Following Week 5 of Dancing With the Stars Season 35, the frontrunners have continued to pull away and establish a true top five. Scores are only one part of the equation: judges’ feedback, week-to-week growth and fan support all factor into our third power rankings of the season. Here are our Dancing With the Stars power rankings following Week 5, from the couples best positioned to contend for the Mirrorball Trophy to those who need a major breakthrough in the weeks ahead.
Dancing With the Stars Season 35 Power Rankings
#10: Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold (-2)
Week 5 Score: 25
After flashing some early promise, Connor has really struggled in back-to-back weeks. His fans are going to continue to give him a fighting chance, but if he doesn’t produce a strong bounce-back performance in Week 6, his time on DWTS is coming to an end very soon.
#9: Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess (+1)
Week 5 Score: 30
Tyler is another contestant who has consistently been on the elimination bubble, and he’s realistically going home over the next two weeks. It’s hard to see Cameron putting together a massive, breakthrough performance, and even if he does I’m not sure his fans carry enough weight.
#8: Jackson Olson and Emma Slater (+3)
Week 5 Score: 31
A surprisingly strong salsa may have just saved this Savannah Banana from elimination over the next few weeks. Jackson had been struggling to put all of the pieces together up until last night, and while he still lacks the ceiling that the top of this group possesses, he’s likely safe for a few more episodes.
#7: Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik (-1)
Week 5 Score: 27
Tatyana has put together an impressive few weeks after a tough opening episode, but other dancers have simply been improving more quickly week over week than Tatyana has. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star still has an outside shot at the finale, but she’ll need to step up over the coming episodes.
#6: Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa (+1)
Week 5 Score: 33
Julia has really solidified herself as the contestant just on the outside looking in on the top five, with a shot to sneak into the finale if her fan presence can carry her there. After a shaky first few weeks, the movie star has been stellar in her last two performances. Her Week 5 jazz number propelled her into a tie for fourth in judges’ scores, as it seems like she’s really turned the corner.
#5: Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas (-3)
Week 5 Score: 33
Maura took a bit of a step back in Week 5, although she still earned enough points to tie for fourth in judges’ scoring. This was the first number that hasn’t made audiences jump out of their seats for the reality star. As she battles a neck injury, it’s fair to wonder if we’ve seen her peak too early into this competition.
#4: Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson (-3)
Week 5 Score: 33
Everyone knows Harry is an immensely talented dancer, but he may be starting to run into the problem of letting his hip-hop roots hold him back. The former Step Up actor is letting those elements leak into every style of dance he performs instead of fully adopting the new format. There’s still plenty of time for him to clean things up and push back near the top of this leaderboard.
#3: Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy (+2)
Week 5 Score: 36
That’s how you make a statement. After a few somewhat underwhelming weeks, Jenna delivered the best performance of the season in her pasodoble with Val. Where Harry has been struggling at times to fully adopt different dance styles, that certainly wasn’t the case for the other former Step Up star. Jenna will need to keep herself at (or very close to) the top of the leaderboard to give her a shot at the Mirrorball against these other stars from a fan perspective, but this was a great start.
#2: Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov (+2)
Week 5 Score: 34
Amber was slightly disappointed with her performance last week, and she bounced back in a huge way. The Olympic gold medalist has showcased jaw-dropping athleticism week after week, but this time she embraced the challenge of a more fluid, technical samba, and passed with flying colors. Amber is the clearest challenger to the top dancer in our power rankings.
#1: Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach (+2)
Week 5 Score: 36
Ezra has emerged as the favorite through five weeks in this competition, and he delivered a performance worthy of that title last night. The Paralympic gold medalist’s rhythm, technique and athletic gifts are undeniable. His pacing and stage presence are that of a seasoned professional dancer, not a 21-year-old. After earning straight nines from the judges, Ezra moves to the top spot in our power rankings, and I have a feeling he’ll stay there for quite some time.
Dancing With the Stars Season 35 FAQ
Who are the favorites to win Dancing With the Stars Season 35?
Maura Higgins, Jenna Dewan, Harry Shum Jr., Amber Glenn and Ezra Frech have emerged as the true contenders for the Mirrorball Trophy after five weeks.
When is the next episode of Dancing With the Stars?
Dancing With the Stars returns on Tuesday, October 20 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+. Episodes are available to stream on Hulu the following day.
Who was eliminated on Dancing With the Stars this week?
Guillermo Rodriguez was eliminated in Week 5 of Dancing With the Stars Season 35.
