminated after the combination of judges’ scores and viewers’ votes.

Leavitt’s wife, Whitney Leavitt, knows the Dancing With the Stars experience firsthand. She finished sixth on Season 34 last year.

Following her husband’s elimination, Whitney shared a supportive message on Instagram, praising him for stepping outside his comfort zone and giving the competition everything he had.

“Conner, I am so proud of you,” she wrote. “I hope you never let this ending take away from what you just did.”

She also acknowledged that viewers had only seen part of what he was capable of, adding that she looked forward to them discovering the rest.

Season 35 Premiere Continues

The Season 35 two-night premiere continued Wednesday, Sept. 16, with the remaining eight celebrity contestants taking the stage.

The eight male celebrities performed during Tuesday’s premiere, while the eight female contestants competed on Wednesday. The season airs on ABC and streams on Disney+.