Nostalgia: Then & Now · Arthur Dunn · 30 September 2026

Dancing with the Stars shock: Taylor Hanson out on Yacht Rock Night

Dancing with the Stars shock: Taylor Hanson out on Yacht Rock Night

Taylor Hanson and pro partner Britt Stewart were eliminated on Dancing with the Stars season 35 Yacht Rock Night, leaving the studio audience silent after a foxtrot to “What a Fool Believes” scored 18/30. The ’90s music star’s exit stunned the ballroom, while Amber Glenn and Harry Shum Jr. tied atop the leaderboard at 24.

Key Takeaways

For fans who track every scoring week and every surprise exit, this Yacht Rock episode delivered both nostalgia and drama. The ’90s pop icon’s early departure is the clearest reminder yet that judges’ marks alone do not decide who stays. Viewer votes still tip the scales on Nostalgia: Then & Now moments like this one.

Who Went Home on Dancing with the Stars Yacht Rock Night?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart were eliminated at the end of Yacht Rock Night. Their foxtrot to The Doobie Brothers’ “What a Fool Believes” earned an 18/30 from the judges.

The Independent reported that the studio audience fell silent when the couple’s names were called. Hanson could be seen saying, “Wow,” underscoring how unexpected the result felt inside the ballroom.

Both partners framed the exit with gratitude. Per THR, Taylor and Britt said they were incredibly grateful to spend their Dancing with the Stars journey together. Before the season, Stewart told THR that Hanson pledged to rehearse as hard as needed, even joking about sleeping at the studio—commitment that made the early exit sting more.

They are the fourth couple sent home this season. Earlier exits, as The Independent detailed, included Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman, Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills, and Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten.

What Were the Yacht Rock Night Scores and Standings?

ABC billed the night as a cruise through “smooth grooves, soft-rock classics and iconic hits that defined the yacht rock era.” Song choices ranged from Hall & Oates’ “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” to Grover Washington Jr.’s “Just the Two of Us” and Rupert Holmes’ “Escape (The Piña Colada Song).”

Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov opened with a foxtrot to Toto’s “Hold the Line” and collected the first trio of eights of the season—24/30. Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson later matched that total, tying for the top of the leaderboard.

Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas earned their first eight of the season and finished at 22/30 for a quickstep to “Turn Your Love Around.” Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik, Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy, and Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach each scored 21/30.

Full Yacht Rock Night judges’ scores, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, were:

Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson sat at the bottom of the judges’ board with 15/30. Still, the combined judges-plus-viewer tally sent Hanson and Stewart home instead—proof that public support can rewrite a night’s storyline.

Why Does This Elimination Matter for Season 35?

Hanson’s exit removes a major ’90s nostalgia name just as season 35 settles into its weekly rhythm. Stewart had told THR she was excited to partner with the Grammy nominee and that his all-in rehearsal mindset made her sigh with relief when they first met.

That work ethic did not translate into enough combined votes. The Independent noted twelve couples remain chasing the Mirrorball Trophy. Still dancing: Tatyana Ali, Tyler Cameron, Jenna Dewan, Ezra Frech, Amber Glenn, Maura Higgins, Ciara Miller, Jackson Olson, Guillermo Rodriguez, Harry Shum Jr., Julia Stiles, and Connor Wood.

Judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli will keep scoring Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, with episodes streaming the next day on Hulu. Live voting runs during the East Coast broadcast and ends shortly after the final performance, so West Coast fans must vote during the early window if they want their ballots counted.

Yacht Rock Night showed two truths at once. Leaderboard darlings like Amber Glenn and Harry Shum Jr. can set a new scoring ceiling, while a committed ’90s star can still leave early when fan votes do not follow. For a franchise built on celebrity memory and weekly suspense, that mix is the entire point.

As the remaining dozen couples push deeper into season 35, every theme week will test whether nostalgia alone can carry a campaign—or whether technique, chemistry, and America voting in lockstep are what keep a pair afloat.

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