Mariah Carey opens Dancing With the Stars theme night by video as 12 couples dance to her hits

Mariah Carey did not step onto the ballroom floor on Oct. 6. She opened Dancing With the Stars by video instead. In the message, played at the top of the show, she said it was an honour to have a full episode built around her music and that she would be watching and cheering on the couples from afar, Billboard reported.

The message was taped from home, according to live coverage of the broadcast, USA Today reported. Then the ballroom took over. The 12 remaining couples of season 35 opened the night together with a group number set to “Heartbreaker.”

That song was Carey’s 1999 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit. The choice set the terms for the evening. One catalogue, 12 couples, no shared billing.

The rest of the night stayed inside that songbook. Routines used “It’s Like That,” “Obsessed,” “Without You,” “Fantasy,” “Vision of Love” and “Hero,” Billboard reported. “Touch My Body” was performed as a rumba, the slow Latin ballroom dance built on close hold and hip action.

The night ended with an exit. Ciara Miller and partner Brandon Armstrong were eliminated after dancing to “Emotions.” That track was Carey’s 1991 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit.

ABC billed the broadcast as Season 35, Episode 5, “Mariah Carey Night,” with the synopsis “The 12 remaining couples dance to the songs of Mariah Carey,” ABC lists. The network had scheduled it as episode 3505 for Tuesday, Oct. 6, from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. EDT. The series airs Tuesdays at 8/7c and streams on Disney+, hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough, with Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli listed as judges.

The couples are competing for the Mirror Ball Trophy, the prize awarded to the winning pair each season. That structure leaves little room for a safe week. Every theme night requires a new dance style and a new piece of music, and the public vote and judges’ scores decide who stays.

For fans at home, the appeal was straightforward. The music stayed familiar while the dancing kept changing underneath it.

The theme nights continue. Dancing With the Stars returns Oct. 13 on ABC with Super Bowl night, featuring dances to songs performed during Super Bowl half-time shows.