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Guillermo Rodriguez and professional partner Witney Carson were eliminated from Dancing with the Stars after the show’s Super Bowl-themed episode. On Jimmy Kimmel Live, Kimmel objected to the result, highlighted their online view counts and spoke with the pair backstage. The reasons behind the voting outcome have not been disclosed.
Jimmy Kimmel criticized Guillermo Rodriguez’s elimination from Dancing with the Stars after the show’s Super Bowl-themed episode, then spoke with Rodriguez and his professional partner, Witney Carson, backstage. Kimmel questioned the result on Jimmy Kimmel Live, pointing to the pair’s reported YouTube views and their judges’ score, while the elimination itself reflects the program’s combined competition process and does not establish why viewers voted as they did.
Kimmel said Rodriguez and Carson had made it to Week 5 and described them as popular online. He displayed figures presented as YouTube views from the previous week: 719,000 for Rodriguez and Carson, compared with 231,000 for Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson. Those figures refer to online video views; they are not a tally of votes cast in the competition.
During the Super Bowl-themed episode, Rodriguez and Carson performed a salsa to Bad Bunny. The judges gave them a combined 22 out of 40: Carrie Ann Inaba and Joe Buck each awarded six, while Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli each gave five. Kimmel noted that it was Rodriguez’s highest score to that point, then said the pair had again landed in the bottom two and had depended on viewers to keep them in the contest.
After the elimination, Kimmel spoke live with the pair backstage. He jokingly asked whether they would accept the outcome or take legal action; Rodriguez answered that he thought they should take legal action, and Carson agreed. Kimmel also praised Carson’s choreography and teased a “custody battle” over Rodriguez. Carson said Kimmel could have him, and the exchange ended with talk of Kimmel adopting both of them.
DWTS · Week Five · October 13, 2026
Jimmy Kimmel’s Response to Guillermo Rodriguez’s DWTS Exit Turns Heads
After Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson left Dancing with the Stars, Kimmel challenged the result on his late-night show and caught up with the pair backstage. The audience vote totals remain undisclosed.
Online attention
Views are not votes
Kimmel compared the pair’s reported video views with another couple’s. Those figures measure online viewing, not ballots in the show’s competition.
Guillermo Rodriguez & Witney Carson
Reported views from the previous week
Harry Shum Jr. & Jenna Johnson
Reported views from the previous week
What the figures cannot show: how many people voted, whether viewers voted under the show’s rules, or the margin between contestants.
Super Bowl-themed episode
A strong score, then elimination
Rodriguez and Carson performed a salsa to Bad Bunny. Kimmel called it Rodriguez’s highest score to date, but the pair still landed in the bottom two before their exit.
The report describes the salsa as his strongest-scoring performance so far.
Inaba
Buck
Hough
Tonioli
Kimmel questioned the result and pointed to the judges’ score and online attention. The report does not establish that the scoring caused the elimination or explain why viewers voted as they did.
Backstage exchange
A joking farewell on late night
Kimmel spoke live with Rodriguez and Carson after the elimination. Their conversation mixed support, jokes about legal action, and praise for the partnership.
“I think we should take legal action.”
Rodriguez said this after Kimmel jokingly asked whether they would accept the result or sue. Carson agreed. The account does not indicate that either filed or plans to file a legal challenge.
“He’s such a sweetheart.”
Carson praised Rodriguez backstage. Kimmel also complimented her choreography and joked about a custody battle, ending with talk of adopting them both.
“That was his highest score yet and once again, Guillermo was in the bottom two and once again, he relied on you the viewers to pull him through.” Jimmy Kimmel, reacting to the judges’ scores
What is confirmed
Follow the result, not the speculation
The elimination is the confirmed competition outcome. The available report leaves the vote count, margin, and detailed vote-and-score calculation unanswered.
Rodriguez and Carson dance during the Super Bowl-themed episode.
Four judges award six, six, five, and five points.
The pair are out; the report does not disclose vote totals.
He criticizes the result and talks with them backstage.
Context: Kimmel’s “radical, left wing judges” remark was presented as on-air comedy and criticism. The report offers no evidence of political motivation in judges’ scoring. The legal-action exchange was also a joke.
What happens next
Dedication Night is scheduled
The remaining contestants are set to continue the competition the following week. The published report does not specify the dances or songs.
Tuesday at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on ABC and Disney+, according to the report.
Episodes are available on Hulu the following day, according to the report.
Quick answers
Key questions
A concise guide to the reported score, online views, backstage remarks, and next episode.
Why did Kimmel react?
He had supported Rodriguez and Carson during their run. After their elimination, he criticized the result on Jimmy Kimmel Live and spoke with them backstage.
What score did they receive?
They earned 22 out of 40: six each from Carrie Ann Inaba and Joe Buck, and five each from Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli.
Did YouTube views determine the outcome?
No. Kimmel cited 719,000 reported views for the pair, but these are not vote totals. The report does not provide audience votes or the elimination margin.
Are they taking legal action?
Rodriguez and Carson joined a joking exchange about legal action. The report does not indicate that either filed or intends to file a challenge.
Online Attention Versus the Vote
The exchange drew attention to a distinction that matters in reality-TV competitions: online views do not equal viewer votes. Kimmel used the reported gap in YouTube views to argue that the pair had a sizable audience, but those figures alone do not show how many people voted, whether viewers voted within the show’s rules, or how votes compared across contestants.
The episode also gave the elimination a second, late-night-show audience. Kimmel’s response was openly supportive and comedic rather than an independent assessment of the voting. His comments can show how the result landed with Rodriguez’s colleague and supporters, but they do not establish that the outcome was unfair or that the judging was responsible. For fans, the exchange offers a public farewell and a snapshot of the conversation around a contestant’s departure; the competition result remains the central confirmed development.
Dancing with the Stars salsa dance costume
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Rodriguez’s Week Five Run
Rodriguez, known as a longtime Jimmy Kimmel Live personality, competed on Dancing with the Stars with Carson as his professional partner. The pair reached the fifth week of the season before their elimination. Kimmel had publicly rooted for them during the run, and his appearance after the episode continued that support.
The episode’s theme was the Super Bowl. The report describes the salsa as Rodriguez’s strongest-scoring performance so far, at 22 points out of 40, but says he was still in the bottom two before the elimination was announced. Dancing with the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, with episodes available on Hulu the following day, according to the published report.
“Last week, Guillermo and Witney had more than triple the YouTube views of their closest opponent.”
— Jimmy Kimmel, on Jimmy Kimmel Live
YouTube video viewer analytics tool
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Vote Totals Remain Unreported
The report does not provide audience vote totals, the margin between contestants, or the detailed method used to combine judges’ scores and viewer votes for this result. The YouTube figures Kimmel displayed cannot answer those questions, and the available information does not establish why Rodriguez and Carson were eliminated despite their reported online views.
Kimmel’s remarks about “radical, left wing judges” were part of his on-air comedy and criticism; no evidence is offered that the judges’ scoring was politically motivated. The exchange about legal action was also presented as a joke. There is no indication in the account that Rodriguez or Carson filed, or plan to file, a legal challenge.
late-night show interview microphone
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Dedication Night Follows
Dancing with the Stars is scheduled to continue the following week with Dedication Night, according to the report. Rodriguez and Carson’s elimination means they are out of the competition, while the remaining contestants are set to perform in the next episode. The published account does not specify which dances or songs will feature.
Viewers can watch the program on ABC and Disney+ at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on Tuesday, with the episode streaming on Hulu the next day, as reported. Kimmel’s backstage exchange is the latest public reaction to the result; any further response from the show, contestants or network about voting details was not included in the report.
Source: Yahoo Entertainment
celebrity backstage interview microphone
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Key Questions
Why did Jimmy Kimmel react to Guillermo Rodriguez’s elimination?
Kimmel had supported Rodriguez and Carson during their Dancing with the Stars run. After their elimination, he criticized the result on Jimmy Kimmel Live and spoke with them backstage.
What score did Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson receive?
They received 22 out of 40 from the judges: six points each from Carrie Ann Inaba and Joe Buck, and five each from Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli.
Did their YouTube views determine the elimination?
No. Kimmel cited reported YouTube views of 719,000 for the pair, but those are not voting totals. The report does not give the audience vote count or explain the margin behind the elimination.
Did Rodriguez and Carson say they would take legal action?
During a joking backstage exchange, Rodriguez said he thought they should take legal action, and Carson agreed. The report does not indicate that either has filed or intends to file a legal challenge.
When is the next Dancing with the Stars episode?
The report says the next episode is scheduled for the following Tuesday, with Dedication Night as its theme. It lists ABC and Disney+ at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, followed by Hulu streaming the next day.
Source: Yahoo Entertainment
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