DWTS season 35 has a new odds-on favorite after Viral Hits Night shook up the race for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.
Paralympian Ezra Frech moved into the top spot in Covers.com’s latest odds after his cha-cha with Daniella Karagach earned one of the night’s highest scores. Frech now has a 26% chance of winning, up 10 percentage points from 16%, according to Covers.com.
That puts him ahead of last week’s favorite, Maura Higgins, who is now at 19% after reaching 43% following her debut dance.
The shift came after a more challenging second week for the season 35 cast. The celebrities had several weeks to prepare for the premiere but only one week to learn their Viral Hits Night routines. Several contestants struggled with the shorter turnaround.
Frech went in the opposite direction.
Ezra Frech Takes Over as DWTS Season 35 Favorite After Standout Cha-Cha
Frech and Karagach performed a cha-cha to Flo Rida’s “Low.” Frech explained that they had to adjust to accommodate his prosthetic, but that didn’t stop him from going all-in on the choreography.
At one point, Frech dropped into the splits as the routine brought a big reaction from the judges.
“What the frick, man?” Carrie Ann Inaba said. “You went down and dirty in some of those moves.”
Frech earned a 21 out of 30, tying Amber Glenn and Jenna Dewan for the highest judges’ score of the night. He also leads the overall judges’ leaderboard through the first two shows.
Covers.com’s updated numbers put Higgins seven percentage points behind Frech at 19%. Harry Shum Jr. is third at 17% after scoring 18 out of 30 for his Viennese waltz.
Dewan is at 15%, while Glenn sits at 11%, despite both matching Frech’s Week 2 score.
The odds moved after Higgins emerged as the early favorite following the premiere, showing how quickly the picture has changed after only two weeks of competition.
DWTS Viral Hits Night Ends With Another Season 35 Elimination
Viral Hits Night featured all 14 remaining celebrities performing to popular songs, including “All the Things She Said,” “Girls” from the “Off Campus” soundtrack and Katseye’s “Animal.”
The judges also continued to hold contestants to the high standard they established during the premiere.
“It’s season 35, our expectations are super high,” Derek Hough said on Sept. 15. “This season, you are going to have to earn every single point.”
The night ended with another elimination after the judges’ scores were combined with viewer votes.
Guillermo Díaz and Witney Carson, Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess, and Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten landed in the bottom three. Alfonso Ribeiro then announced that De Laurentiis had received the lowest combined total of judges’ scores and viewer votes.
“I think I tried my best,” Giada said after her elimination. “It wasn’t best enough, but I tried my best.”
Her exit followed the previous eliminations of Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman, along with Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills.
